Longtime Mecklenburg Commissioner Ella Scarborough is “stepping aside” from the Mecklenburg County Commission, according to an email that Commission Chair George Dunlap sent to commissioners Thursday.
Scarborough has rarely spoken in meetings since her reelection in 2020, when she was the top vote-getter for the commission's four at-large seats.
Scarborough is considered an icon in local politics. She has served on the commission since 2014 and was the first Black woman to serve on the Charlotte City Council in 1987. She ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in 1998.
In September, when the commission was still meeting virtually, it sounded as though someone else had voted on behalf of Scarborough. At the time, Dunlap said the county attorney was looking into the matter.
Scarborough hasn’t attended an in-person meeting since the commission returned to the chamber in October.
Dunlap sent commissioners an email Thursday saying he had spoken with Scarborough’s grown children and laid out several options for her future, including having her “step aside while on leave.”
Dunlap wrote that stepping aside does not mean she will resign.
Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell said commissioners are trying to determine what "step aside" means.
“So how that is defined, I do not know,” she said. “Apparently, the chairman is having to consult with the attorney around that.”
Rodriguez-McDowell said the nine-member commission has been essentially meeting with only eight members.
“I really think the space needs to be filled,” she said, adding it's been a "terrible situation."
State law allows for an elected official to request a leave of absence, so long as the elected body allows it. Commissioners will have to decide whether to continue paying her salary.
Commissioners could then select someone to replace Scarborough during her leave. Her term ends in December.
Dunlap's email encouraged commissioners to not speak to the media in detail about the situation.
"We will discuss the details at our next meeting, however it’s important to know that stepping aside does not means that she will resign," Dunlap wrote. "Because she is not resigning, the board will need to know what if any options we have in terms of a replacement or if we can replace her. The last thing I will say is that if you speak to the media, less is better. Details still need to be worked out. I would say that you can confirm that Ella plans to step aside. Nothing more."
The news was first reported by WSOC-TV, which obtained a statement from the Scarborough's adult son, Troy Scarborough.
"We as the Scarborough family appreciate the concerns and would ask for your continued prayers. We ask that you respect our privacy wishes at this time. She is on medical leave. She is not being negligent," Troy Scarborough said. "She is taking care of her wellbeing and what the citizens of Mecklenburg County can do is continue their prayers and love and support."
