Gastonia council votes unanimously to censure Mayor Richard Franks after February meeting incident

The Gastonia City Council voted unanimously to censure Mayor Richard Franks for conduct at the Feb. 18 council meeting, formalizing a rebuke that the mayor and several council members described as overdue.

The motion to censure, brought formally during the council’s March 3 meeting, passed without dissent after the mayor pro tem took the gavel to preside over the discussion and vote. Councilwoman Jennifer Littlejohn seconded the motion. The mayor apologized on the record during the March 3 session; Councilwoman Donyell Barber said she accepted that apology.

Nut graf: The censure followed weeks of public criticism and more than an hour of public expression at the March 3 meeting, when residents, clergy and civil-rights leaders said Franks’s actions on Feb. 18—when he moved to remove Barber from the dais while she was speaking—were disrespectful and outside the bounds of customary meeting practice. Speakers and advocacy groups demanded not only a public apology but council training on parliamentary procedure and a pledge to prevent similar incidents.

Speakers at the March 3 meeting described the Feb. 18 exchange as an effort to “silence” an elected colleague and pointed to wider concerns about leadership tone. Diana Graham, second vice president of the NAACP Gastonia Branch, asked for “a public apology, a formal censure, [and] comprehensive training of Robert’s Rules of Order and effective meeting management for all council members.” Sean Bates, president of the Gastonia NAACP Branch, said the apology should come from the entire council and that the council should ensure Councilwoman Barber “feels that this is of proper suffice.”

Several pastors and community leaders urged restorative steps and a return to the “people’s business,” pressing the council to move beyond the incident to focus on homelessness, affordable housing and other community priorities. At least one speaker, Todd Hustetler, called for the mayor’s resignation; others called for additional corrective actions but stopped short of that demand.

Council response and outcome: Council members individually addressed the crowd after public comment. Mayor Franks acknowledged his error, apologized to Barber and to the public and said he would seek training and “change the tone” of meetings. Councilmembers Jennifer Littlejohn, Jim Gallagher and others apologized to Barber for not intervening at the Feb. 18 meeting. The formal censure resolution and the unanimous vote were placed in the meeting record.

What the censure does and next steps: The censure is a formal reprimand recorded in council minutes; it does not remove the mayor from office or impose financial penalties. Multiple public speakers and the NAACP asked the council to require training on Roberts Rules of Order and meeting management; council members said they will pursue refresher training and discuss improved meeting procedures. Councilmembers also offered to meet with clergy and community leaders to pursue restorative efforts.

Ending: Councilwoman Barber thanked residents for turning out and said she accepted colleagues’ apologies. Several speakers and council members urged continued public attendance at meetings and warned that residents should continue to hold elected officials accountable.