Gastonia City Council met in a special session Monday in January 2025 to interview five finalists for the vacant Ward 4 city council seat; the council did not appoint a replacement at the meeting.

The council allotted about 30 minutes for each interview. Candidates gave opening statements and answered questions from council members about priorities including homelessness and affordable housing, mental-health services, downtown economic development, public safety and the city’s 2050 comprehensive plan.

Candidate Rissy Barnett, a lifelong resident, said she has experience with school-based and community programs and emphasized direct service and mentoring. Barnett told the council she works for Contegra as a regional lead for school-based therapists and described local needs she sees in Title I schools, saying, “there’s always a need for volunteers” and identifying basic needs like toiletries for students.

Candidate Cheryl Littlejohn said she grew up in Ward 4 and described a long record of local volunteer work, running a legacy events center and other outreach. Littlejohn said public safety and economic development are top concerns and offered concrete, near-term priorities including meeting with code enforcement and restarting summer youth programming: “In 1 year, what can be accomplished? I feel like number 1 is I would love to meet with code enforcement day 1,” she said. Littlejohn also said she has offered her facility to aid people impacted by storms and other emergencies.

Carl Harris, who described more than 20 years of public-service work and current service on city and county planning bodies, highlighted affordable housing and smart growth. Harris described his planning commission experience and urged careful analysis of how new developments affect surrounding blocks and infrastructure.

Angela Dreyer, a candidate who serves on the Gastonia Housing Authority board of commissioners, emphasized homelessness and affordable housing as intertwined issues and urged regional collaboration. Dreyer told council members that vouchers sometimes go unused because landlords are unwilling to accept them and said the city needs “a total wrap-around service” that pairs housing with behavioral-health and case-management supports.

A fifth finalist, identified in the meeting as Allison (surname not specified in the record), described living and working downtown since 2019 and urged more activation of existing assets, including using the bus-transfer station and other public spaces for markets or events.

During questioning, council members pressed candidates on whether they planned to run for the seat when it is on the ballot, how they would support Gastonia City Public Schools, and how they would help make the downtown and Caramont ballpark into sustainable community assets. Candidates took varying approaches: some said they intended to run in the November election if appointed; others said they were still considering it.

No formal appointment was made at the special meeting. The council recessed at the end of the session and indicated it would return at an upcoming council meeting to complete the appointment process. The only formal motion recorded during the special session was to adjourn, which passed by unanimous voice vote.

Procedural details noted during the meeting: the council said five candidates were selected for interviews at the regular council meeting on Dec. 17, 2024; interview times were allotted at roughly 30 minutes per candidate; the clerk operated a 30-minute timer; and candidates were asked to step out of the room while others were being interviewed as a courtesy, although the meeting was open to the public.

The council did not take any other formal actions during the special meeting; the appointment to fill Ward 4 remains pending a future council session.