NCLM.ORG 19 Mayor Joe Gibbons: A Labor of Love in Lenoir JACK CASSIDY NCLM Communications Associate A LIFELONG PUBLIC SERVANT AND DEDICATED LENOIR RESIDENT, MAYOR JOE GIBBONS HAS PERSONIFIED WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A LOCAL LEADER. Among the many local leaders in North Carolina, there exists a small category of people for which it’s difficult to imagine them doing anything else. Lenoir Mayor Joe Gibbons qualifies into that group. He is in many ways public service personified. And still, to see his route as inevitable—that it’s hard to see him doing anything else—may sell short that Gibbons does do quite a bit else, from his local family business to his volunteerism in the community, all of which stand as key components to the larger package. First, you have the devotion to community. Born and raised in Lenoir, Gibbons says that he never truly considered living anywhere else. “I deeply love this community,” he tells Southern City in a phone interview. Outside of his time at Appalachian State, where he was a four-year scholarship athlete on the football team, Gibbons has been a steady presence in the Caldwell County town. He and his brother joined the family business, Gibbons Electric, shortly after returning home from college. Second, you have the dedication to involvement. Just living in Lenoir would not be enough, as Gibbons says. The devotion to the town is too great. As such, it’s been a common sight over the past few decades to find Gibbons in any number of different places, usually in a leadership role. Positions include the UNC Health-Caldwell Hospital Board chairmanship and the Caldwell Community College Foundation Board of Directors, in addition to several other seats on associations, government committees, and Rotary Clubs. It extends statewide too, through the NC League of Municipalities, where he served two terms as board member and is the current chair of the Risk Management Board of Trustees, and the NC Mayors Association, where he also is the current chair. Perhaps most important to Gibbons, though, has been his involvement with the local little league, where he coached youth baseball for more than 20 years. “I want to see this city continue to grow and prosper and move forward, and the only way to do that sometimes is to get involved,” Gibbons said. “That’s what I decided to do, and I haven’t regretted a day of it since.” And third, of course, is the path to the mayor’s seat, paved by both the above dedication and the family history that guided it. Gibbons is part of a local government family. HIs father was the Mayor of Lenoir for 24 years during a time period that covered much of the younger Gibbons’ adult life. The tenure, 1971 to 1995, coincided with drastic economic changes to the state, specifically to the textile industry. Lenoir was not spared. “The furniture industry of the south. That all started changing,” said Gibbons. There was no catalyst that spurred Gibbons to take the same, familial route. In fact, it was never in the plans. “It just turned into that,” said Gibbons, noting instead that it was a combination of factors that ultimately led him to elected office. It began simply by observing the decline of his community, made all the more clear by the only four years he spent out of town. “I saw that so many of the things I enjoyed growing up here were gone,” he said. Through a familiarity with the mayor’s office and a nearly lifelong behind-the-scenes glimpse of the machinations of city government, Gibbons understood that governmental service could make a difference. It began on the planning board. Soon, it moved to the board of adjustment, then to the newly created economic development board, which had a sole focus on what Gibbons considered the biggest issue facing town: a lack of commerce, especially downtown. From there, the next step was elected office in 2005, first as a councilmember, then as Mayor Pro Tem, and ultimately as Mayor. “I’m now into about 35 years serving the City of Lenoir,” Gibbons said. “It was a process, but really it was just wanting to be involved.” I want to see this city continue to grow and prosper and move forward, and the only way to do that sometimes is to get involved. That’s what I decided to do, and I haven’t regretted a day of it since. continues on page 20
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