Councilman Knight’s Deflection Builds the Case for City Wide Voting

There is another way to describe what happened at the council meeting on Monday, February 24, 2026.

Councilman Knight took a direct inquiry about a public obligation and reframed it with grievances drawn from history.

The deflection was not subtle, and it was not effective. It was an obvious attempt to change the focus from Councilman Knight’s $47,000 unpaid utility bill.

Accountability was reframed as grievance, and the strategy was distraction.

What matters is what was revealed; the problem in how answerability functions within a ward-based system.

Ward-based voting, with often small voter turnout, protects a councilman from having to defend his position to the full city.

This is why the discussion about city-wide voting is no longer theoretical. Monday afternoon offered an example of how ward-based politics can narrow the scope of obligation to the public.

A council member elected by the entire city would know that every resident is part of his voting constituency, every taxpayer is entitled to an answer, every question carries city-wide weight. The standard shifts from protecting a personal base to serving a shared public trust.

City-wide voting does not guarantee better behavior, but it raises expectations. Council members will answer to the whole community, who will vote based on outcomes.

Councilman Knight’s response on Monday afternoon did more than avoid a question, it illustrated why many residents are now reconsidering the way we choose those who sit at the council table.

What happened was not a single exchange, and it was never only about one councilman.

It was a glimpse into how our current system can allow public duty to slip sideways. Rocky Mount is not a city without good intentions or capable people, but changing the structure of how we vote is a strong answer to our ‘troubles.’

From my bench, watching this city I care about, the lesson feels clear; it is time to reconsider the framework itself.

City-wide voting is a way for the registered voters of Nash & Edgecombe Counties to elect a City Council making decisions that affect all our lives, a city-wide choice.