Franklin’s Town Council hasn’t appointed a new member to replace Barbara McRae – and it’s possible that they won’t, given the municipal election that’s supposed to be held in a few more months – but they took steps to make up for her loss during their meeting on Monday night.
Council member Jack Horton was unanimously selected by his peers to be the town’s next vice mayor. While Horton is still in his first term on the council, he has an extensive background in local government that includes time spent as Macon County’s manager and as a member of the Macon County Airport Authority. Horton says that McRae’s commitment to civic engagement is a high bar to clear, but he’ll do his best to advocate for the town and its constituents as thoroughly as he can.
“I hold great respect and admiration for Barbara,” Horton said. “She did a perfect job as our vice mayor… my hope is that I can do just as well.”
McRae also represented the board with the Macon County Economic Development Commission. That delegation will now fall to council member Mike Lewis, who says that he considers economic development a major priority. With local business and tourism still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, he says that community leaders should have job growth at the front of their minds.
“I’m all for anything that we can do to stimulate our economy and bring in more jobs,” Lewis said.
Council member David Culpepper will be the board’s new liaison with Friends of the Greenway. Culpepper volunteered for the job early and says that he’s very excited about projects currently underway on the greenway, specifically the connector project that FROG hopes to complete this year. However, he also believes that the town should be more active in their discussions with FROG and in maximizing public use of outdoor resources.
“The greenway is our town’s most valuable asset besides what God put here,” Culpepper said. “I want to see if we can get that board some more help.”
In addition to covering the assignments, the council also approved a proclamation honoring McRae and her service to Franklin. It was an emotional night for the council members, who are still recovering from McRae’s passing. Mayor Bob Scott says that while the town government will keep going strong, there’s nothing they can do to fully replace her.
“It was very difficult to read that proclamation because it was a reminder of a lot of good times and of the respect that I had for her,” Scott said. “It’s a real loss to our community.”