New Hanover County Board of Education votes 5-2 to adopt censure resolution for board member Tim Merrick

The New Hanover County Board of Education on a 5-2 roll-call vote adopted a resolution expressing formal disapproval of board member Dr. Tim Merrick and suspending him from committee assignments for approximately two months.

The vote followed more than two hours of procedural debate, legal clarification and member statements on whether a censure-style resolution can be adopted without full formal disciplinary proceedings. Melissa Mason, the board chair, presented the resolution and moved to adopt it; the motion passed 5-2.

The resolution, as read into the record by staff, described allegations that Merrick had “intervened in an employment matter” and that those actions “directly undermined his ability to impartially and fairly carry out certain of his judicial functions” under various board policies. It alleged Merrick disclosed details about a personnel matter and concluded that corrective action—suspension from committee participation for roughly two months and an expression of strong disapproval—was warranted.

Dr. Tim Merrick, the board member singled out by the resolution, disputed both the procedural fairness and the substance of the charges. “I did not get to process Robert's rules of…