Fayetteville City Council chambers (Flyer file photo)FAYETTEVILLE — It looks like several people are interested in becoming the newest member of the City Council.
Four people have filed for the open Ward 1 seat, which will be decided by South Fayetteville voters in a special election on Nov. 14.
The position was left vacant after Sonia Harvey resigned in June.
Harvey said her leased home was sold and she was initially unable to find an affordable or suitable place to live in Ward 1, so she broadened her search to other parts of the city. She eventually found a home in Ward 2, which means she could not continue to serve on the council as a representative for Ward 1.
The remaining council members had two options for replacing Harvey, whose term wasn’t set to expire until the end of 2026. State law requires councils to either elect a new member to serve the remaining unexpired term or call for a special public election. Fayetteville council members earlier this month chose to let voters decide who fills the seat.
As of the filing deadline at noon on Tuesday, the four people who had filed are David Phillips, Katy Sager, S. Robert Smith and Bob Stafford.
Phillips lives on Conner Street, Sager lives on Eastpoint Drive, Smith lives on Borden Street, and Stafford lives on Sherman Avenue – all in Ward 1 – according to documents filed with the County Clerk’s office.
As always, we’ll publish Q&As with each candidate leading up to the election in November.
The nonpartisan positions are decided by voters who live inside a candidate’s ward boundary, meaning only voters in Ward 1 can cast ballots in the special election (see a ward map here). The current salary for a Fayetteville City Council member is $16,214.
