Holly Ridge Town Council meets to discuss Mayor Wenzel’s resignation

HOLLY RIDGE, N.C. (WNCT) — Holly Ridge’s Town Council is having a special meeting Tuesday night to talk about former mayor Jeff Wenzel’s resignation.

Wenzel resigned last week, effectively immediately. The council will discuss Wenzel’s departure, but are unlikely to fill that vacancy during the meeting.

Wenzel said that his work schedule no longer allowed him to fulfill the duties of a mayor as he would like. He added that with new initiatives and projects coming to the town, someone with more time should be handling them.

The resignation was a surprise to everyone, including the council. Ken Bradshaw is a frequent attender of these meetings and is expecting a large turnout.

“My goal really for Holly Ridge is just to make it a better place to live, work and play. And it’s difficult to do that without having the leadership in place,” Bradshaw said. “We need a full council here. You know, I mean, this town is growing in leaps and bounds, and we have a tendency to put the cart before the horse, you know, and I think maybe it’s time to change and maybe put the the horse before the cart.”

Josh Patti is currently Mayor Pro-Tem. The meeting on Tuesday will likely show what the process for getting a new mayor is like.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WNCT.