Sheldon Morley

09/01/2026

Good morning, everyone!

I hope you’re all having a good day. 

I’m just dropping in to let you guys know that, because this was set up as an official political page, there are specific rules about how I have to handle it now that I’m no long your mayor.

Since this page is connected to my personal Facebook, it can’t be passed on to the next administration. That said, best practices suggest that I should archive its contents and disable it as soon as possible. This will keep confusion to a minimum during the interim period and will give future mayors an opportunity to set up their own pages without mine clogging up the search bars

Since everything that I posted here was official government correspondence, I will submit the archive of its contents to Lessie at Town Hall in accordance with state and federal laws. Once that’s done, I’ll probably disable this page within a week or so.

It’s been a privilege, friends. 🖤

(Yet another car selfie for the algorithm!)

09/01/2026

Hello, Mount Gilead.

My final day as your mayor is nearly complete, and I'll be honest with you, it's been a little bittersweet. Everything about it felt like a normal Monday: a morning smoothie with friends at the coffee shop, filling my tank up at C's, a long drive around town, and an afternoon meeting at Town Hall. In so many ways, it felt like it could have been any other Monday.

Except it wasn't.

It was my last day. It was the last time I'll ever get to meet with our town manager as mayor. It was the final time I'll ever sign a stack of documents on behalf of the town. It was my last opportunity to view this incredible, beautiful, strange, exceptional little town through the lens of leadership, and though it was hard in a way that I honestly wasn't prepared for, it was also perfect. Because it showed me that Mount Gilead is going to be just fine.

It's going to be fine because it was never about me, or our commissioners, or any one person who happens to hold a title. It's about the people who fill this place up. The neighbors who wave from their porches. The folks on Main Street who remember your order. The ones who show up to the meetings nobody wants to sit through, and the ones who step in to fix what's broken before anybody thinks to ask. This town is packed with people who love it, and who put that love to work every single day. They are the reason that Mount Gilead is on such a good path, and they are the reason I have no doubt about where it's headed. The next chapter is theirs to write, and I already know they're going to do something wonderful with it.

As for me, my part in it is done, and I'm at peace with that. These years changed me. Not because of anything I pulled off on my own, but because of who I got to do it alongside, and who I got to do it for. You trusted me with something you care about, and I hope I did right by it.

So thank you. Thank you for the smoothies and the small talk. Thank you for the honesty when I needed it and the patience when I earned it. Thank you for letting me be part of this town's story for a little while.

I'll be pulling for Mount Gilead for the rest of my life.

Take care of each other.

With infinite gratitude,
Mayor Sheldon

08/22/2026

08/12/2026

My final Mayor's Report from my final meeting:

"I love this town.

I know that's a big, nerdy thing to say out loud into a microphone, but it's true, so I'm going to say it. I love representing this town as its mayor.

I love the people who pack into this room when something matters to them, you all know who you are, and you keep me on my toes. I love the people who never come to a single meeting but trust us to get it right anyway; that trust is a responsibility I've never taken lightly. And I love everybody in between.

I love that a town this size, a town I thought I had figured out, still manages to surprise me on a regular basis.

So please believe me when I tell you that stepping away from this is not easy. It's one of the harder things I've ever had to do. Mary and I made this decision together, and we did not make it lightly; we've decided to move our family to Asheville so that I can pursue a new career opportunity.

It's the right thing for us, and it's the right thing for our daughter, but that doesn't make it hurt any less to leave a place I've come to love so much.

I've said it before and I'll say it one last time: being your mayor has been one of the great honors of my life. And not because the job is glamorous; anyone who's ever sat through a full town meeting knows better than that. It's an honor because of what the job actually is. It's showing up. It's listening, even when the listening is hard. It's doing the slow, unglamorous, deeply unphotogenic work of keeping a community running for the people who call it home.

You handed me that responsibility, and I want you to know that even on the days I didn't get it a hundred percent right (and there were some of those!) I tried my level best to be worthy of the trust you put in me.

So let me say some thank-yous. To the Board, who put up with me and pushed back on me and made every decision better for the arguing.

To our staff, who do the real work while the rest of us talk about it.

To our Town Manager, who is a genuinely good dude who really cares about this town.

And to every single resident who ever emailed me, texted me, stopped me in the aisle at the Mount Gilead Market, or looked me dead in the eye and told me exactly what they thought of a decision I'd made…

Thank you. All of you. You made me better at this job, and more than that, you made me love it.

Mount Gilead, hear me on this: I am not going far in the ways that count. I'll still be your mayor all the way through September 1st, and I intend to work right up until the last day. And after that, I'll be cheering you on from up in the mountains, watching this town keep doing the good and stubborn work of being itself.

Keep looking out for each other, friends. And please take care of this place. It’s absolutely worth it.

Thank you."

08/11/2026

Hi, all.

Please note that tonight‘s board of commissioners meeting will be held at the Highland Community Center, 131 Hoffman Road, Mount Gilead, NC 27306.

08/11/2026

Tonight will be my last Board of Commissioners meeting as mayor of Mount Gilead, and I'll be honest, I'm having some Big Feelings about that. But rather than get derailed by those Big Feelings, let's focus on the work and talk a little bit about what's on the agenda.

For New Business, we'll be having first-reads of two proposed positions: a part-time Enterprise Manager, and a new Public Works position that will focus on grounds management and park maintenance. We will also be discussing the proposed stipend for our Fire Chief as well as several proposed budget amendments.

Old Business will be similarly non-controversial.

First, the Board will be voting whether to adopt a formal rental contract with the Town Creek Indian Mound for their temporary use of the Gilmont Theater /Old Town Hall. For the record, I'm very much in favor of this proposed arrangement. It would be an honor to provide a temporary work home for their staff and their museum displays while they complete renovations to the site over the coming year.

We will also be voting whether to adopt amendments to Mount Gilead's scooter ordinances that were proposed during the July meeting. These amendments provide more clarity around the policy and bring our town in line with state standards surrounding the use of these devices.

Additionally, the will be discussing extending our Town Manager's contract, as his original contract was only for a twelve month period. I don't foresee there being any issues with that, considering how awesome he is. 🙂

Finally, the Board will be voting whether to accept my resignation, effective September 1st.

I won't pretend that's an easy one to type, and I'll have more to say about it during my Mayor's Report tonight - more than a Facebook post can really hold. For now I'll just say that leaving this town is going to be the hardest part of a decision that Mary and I are otherwise at peace with, and I'm grateful that I still get one more meeting in that chair.

I hope to see you there.