ELLERBE — Nearly a month after being reelected, three town leaders were sworn in Monday evening.
Mayor Brenda Capel and Councilman John Sears Jr. were sworn in by Town Clerk Jane Smith, and Councilman Jeremy McKenzie was sworn in by District Court Judge Sophia Crawford.
All three ran unopposed in this year’s election.
Capel was first elected in 2021 after ousting then-mayor Fred Cloninger. The term for the mayoral seat is two years.
McKenzie was first elected to the Ellerbe board in 2015 and was reelected in 2019. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Richmond County Board of Education in 2022.
Sears, who previously sat on the board for many years, was recently appointed to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Joe Grooms. Because of election rules, he had to run again to continue to fill out the four-year term.
The Ellerbe Town Council meets the first Monday of each month. However, with New Year’s Day falling on a Monday, the board will meet Jan. 8.
Click here to see photos from Ellerbe’s Hometown Christmas on Dec. 1.
