Henderson mayor alleges harassment; council votes to hire outside counsel and restores her key fob

Mayor Melissa Elliott opened the June 9 Henderson City Council meeting saying she has endured what she described as torment, threats and intimidation since taking office and said some threats were reported to the Henderson Police Department. She said she had contacted the North Carolina League of Municipalities for guidance after an allegation about sexual harassment surfaced on Facebook on May 31, 2025.

The Mayor told the council she perceived bias in a recent internal working-conditions survey for department directors, saying eight employees took the survey and five opted out; she said the results were flawed and felt the process publicly shamed her. The City Clerk later changed wording in the May 12 minutes from “employee misconduct” to “sexual harassment” at the Mayor’s request; the Council approved that correction unanimously.

Councilmembers debated whether the issues raised were personnel matters best handled by Human Resources or matters for independent legal review. After discussion, the Council approved, by a 5–3 vote, hiring an outside law firm to conduct an independent investigation into the employee surveys and related grievances. The motion passed with YES votes from Councilmembers Coffey, Noel, Seifert, Daeke and Thorpe-Cooper; Champion, Venable and Walker voted no.

The meeting’s public-comment period included multiple residents who supported the Mayor, criticized the Council’s removal of her key fob, and urged the City to address infrastructure and homelessness. Several speakers also raised concerns about City Manager/City Attorney Hassan T. Kingsberry’s dual role; one commenter said Kingsberry should resign because of a perceived conflict of interest. Kingsberry denied the sexual-harassment allegations and told the Council his attorney had advised him to respond after the accuser spoke to a newspaper.

Councilmembers then revisited time restrictions placed on the Mayor’s access to City Hall. After discussion, the Council voted 5–3 to return Mayor Elliott’s key fob with no time restrictions; the motion passed with YES votes from Councilmembers Noel, Seifert and Daeke (the roll-call records show the same 5–3 split in favor of returning the key).

The actions taken were procedural and investigatory: the Council authorized an outside investigation and restored the Mayor’s access while other steps (including potential personnel or legal actions) remain to be determined. The Clerk’s minutes record that any formal investigatory steps and subsequent findings will be handled according to the scope set by the outside counsel and applicable personnel policies.

The Council adjourned at 8:21 p.m.