Message from Mayor Gregorich

Dear Foxfire Residents,

I would like to call your attention to a little publicized bill that was recently passed in the North Carolina General Assembly.  Senate Bill 876 (SB 876) was passed on July 2, 2026.  This bill enacts various changes to local laws in North Carolina communities and specifically election laws in Moore County including Foxfire.

Historically, Foxfire Village’s elections for Village Council have been non-partisan.  This bill changes this and dictates that our election shall be on a partisan basis.  This means that candidates must declare a party affiliation to register to run for office.  If the proposed candidate is unaffiliated, they shall comply with special requirements according to NCGS 163-122 and NCGS 163-296. 

Briefly, unaffiliated candidates must file written petitions with the chair of the county board of elections containing signatures of at least one- and one-half percent (1.5%) of the eligible voters for the municipal elections.  Currently, Foxfire has 1,429 registered voters, of whom 601 are registered as unaffiliated. In my opinion, these new requirements place unnecessary burdens on unaffiliated candidates and could discourage many qualified citizens from seeking election for the Village Council.

Another section of SB 876 (5.9.(c) has eliminated Village Elections in 2027 which has extended my term and Councilmember Gilroy’s term for an additional year. It has also extended the remaining council members’ terms (Gunn, Kragel and Robbins) an additional year to 2030.  This change was made to have all elections fall on even years.  I agree that even-year elections make sense but anointing current council members for an additional year is, in my opinion, wrong and not in the best interests of the citizens of Foxfire.   This change removes the voters’ voice, and I am appalled at this feature of the bill.  In my opinion, the proper way to enact this change would have been to hold the elections in 2027 and 2029 for a five-year term and return to four-year terms thereafter.

I want to make sure you all know that neither I nor any member of the council had any input into this bill and we do not endorse the actions taken by our county commissioners or our state representatives regarding this bill.  In fact, last year I spoke against partisan elections at a commissioner’s meeting.  As I stated previously, extending our terms for an additional year without voter approval is totally against my beliefs. Perhaps, with enough voter disapproval of this bill, we could convince our representatives to repeal the term extensions and partisan elections but I fear that will be a long road.

I have included links to the mentioned laws and statutes for your review.
Senate Bill 876 - Foxfire is referenced on page 9 Section 5.9
NCGS 163-122
NCGS 163-296
Thank you for your engagement in our community.

Janice Gregorich, Mayor