Why Rocky Mount Should Return to Citywide Elections

Every Council Member Governs the Whole City

Recently, some readers have asked me to explain more fully why I favor returning Rocky Mount to a citywide voting system for City Council elections.

First, let me acknowledge the argument on the other side.

Ward-based elections were created to ensure that every part of Rocky Mount had a voice at City Hall. Residents of each ward elect someone who lives among them, understands their neighborhood, and can speak directly for their interests. In a city with Rocky Mount’s history, many citizens believe ward elections provide important protection against neighborhoods being overlooked or forgotten.

That concern is legitimate.

But I believe the discussion should begin with a simple question:

What is a City Council member elected to do?

A council member is not elected merely to represent a ward. Once sworn into office, that council member helps make decisions about taxes, budgets, debt, public safety, economic development, infrastructure, and the overall direction of Rocky Mount. Those decisions affect every resident of the city, not just the people who live within a particular ward.

We all benefit from good decisions.

We all pay the price for bad ones.

That reality leads me to a different conclusion.

The question isn’t whether Ward 1 gets a representative. The question is whether the representative from Ward 1 should be accountable only to Ward 1 or to all of Rocky Mount.

My proposal would preserve neighborhood representation while expanding accountability.

Under this approach, Ward 1 would still produce its own candidates. Ward 2 would still produce its own candidates. Ward 3 would still produce its own candidates. Every ward would continue to have representation from someone who lives in that ward.

The difference is that the entire city would vote for those candidates.

In other words, Ward 1 would still send its best candidates forward. What changes is that those candidates would have to earn the confidence not only of Ward 1, but of Rocky Mount as a whole.

To me, that is not a loss of representation. It is an expansion of responsibility.

Some people worry that citywide voting would weaken minority voices. I understand that concern. But if a candidate from Ward 1 is qualified to help determine the future of Rocky Mount, then every citizen of Rocky Mount should have the opportunity to support that candidate. Leadership should be tested before the entire community because leadership responsibilities extend to the entire community.

The choice is not between Black representation and White representation.

The choice is between partial accountability and full accountability.

Every council member governs the entire city. Every council member votes on issues that affect every taxpayer. Every council member helps determine Rocky Mount’s future.

When the consequences of those decisions belong to all of us, the selection of those decision-makers should belong to all of us as well.

That is why I believe Rocky Mount should return to citywide elections.

The goal is not to weaken neighborhoods or diminish voices. The goal is to build a governing system that encourages leaders to think about the future of the entire city.

Rocky Mount’s challenges are shared. Its opportunities are shared. Its future will be shared as well.