Mayor announces new committees

Jan. 10—HENDERSON — During the City Council meeting on Monday, Mayor Melissa Elliott announced her intention to create a number of new committees.

The first is the Youth Council to the Mayor's Office, whose members will be selected. Elliott and staff will work with Kendrick Vann, Recreation and Parks director, to determine what that process will look like.

Other committees include the LGBTQ Committee, the Latinx Committee, the Faith-Based Committee composed of pastors and parishioners, a Council for Middle Eastern Affairs and a Senior Committee that will meet at the Vance County Senior Center.

"The purpose of founding the committees is so our community's citizens will be included," said Elliott. "We want inclusivity and diversity. We want to make sure that everyone that lives in our city is represented with a voice in our city... we want to make sure everyone is represented when we make decisions based on city business."

Another aspect of this endeavor is to encoure a more diverse range of Henderson residents to join existing committees. Applying to those new committees is the same process as applying to existing ones. Elliott said she hopes applications will be made available sometime in February.

"We want everyone to know their voice matters," she said.

Elliott also made two proclamations — one recognizing Jan. 9 as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and the other, January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

For Law Enforcement Day, Elliott and several local eateries have donated food — George's Restaurant, Chik-fil-A and Starbucks, among others — that will be sent to the Henderson Police Department each day until Thursday to recognize them for the occasion.

Furthermore, Granville-Vance Public Health will also perform wellness checks for HPD officers and Vance County Sheriff's Office deputies on Friday, checking their blood pressure, among other things.

"We want our police department to know that we appreciate them as a community," said Elliott. "The community's businesses have been great in supporting the city's efforts."

Elliott's second proclamation was to recognize January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month. Elliott herself is a survivor, "one who understands the trauma associated with it," as she described.

With that, she described some of the warning signs those being trafficked may display — victims may live with their employers, or with many others in a small space, often in poor living conditions. They may be fearful to talk to people and provide scripted answers. They often have signs of physical abuse and are submissive or fearful.

"The Human Trafficking Awareness Proclamation gives credence to the seriousness of the problem and allows Henderson to build upon and strengthen awareness activities," said Elliott. The city has also turned the lights royal blue under the Charles Street bridge to reflect the occasion.

Lastly, Jan. 28 will be Movie Night with the Mayor at RCE Theater at 907 South Beckford Drive at 4 p.m. — a free event open to all. The movie to be shown is "Sounds of Freedom," by independent director Alejandro Monteverde, starring Jim Caviezel as Tim Ballard, a former government agent on a mission to save children from human trafficking.

Elliott credited the owners of RCE Theater for their accommodation.

"It's either going to be a film of awareness, or something inspirational, to bring us, knit us, together," said the mayor. The plan is to make it a monthly affair, going forward.

The council also approved a resolution to set a public hearing for Feb. 12 for an annexation of a parcel of land on Ruin Creek Road. Councilmembers also approved beginning the upset bid process for a parcel of city-owned land on High Street, after Bonita Hawkins and Larry Richardson sent the city an offer to purchase. The price tag is $2,560, 40% of the assessed value of $6,400.