Cannon discusses possibility of resignation
By Phyllis Moore
Published in News on August 2, 2016 1:46 PM
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Dwight B. Cannon
The District 2 school board member who a year ago said it would take "an act of Congress" to remove him, prompting the board to craft a policy abolishing Skyping, told the board Monday night that he has been elected to a four-year position with his religious denomination and if it conflicts with his duties he will "honorably resign."
Since joining the board in 2012, Dwight B. Cannon's term has been fraught with hiccups -- from a spotty attendance record to volatile outbursts during meetings.
When elected, he was pastor of St. James AME Zion Church in Goldsboro, but in 2013 took over the role at Wesley AME Zion Church in New Jersey. In addition to commuting out of state, he also served as a substitute teacher for a school district there and began campaigning for the national leadership role.
It affected attendance at regular and called school board meetings and committee meetings, causing him to rely heavily on Skyping, or FaceTime and raising concerns about his ability to effectively serve on the board.
For more than a year, from January 2014 until the spring of 2015, he was only present for 59 percent of the meetings.
During an April 2015 work session, after physically attending only one meeting since February, Cannon blasted his "distractors." He said he took the role seriously but could resign at any time.
"I'm going to stick it out to the end and it's going to take an act of Congress or whatever else it takes to make me leave this board," he said.
In September 2015, the board did away with Skyping to meetings.
Cannon had been up front about his campaign for Global Mission 2016, a four-year position with the denomination, which would involve traveling overseas and attending conferences. He had indicated that if elected, he would no longer be pastor but did not specify how the job, based in Charlotte, would affect the remainder of his school board term, which runs until November.
Last week, when the ballots were counted, Cannon was chosen executive secretary/treasurer of Global Missions.
The 50-year-old told his New Jersey congregation this past weekend that his last day there will be Aug. 28. His new duties start Sept. 1.
His departure, though, was a "mutual thing," a church member, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told the News-Argus.
"Members had voted to have him removed way before he went to the annual conference in May," she said. "They let him know then that they did not want him to return (after the July election)."
At Monday evening's meeting of the school board, there was no hint of bad blood between members.
Board Chairman Chris West congratulated Cannon on his accomplishments before inviting Cannon to share his news.
"He worked hard and I think he'll do a wonderful job," West said.
Cannon said he is ending 36 years of pastoral ministry at month's end, recalling being asked to pastor his first church at 14 years old.
His new role will be in missions, his passion.
"My family and I spent more than eight years in southern Africa," he said. "I'm excited that not only will I be able to go back and see my family there but I will be blessed to travel to 16 countries and of those 16 countries, we have the six islands that I have oversight of as the Global Missions executive director."
He thanked the school board and his colleagues for allowing him to campaign, and the citizens of Wayne County who prayed for him and voted for him in the new position.
"I'm still on cloud nine and tomorrow (Tuesday) is my transition meeting with the bishops and the previous administration," he said. "I'm looking forward to going to Charlotte, working in my new office and flying all over the world, eating everywhere I go and of course, preaching the word.
"I'm like a child with a new toy. I never thought I would get it. I worked hard to get it, but I said to the Lord, I want your will to be done."
Then he addressed the question about what the situation means for his board seat.
"You know I did not run for re-election, and according to the process, November will be my last term," he began. "When I meet (Tuesday) if there's a conflict with my major meetings, especially this school board meeting, I will honorably resign from my seat.
"But if I can make those meetings and still do my work, we're only talking about three or four more months. But I take it that seriously. If I can't be here, I will honorably resign so that others will sit in this seat and make the right decisions."