Government
The town is governed by a mayor-council form of government. Elected officials consist of the mayor and five commissioners or council members. When elected, officials serve a four-year term. Present elected and appointed officials are:
| Term Expiration: | ||
| Mayor Winifred Hill Murphy | 2021 | (Elected November 2019) |
| Mayor Pro Tem Austin Brown | 2021 | (Elected November 2019) |
| Commissioner Eddie Bronson Jr | 2021 | (Elected November 2017) |
| Commissioner Carolyn Robinson Melvin | 2021 | (Elected November 2019) |
| Commissioner Barbara A. Peterson | 2021 | (Elected November 2019) |
| Commissioner Jo Allison Strickland | 2021 | (Appointed February 2020) |
For a list of committees and the Commissioner(s) who chair them, click here.
For a description of Commissioner Responsibilities, click here.
Board Attorney: Alan Maynard, Esquire
Mayor and Commissioners
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Mayor Winifred Hill Murphy
Commissioner Winifred Hill Murphy (elected in November 2011) was appointed Mayor for the Town of Garland on February 2, 2012. Mayor Murphy was elected Mayor in November 2013 and will serve a four-year term. Mayor Murphy is the first female and first African American mayor to be appointed and elected for the Town of Garland. The Mayor was re-elected in November 2019 and will serve a two-year term.
Mayor Pro Tem Austin Brown
My name is Austin Brown. I am a lifelong citizen of the Town of Garland. I am the son of Tammy Brown, who has also lived in Garland her whole life. I am the grandson of the late Madelene Simmons Brown and Thomas Leroy Brown who lived in the Tomahawk community. I am a member of the Garland Pentecostal Free Will Baptist Church. I served on the Garland Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department from 2012-2017. I am also a former Public Works employee of the Town of Garland. I currently work at Big Blue Stores in Clinton NC. Through the years I have been very civically minded and have always had a passion for serving on the Garland Board of Commissioners with a hope to one day become Mayor of the Town of Garland. On November 7th, 2017 I made history in the Town by being elected the youngest Commissioner to ever serve on the Town Board. I see the potential in Garland and hope to continue to move Garland forward in a positive direction.
Commissioner Eddie Bronson Jr
Commissioner Carolyn Robinson Melvin
Commissioner Barbara A. Peterson
Commissioner Jo Allison Strickland