Are Cumberland County's governing bodies as diverse as the constituents they represent?
As the fall elections draw closer for Cumberland County, residents preparing to vote may be wondering how well those elected to represent them reflect the diversity of their community.
Although Cumberland County is a diverse place, local government has taken time to catch up, with many major milestones taking place over the past two decades. In Hope Mills, the first Black official was not voted into office until 2019, when Kenjuana McCray won her first election. Marshall Pitts Jr. became Fayetteville’s first Black mayor in 2001, and Ennis Wright became Cumberland County’s first Black sheriff in 2017. Freshman Councilman Mario Benavente is Fayetteville’s first Asian American and Hispanic council member.
Here’s what you need to know about how your local elected officials stack up.
Cumberland County
The seven-person Cumberland County Board of Commissioners consists of chair Toni Stewart, Glenn Adams, Jeannette Council, Veronica Jones, Michael Boose, Jimmy Keefe and W. Marshall Faircloth.
Here’s how the board compares to the diversity of the county it represents:
42.9% of the board is white, compared to 49.7% of residents
57.1% of the board is Black, compared to 39.9% of residents
No board members are American Indian or Alaska Native, compared to 2% of residents
No board members are Asian, compared to 2% of residents
No board members are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, compared to 0.4% of residents
No board members are Hispanic or Latino, compared to 13% of residents
Fayetteville
The 10-person Fayetteville City Council consists of Mayor Mitch Colvin, Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins and council members Shakeyla Ingram, D.J. Haire, Derrick Thompson, Brenda McNair, Courtney Banks-McLaughlin, Kathy Jensen, Deno Hondros and Mario Benavente.
Here’s how the council compares to the city of Fayetteville:
30% of the council is white, compared to 40.8% of residents
60% of the council is Black, compared to 42.5% of residents
10% of the council is Hispanic, compared to 12.9% of residents
10% of the council is Asian, compared to 3.1% of residents
No council members are American Indian or Alaska Native, compared to 0.9% of residents
No council members are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, compared to 0.5% of residents
Spring Lake
The six-person Spring Lake Board of Aldermen is comprised of Mayor Kia Anthony, Mayor Pro Tem Robyn Chadwick and members Sona Cooper, Adrian Jones Thompson, Raul Palacios and Marvin Lackman.
Here’s how the board compares to the town it represents:
33.3% of the board is white, compared to 41% of residents
66.67% of the board is Black, compared to 34.5% of residents
16.67% of the board is Hispanic, compared to 17.3% of residents
No board members are American Indian or Alaska Native, compared to 0.9% of residents
No board members are Asian, compared to 2.5% of residents
No board members are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, compared to 0.4% of residents
Hope Mills
The six-person Hope Mills Board of Commissioners consists of Mayor Jackie Warner, Mayor Pro Tem Kenjuana McCray and board members Joanne Scarola, Jerry Legge, Grilley Mitchell and Bryan A. Marley.
Here’s how the board compares to the town of Hope Mills:
66.67% of the board is white, compared to 47.5% of residents
33.33% of the board is Black, compared to 34% of residents
No board members are American Indian or Alaska Native, compared to 2.1% of residents
No board members are Asian, compared to 1.4% of residents
No board members are Hispanic or Latino, compared to 13.4% of residents
No board members are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and no Hope Mills residents are
Government watchdog reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Cumberland County elected officials represent diverse areas
