Dawson Steps Down from Council

A self-described born-again Christian, who joined council at the behest of friends (one of which won him over by saying "We need Godly people in government"), Mike Dawson finished his last town council meeting June 8, stepping down after two terms, each four years long.

"It was oftentimes frustrating but also frequently very rewarding. I'm glad I did it. I have no regrets but I'm glad to be stepping down — let someone else fret with it for a while," the director of the Audubon Center at Beidler Forest said.

At the June 20 town council meeting, Bill McIntosh replaced Dawson as councilman for District 4, an area that includes mostly northwestern areas of the town. (See attached media for map.)

On June 10, reflective under the crepe myrtles near the statue of longtime town Mayor Berlin G. Myers, who has also stepped down, Dawson said he was "not active in politics" prior to his tenure.

Now that he's served, he wished that more citizens would become involved in town affairs.

"It's surprising just how apathetic people are and it's just so close to home," he said. "It's pathetic how few people vote in these things (town elections) … and I can't be too harsh about it because I was just as guilty."

The decision to step down was partly based on his belief in term limits — breaking up the "good ole boy" network also pertains to newcomers not becoming a good ole boy, Dawson said.

He smiled wryly and added, "No offense to the mayor." The mayor served for 39 years.

Stepping down was also partly based on losing an ally on council two years ago. But mostly, it may have been the fact that Dawson had few wins while serving.

His biggest win may have been the recent — and contentious — smoking ordinance, which goes into effect July 12.

"That was probably the greatest, single ordinance that I saw passed," he said.
But Dawson found his view on adequate public facility issues from boom-time growth repeatedly deferred.

He expressed concern that there are still 7,000 to 9,000 homes approved on the books for development and that town facilities are at maximum capacity.

"We never got the votes. I began to tire of it, I guess," Dawson said. Though he called it "a moot point" now during the recession, he said when the economy turns around, the homes could cause a real strain on town infrastructure.