McCrary named to chair N.C. Mayor's Association

Parmele Mayor Jerry McCrary was elected Chairman of the North Carolina Mayor’s Association of the North Carolina League of Municipalities last month.

That took place at NCLM CityVision 2024 Conference in Charlotte.

McCrary has been a longtime advocate for small towns and has worked diligently over the years supporting the efforts of the NCML. McCrary now leads the NCMA board comprised of a diverse group of representatives of cities and towns from across the state.

“I am honored and equally excited to be elected Chair of the NCMA. I look forward to working together and having a very productive year ahead,” said McCrary.

The North Carolina Mayors Association is an information exchange association formed by North Carolina mayors. NCMA offers a unique opportunity to network and exchange information with other mayors.

The organization offers mayors from all over the state the opportunity to work and learn from others. NCMA is a group that is open to progressive ideas. The group was formed by mayors from across the state serving as a collective voice.

The North Carolina League of Municipalities (NCLM) works together to protect local decision-making authority with the focus that local residents can together pursue their vision on what their towns and cities should be.

The organization was founded in 1908 and originally known as the Carolina Municipal Association. Twenty-two cities were the founding members of the organization.

NCML’s purpose is to promote excellence in municipal government, provide opportunities for officials to exchange ideas, to advocate for cities and towns and to develop a “cooperative approach to all municipal problems of statewide import.”

In past years, the league spearheaded efforts to get a number of clean water bond issues passed with the most recent in 1998, along with other statewide legislation. In 1989, the NCLM was a leader in the successful effort the increase local transportation funding

McCrary has diligently worked for the betterment of the NCML for years.

Bear Grass Mayor Charlotte Griffin had high praise of McCrary.

“Progress through the N.C. League of Municipalities governance requires commitment to NCLM and putting in the hours to advance the issues and work for the benefit of the municipalities represented by the NCLM. Jerry has done this,” said Griffin. “I am proud of his perseverance and the honor he has achieved. I look forward to his dedicated leadership of the NCLM and his contribution to the betterment of our municipalities across the state. It is certainly valuable to our county and our municipalities to have him in this leadership. I celebrate his success.”

Robersonville Mayor Tina Brown concurred with Griffin.

“We are so proud of Mayor Jerry McCrary being sworn in as our new Chair of the North Carolina Mayor’s Association of NCLM,” said Brown. “He will represent not only the town of Parmele and Martin County, but he will also represent small towns and cities in the East and across the state. We will have a seat at the table advocating for all of us.”

The three mayors, Griffin, Brown and McCrary are strong advocates and representatives for small towns in North Carolina each having experience in that realm. Bear Grass has a population of 84, while Robersonville has a population of 1,222 and Parmele has a total of 235 residents.