Larry Harris becomes one of ‘Mitchell’s Mayors’

Mission to meet every N.C. mayor brings Mitchell Whitley to Black Mountain

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 19, 2022

Mitchell Whitley, left, joins Black Mountain Mayor Larry Harris in Town Square. The meeting marked the 168th for Whitley since launching “Mitchell’s Mayors” in 2021. Photo by Fred McCormick

There are 552 municipalities within the State of N.C., and Mitchell Whitley intends to meet the mayor of each one. 

By the time he said goodbye to Black Mountain Mayor Larry Harris, Sept. 16, he was well on his way to accomplishing his mission. 

Whitley, a native of Greensboro and 2021 graduate of Samford University, launched “Mitchell’s Mayors,” last September, in an effort to better understand his native state. 

“I wanted to find a way I could engage with every community across the state, and really understand, first-hand, what was going on,” he said. “Most of the time, on the news, you only hear about issues related to the Federal government, and issues in the big cities, but it’s never about the successes or issues impacting these smaller towns.”

Whitley, joined by his father Kim, was visiting his 168th mayor when he was greeted by Harris, Black Mountain Beautification Committee Co-Chairperson Barbara Reed and Past Chair Gale Bromer in front of the Black Mountain Town Hall. The mayor also introduced the visitor, whose website — mitchellsmayors.com — chronicles his journey, to BMPD Chief Steve Parker and BMFD Chief John Coffey. 

Harris, Reed and Bromer led Whitley and his father on a tour of downtown, which began at the Town Square and continued along Cherry Street before concluding at the Town Hardware & General Store. The trip was one of six stops he planned to make in WNC that weekend. The initiative has offered Whitley, who held state and federal internships while pursuing his political science degree, unique insight into his native state. 

“I never got a chance to listen and learn from a municipal perspective,” he said. “So, I tried to think of the best person to speak to who will give a great idea of what’s happening in every town.” 

The non-partisan nature of small town government led him to consider the role of mayors. 

Mitchell Whitley interviews Black Mountain Mayor Larry Harris, Sept. 16, as part of his “Mitchell’s Mayors” tour. Photo by Fred McCormick

“They can give the best possible picture of what’s being done to help people on both sides of town,” Whitley said. “Their stories often focus on building bridges between people, instead of keeping those bridges separate. When it comes to the political world, there tends to be a lot of dividing factors, but when you have non-partisan elections, from my experience, people tend to come together around the mayor and town council.”

The motto he adopted for Mitchell’s Mayors emphasizes the diverse range of needs across the state. 

“Every N.C. city, big and small, should truly matter to us all,” Whitley said. “A lot of people don’t even know that some towns exist, and I want to raise that awareness and promote collaboration between them.”

His statewide tour has included mayoral interviews in metropolitan cities like Raleigh, Asheville, Wilmington and Greensboro, and small towns, such as Wagram, Atkinson and Glen Alpine. Common themes have emerged, according to Whitley. 

“Infrastructure, like water, sewage and stormwater, is a really big problem we’re having across the state,” he said. “But, I’ve also been very surprised to see the economic growth and drive. When you think about N.C. growing, a lot of people think about Charlotte, Raleigh or Durham, which host huge events and have large venues coming in.

“But in small towns, like Black Mountain, you see massive economic growth,” Whitley continued. “There are thriving businesses, breweries, shops, restaurants and people breathing new life into old buildings. It gives me a lot of hope because these ideas can be taken to other places that may be struggling.”

Mitchell Whitley, second from right, meets Black Mountain Mayor Larry Harris, center left, BMPD Chief Steve Parker (left) and BMFD Chief John Coffey. Photo by Fred McCormick

While he still has nearly 400 more mayors to interview, Whitley plans to write about the project, which takes him and his father on the road every weekend. 

“I want to publish a book, or series of books, about this tour,” he said. “I think that would be a great thing for people to have at home, so people can read through it and understand their state.”