ENC community reacts to abrupt resignation of mayor

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (WNCT) — People are reacting to the sudden resignation of Holly Ridge Mayor Jeff Wenzel Monday night.

Wenzel resigned from the position at the end of a town council meeting, saying his resignation was effective immediately.

The town clerk confirmed the only other person aware of the resignation before the meeting and announcement was Town Manager Heather Reynolds.

“You could have heard a pin drop,” Owner of Paradise Axe and Arcade Dorothy Royal said. Royal has been a part of the Holly Ridge community for nearly 25 years. She went to the meeting to see who was going to fill Carolyn Stanley’s council seat after Stanley’s death in July.

“The fact that normally, you would think, okay, if I’m not going to continue with this role, I’m going to stay on another month,” Royal said. “Let’s get somebody to take my place and then I’ll move on. But, this was kind of after today, it’s over.”

In a statement on social media, Wenzel said his work schedule no longer allows him to fulfill the duties of mayor as fully as he would like. He said “The citizens of Holly Ridge need a mayor who can devote more time to attending meetings, meeting with developers and representing the town.”

“I’m all for business and family, you know. So, but if they’re, I mean, I hope and pray that there wasn’t anything else,” Ken Bradshaw said.

Bradshaw has run for town council in the past and said during his campaign, he learned there is already a lack of trust between the council and people living there.

“People don’t feel heard here in, uh, in Holly Ridge,” he said. “They feel that if they go in front of the council, that the council doesn’t hear what they have to say anyway.”

It is still unknown who is going to fill the position for the rest of the term. “At one reaction, I want to laugh about it and say, this is insane,” Royal said. “And the other one, I’m kind of concerned about it because that means we as a town have to get used to a new mayor and a new council person or two new council people. So that’s going to be a whole change for us as well.”

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