Zebulon residents press town leaders about slate of resignations, questions over governance

ZEBULON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Inside a packed gymnasium at the Zebulon Community Center, members of the public pressed town leaders about topics such as staffing vacancies and growth.

The Town Hall comes following the resignation of Town Manager Gilbert Todd Jr. earlier this month. Todd made the announcement during a Board of Commissioners meeting, citing "a serious personnel matter" in his remarks.

In a follow-up statement, Todd expanded on his reasoning:

On Tuesday, April 15th, I was given a directive by the Board of Commissioners to place the Assistant Town Manager on Administrative Leave with no grounds to do so. (I have email documentation to support these statements). The Assistant Town Manager is an exemplary employee with no performance issues. She is well qualified and came highly recommended by other professionals in the field. According to NC General Statutes, the Town Manager is responsible for managing staff and administering all personnel actions. This directive by the Board was inappropriate and unethical. Up until this time, my priorities included recruiting for key vacancies and continuing the budget development process, with budget presentations set to begin in the first week of May. This and other directives by the Board and its unwillingness to allow the Town Manager to manage the Town made it clear that I was unable to be successful in this role.

Days later, the assistant town manager, Kellianne Williams, also resigned from her position.

"Let me say unequivocally that the Board did not ask Mr. Todd any action that was unethical or inappropriate. We asked him to address a personnel issue," said Mayor Glenn York, as part of his opening remarks Monday.

Earlier in the event, he brought up staffing turnover during the past four months - coinciding with Todd's tenure - including the police chief, communications director, public works director, human resources director, and planning director, who left for various reasons, including resignations and retirement. Town Planning Director Matt Lower has since returned to his position.

"If you don't have people there to run the government and development like you should, then you're headed for trouble. It's extremely important that we have some stable government there," said Dale Beck, a resident who formerly served on the Board of Commissioners, in an interview with ABC11 before the meeting.

York said the Board of Commissioners solely has the power to hire or fire for three positions: Town manager, town clerk, and town attorney.

Interim Town Manager Taiqo Jaieyeoba, who is set to remain in the role through June, said other municipalities are experiencing hiring challenges.

"We literally have to compete with the private sector to get people to come work for you, and the private sector pays a tremendous amount of money that we can't compete with. We have to think of other incentives," said Jaiyeoba.

During the Town Hall, members of the public were able to submit their questions, which were answered by a variety of departmental officials, as well as York, Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Harrison, and Jaiyeoba.

Several questions were not answered, with the Town citing that those revolved around pending litigation, pledging they would follow up with information once they were able to do so. That included questions about litigation with the developer behind the Zebulon South project, a housing plan which the Board of Commissioners rejected in May 2024 despite recommendation from the Town's Planning Department. Lower was not in his position at the time of the recommendation.

"Get commissioners and a mayor that will look out for the Town, and develop the Town. Look at Wendell, look at Knightdale, look at Zebulon. Go down Main Street and look at the buildings that are empty," said Joey Davis, a former Zebulon resident, who said a number of his written questions were not answered.

Town officials cited a high utilization of facade grants and plans for upfit grants as ways they're supporting businesses.

"The Regional Mixed Use that's being changed, the language in the UDOs to include by-right development, is a huge step in the right direction, is keeping us on pace with Apex and Morrisville. So right now is the best time for Zebulon to grow," said George Roa, a member of the Town's Planning Board.

"Just promote more of the downtown business. There's a lot going on downtown. It's a growing area," said Rachel Campbell, owner of Spotlight Bar & Lounge.

Other topics included public safety and the town budget. The Town initially planned on streaming the event live online but was unable to do so because of internet-connectivity issues. It pledged to post the entirety of the Town Hall online, aiming to do so late Monday night.

Reaction to the Town Hall was mixed, with some members of the public expressing appreciation for officials holding a forum to respond to questions, with others seeking greater transparency.

"If they do this more regularly, more often, (that) would be a step in the right direction," Roa said.

When asked whether he felt any better about the situation following the Town Hall, Beck responded, "No."

Outside of what was stated within the Town Hall, the Town declined all media requests before or after the event.