Walnut Cove Mayor is resigning immediately

(By Leslie Bray, The Stokes News) - Walnut Cove Mayor John Hodgkin announced on Monday that he is resigning his position as mayor immediately. Homer Dearmin, Walnut Cove Town Manager, notified the town board on June 6 that Hodgkin had called him shortly after 4 p.m. that day to let him know of the resignation.

Hodgkin had announced to the board that he was selling his home in town and moving to Roanoke, VA, but that he intended to continue his tenure as mayor until his term ended in November 2011. His goal was to rent property in Walnut Cove once the lease on his home was up on May 31. In the meantime, his new home in Roanoke was being prepared.

Things abruptly changed, however, when his move out of town was hastened. “His move to Roanoke is happening much faster than intended or expected,” Dearmin explained, “and he feels that resigning as mayor at this time is the best possible decision he can make in the interest of the Town of Walnut Cove, his family and his business.”