Here are some of the things the students learned.

Mayor Weatherly and the Town of Apex

November 4, 2003

• Mayor Weatherly has a son in 2^nd grade.

• Mayor Weatherly came to visit Baucom on Election Day this year!

• Our country has a representative democracy.  Any citizen 18 years or older may vote to choose government officials.

• The mayor serves a four year term which means he is mayor for four years.

• There are different levels of government that cover larger and larger areas:  town, county, state and nation.

• People pay taxes to support our town.

• Taxes help pay for water, police and firefighters, road safety and traffic control on town streets.

• Wake County government handles the public schools.

• Apex has 5 members on its Board of Commissioners.  With the mayor, they help make decisions for our town.  They all serve four year terms.

• The Apex Board of Commissioners meets at 7:00 PM in the Town Hall on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  People who live in Apex may bring concerns or issues to the board meeting.

• The population of Apex was 5,000 people in 1990.  The population is 28,000 people today!

• Many people want to move to Apex because there are good jobs and good schools here.

• Managing growth in Apex is very challenging.

• On Election Day this year, Apex citizens voted for Mayor and two commissioners.

• Mayor Weatherly has been in office for eight years.

• “Apex” means the highest or tallest point.  The town of Apex is the highest point on the railroad system.

• Long ago, steam engines came through Apex because they could get the water they needed from Log Pond.

• Salem Street in downtown Apex is the ridge line.

• In the past, travelers had to come through Apex to get from North to South.

• Trains came to Apex to get tar or pitch from pine trees that was used to build ships.

• Tobacco was an important crop in Apex.

• The Apex Train Depot was built in the early 1900’s.  At the time, it was the newest and fanciest depot around!

• Mayor Weatherly and the Apex Commissioners all live in Apex.

• Mayor Weatherly’s son Ethan is eight years old.

• Sometimes it’s hard to be mayor because a mayor has to make difficult decisions.

• The mayor’s office is in the Town Hall.  There is also an auditorium there for town meetings.

• Mayor Weatherly has another job!  He is our state’s Executive Director of Farm Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  There are about 500 employees working for him in all counties of North Carolina.

• Mr. Weatherly earns $7,000 per year for being mayor.

• A town law is called an ordinance.  The mayor and commissioners decide what the ordinances should be.

• Planning is the number one issue for the town of Apex.

• Mayor Weatherly is 53 years old.  He has a cat named Gracie and 7 hermit crabs.

• Mayor Weatherly lives in his own house and drives a regular car.  His wife is named Melissa and his 5^th grade daughter is named Samantha.  His son Ethan loves soccer.

• Sometimes Mayor Weatherly works on weekends.

• Mr. Weatherly was born in South Carolina but moved to North Carolina when he was seven years old.

• Sometimes Mayor Weatherly needs to be on TV, like last winter when the electric power was off for so long.

• Trains do not stop in Apex any more.  Freight trains drive through carrying lumber and automobiles.  Passenger trains also pass through Apex.  The old train depot is now used as an office for the Apex Chamber of Commerce. 

• Raleigh is the capital city of North Carolina.

• Mayor Weatherly has not lost an election.

• The Wake County Mayors Association meets once a month to share ideas.

• Mayor Weatherly gets to meet lots of different people.

• There is a thick book of laws for Apex.

• There is a staff of people working at the Apex Town Hall.  One is the Town Manager.

• The town of Apex owns the Eva Perry Regional Library building.  They lease it to the county library system.

• Election results are announced on TV and radio.  They are also written in newspapers and listed on the Internet.

• The mayor will officially take office in December.  He will take the “Oath of Office” which is a pledge to do the job of mayor as well as he possibly can.

• One law in Apex has to do with saving the trees and plants that grow on and around building sites.  It is called the “Buffer Ordinance”.