The election of the council's mayor pro tempore – the second in-charge behind the mayor – quickly turned sour as Councilwoman Laura Padgett, who wanted the title, publicly called out Councilman Earl Sheridan, who ultimately got it. He replaces Jim Quinn, who lost his re-election bid last month.
The discontent continued after the vote and led to a heated, face-to-face confrontation in the City Council Chambers between New Hanover County Commissioner Jason Thompson and local attorney Vaiden Kendrick, who described himself as a “good friend” of Padgett.
Padgett said Sheridan was one of three other council members who had vowed to support her for mayor pro tem when they spoke weeks earlier. With his support, she would have – she thought – the four votes needed to get elected.
But Sheridan said between that discussion and Tuesday's vote, people in the community – he declined to say who – asked if he'd be interested in the position, and he was. He said he told Padgett about a week ago that he wanted the position himself and would no longer support her.
[...]Ultimately, newly sworn-in Councilman Charlie Rivenbark was the only person to vote against Sheridan's nomination. Even Padgett voted for him.
“I decided I would be the bigger person,” she said.
Yes, that's very "big" of you to publicly call someone out, then not even stand by your convictions and vote for yourself.
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