Mayor Vivian Jones did an unusual thing Tuesday night during the public comment section of the town board meeting after a man, saying he spoke for a group, spoke for 10 minutes while showing slides he took at PrideFest.
She handed her gavel to Commissioner Keith Shackleford, also the mayor pro tem, and went to the podium in front of the commissioners and staff, saying she was going to speak as a town resident without title.
Over the past three or four months groups of people have come to the town board meetings to protest against Pridefest, she said, and she has received letters with the same views. Wake Forest should be one community, the mayor said.
“I am a Christian. How we make choices is important, trying to decide who is in and who is out is not.”
Jones quoted the bible and spoke about inclusion and loving those who are not the same as us. She ended by saying she hoped she would not receive anymore letters about PrideFest.
The festival was approved through the regular process for all events in town that are not town-sponsored events. The town board never votes on events, just the process for approval or disapproval, and the mayor only votes when there is a tie vote.
David Griffen, the pastor of a local church, also spoke about the differences in people. “Wake Forest is a cafeteria of diversity.”
Aside from the comment section, the October 15, 2024 session of the town board was lengthy – almost two-and-a-half hours, and diverse. The only item on the consent agenda was to approve the acceptance of a North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant award for $500,000 to build a skate park.
Karin Kuropas, the current chairman of the planning board, was elected for another three-year term. Adam Redler, the ETJ representative, won a full three-year term, as did Jordan Banks, a newcomer who will replace Sheila Bishop.
There were public hearings about three planning requests followed much later by the approval of the three by the town board.
The rezoning of 418 Jones Dairy Road to neighborhood business conditional use brought passionate arguments against by neighbors in the Heritage Hills subdivision because there is a wooded floodplain between their backyards and the David Williams project of two buildings and a parking lot.
“We all live in back of a floodplain, a highly sensitive floodplain,” Scott Lawrence said, adding there is a “potential vulnerability” for all 18 neighbors who are protesting.
Chris Lowe called Williams an “exploiter,” and noted the 32-foot drip in elevation from Jones Dairy Road to the farthest edge of the parking lot. He also said there is another property for sale “right next door” where Williams could build.
Margaret Watkins pointed out that there may have to be blasting to remove underground granite.
Later, during the discussion by the commissioners, the architect for the project noted that the sand filter 25-year flood treatment vessel will treat both water quality and quantity and release any flood waters more slowly than nature, reducing the threat of flooding in the floodplain.
The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the project, as they also were unanimous in voting for the Star Road annexation and the Johnson Automotive plan for the current truck stop at the Burlington Mills and Capital Boulevard.
The big issue for the proposed Hyundai dealership was the intersection of Urial Drive, a substandard two-lane road that is the only point of egress-ingress for all the traffic in the Shearon Farms subdivision.
Veronica Brown, the president for the Shearon Farms HOA, was once again at the comment section, emphasizing “what a mess it is of traffic” for the residents. When they can turn left to get on Burlington Mills Road they then have to deal with another left turn onto Capital Boulevard. She is asking for a traffic signal at Urial to help get traffic out of the subdivision.
Johnson Automotive and the developer of a townhouse community on Burlington Mills Road have both said they would include an upgrade of Urial and a traffic signal when they build, but there are no start dates. “Whoever builds first needs some sort of safe passage out of that road,” Brown said.
Assistant Town Manager Candace Davis asked the commissioners how they want to implement the increased parks and recreation impact fees paid by homebuilders. She said the North Carolina Association of Homebuilders had submitted several implementations, all of them stretching over several years.
Davis said the staggered implementation would be very difficult for the town staff. Commissioner Adam Wright then made a motion to begin the change on July 1 of this year at 80 percent of the consultant’s recommended fees for single-family and multi-family homes and introduce it gradually over five years,
Commissioner Ben Clapsaddle said he agreed with the staff, Shackleford asked about waivers for affordable housing, and the mayor, Davis and Interim Planning Director Jennifer Currin all said separately that the fees could be waived for affordable housing, including Habitat for Humanity.
Parks and Recreation Director Ruben Wall was present to hear the commissioners approve his department’s five-year master plan. Wall said all of his staff will have a part in making it a reality.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
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18 Responses
“Let the gays get married. Let the rednecks have their guns. Let the atheists be atheists. Let the Christians be Christians. America is about FREEDOM. Freedom to live your life as you please. So smoke a bowl, eat a greasy burger, shoot your guns, praise Jesus and wish those two fellas next door a happy honeymoon. It’s only when people FORCE their ways on others that problems begin. It never ceases to amaze me how many full-grown adults don’t understand that.” — author unknown
I’ve been “out of action” due to a family emergency, and missed the meeting. Thank you Carol Pelosi and the Wake Forest Gazette, for this important update, as always.
I’ll definitely watch the video! For those who, like me, also missed the meeting, you can find a video of the meeting in the Available Archives section at https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/public-meetings-portal
Be sure to stay in the meeting through commissioner comments at the very end. Faith reported most of the PrideFest although she did not attend and then Keith said he was a volunteer there. Faith wants the town to have a “decency code” for public events.
