Matt Belk was selected as mayor by the Belk City Council during the council’s regular monthly meeting on Thursday, June 22.
Belk Mayor Karen Strickland lost her ongoing battle with cancer and passed away at her residence on June 17 at the age of 68. Strickland was a lifelong resident of Fayette County, and lived most of her adult life in the community of Belk. She loved Belk deeply, and devoted her life to helping make life in the small community a better place for the residents.
Karen Strickland made history on Tuesday, May 10 by becoming the first female mayor of a municipality in Fayette County.
Mike Ellison, mayor of Belk and a former Fayette County Commissioner, died on Sunday, April 24 after losing his ongoing long-term battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. Ellison lived a full life, including a well-documented life of service to his family, friends and the community.
Ronald Waldrop, former teacher in the Fayette County School System and the longtime mayor of Belk, died on Wednesday, Sept. 16 following a lengthy illness. He was 78 years old. Waldrop lived his entire life in Belk and truly loved the community. He was the second person to serve as mayor of Belk, first serving a six-year stint from 1970-76. Later when Mike Ellison resigned as mayor of Belk in 1998 to take an elected position on the Fayette County Commission, Waldrop stepped in again as mayor and served until resigning due to health reasons this year in June.
Rod Northam won the Aug. 25 Fayette mayoral race over three opponents, collecting 781 votes and winning the position without a runoff. Current Fayette City Councilman Cedric Wilson finished second in the race, gathering 451 votes. Max Weaver received 149 votes and Kevin Bass collected 140 votes for mayor. Northam, a former engineer and plant manager at the 3M plant in Guin, earned the victory in his first attempt at political office.
Mike Ellison was sworn-in as the new mayor of Belk on June 15, replacing Ronnald Waldrop who resigned due to health reasons. Ellison previously served as mayor of Belk from 1992-98.
Former Fayette mayor and longtime Fayette County High School band director Jerry Bobo passed away on Sunday, June 9 at Fayette Medical Center. He was 83 years old.