Promoting “pride fest” is promoting proclivity to sin. And Jesus does love everyone, but He also says “go and sin no more”. To those Ssa brothers & sisters, pick up your cross and follow Him. We are all white washed tombs unless we stick to biblical truth.
Get behind me Mayor.
First of all, your “Bible” is fiction.
Second of all – does this mean that you live your life 100% free of “sin”.
Hypocrite, bigot, take your pick. Either way, your way of thinking is $&*#.
Dear despiser of hypocrites, uh, NO, i do not think me free of sin, but i know what it is and not to commit the same. Your response is rude in anybody’s book.
I hope you come to know & love God…it’s a life changer! Dont let the evil one lull you with lies.
Again, if anyone would like more accurate information or facts about the Wake Forest Pride Fest or any events we hold, please feel free to check out our socials or email info@wakeforestpride.org.
As one of the co-chairs of the nonprofit who organized this event- I for one am grateful for laws that allow all to plan safe community events in an attempt to bring unity and peace through education and inclusion.
Jesus called many of us Christians white-washed tombs…pretending to be someone we’re not. Pick up your cross and follow Jesus. Your cross may be same sex attraction. Nothing to be proud of…just like any other sin.
Thank you Mayor Jones for speaking up. She is the mayor for ALL people in the town of Wake Forest, not just Christians, let alone a small subset of loud and angry ones. Also appreciate the firm words from Commissioners Shackleford and Wright.
I find it really troubling that Commissioner Cross, who is a long time registered nurse, did not have anything to say about the public commenter criticizing the Pride Fest, who for the majority of his time, openly mocked the booth educating about STIs and giving free HIV testing.
She knows that medical education for the public and screening is vital to prevention of disease.
She knows that destigmatizing real and common diseases is key to getting people to treatment quickly without fear of judgement.
She knows that HIV testing can be the difference between someone living a normal, long life, and suffering the debilitating and life threatening effect of AIDS.
She knows that straight and gay people alike are susceptible to STIs, yet she said nothing when the commenter remarked that these diseases were a “due penalty from sin.”
The sad thing is as a medical professional she knows better, but she says nothing because she knows who voted her in.
To that commenter I’ll say: It is not kind, loving, or Christian to mock people volunteering in the task of disease awareness and prevention. In fact, it is vastly ignorant and shows a lack of compassion for all those who are suffering with disease, and wish they knew better or sought treatment sooner.
Gazette,
Why don’t you elaborate as to what the photo’s the person was showing in the meeting were depicting?
Acts of public lewdness or indecency that seem to coincide with these “pride” events?
How does that make one a bigot? It’s bigotry to notice i assume.
To the honorable mayor of Wake Forest, dear Mayor true Christianity does not condone homosexual Behavior of any kind it is an abomination to a loving God who loves the homosexual, but hates the sin, all sin, no matter what it is, but for you to condone this pride festival shows that you really don’t know what scripture says.
Follow these directions and if approved one can try to get a Christmas parade or like on Saturday Tunnel to Towers Run.
To get a permit for an event in Wake Forest, North Carolina, you can follow these steps:
Read the Special Events Policy
Contact the Community Events Coordinator: You can call (919) 435-9415 to determine if you need to apply for a permit.
Complete the Special Events Permit Application: You can find the application on the Wake Forest website.
Submit the application and required documents: You must submit the application at least 45 days before the event.
Pay the application fee: You must pay the required fee along with your application.
Prepare an Emergency Action Plan: If your event is an assembly with more than 1,000 people, you must include an Emergency Action Plan with your application.
You may need a permit if your event: Impacts public property and Affects traffic or pedestrian access.
Town staff will approve the location of your event and may require staff from other departments to be present. You will be invoiced for the cost of any town staff that works your event.
You can contact the Town of Wake Forest Planning Department at (919) 435-9510 with questions about planning issues.
Mayor Jones is in need of education as a Christian. God loves us all. He hates sin. He is righteous and none can approach him without the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ shed to redeem us from our sins. The guidance from God’s Word is clear. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their exceedingly sinful ways. Sexual perversion is the most remembered sin from Sodom and it is called Sodomy in our language and laws. The young man speaking against the “pride” festival was correct but should have drawn the clear evolutionary lines from such a festival to following in the wake of San Francisco, Portland and other depraved cities with naked people on bikes, or stripping, or other perverted acts in public. This is perversion and an abomination in the sight of God. These people ought not to be allowed any positions of authority where they can subvert others and promote this perversion and certainly not be praised or allowed to flaunt their perversion.
What is truly sad is that we can have a gay parade but we cannot have a Christmas parade for our children and grandchildren. This is exclusion, not inclusion. The town board bends like a willow. Christians should carefully read Revelations and consider what is happening at the local, national, and international level. Mayor Vivian might need to listen to our citizens, instead of saying she didn’t want to hear from them.
You really should actually read the article before opening your mouth. The town has an approval process for events. If you want a parade, do like the Pride folks and band together and organize it instead of sitting on your behind on your keyboard and criticizing others.
Good for Mayor Jones! Run those damn bigots the hell out of town!!
The bigots are not from Wake Forest. They come here from a church outside of our town.
Thank you Mayor Jones!