Town of Navassa swears in first female mayor

NAVASSA, NC (WWAY) — The town of Navassa swore in its new mayor Thursday night, and she’s the first woman to lead the town in this role.

Navassa town hall was packed as Rose Terry was sworn in as the town’s first female mayor and its third mayor in the town’s history.

Terry is a Leland native who worked for many years in several states as a teacher.

This is the first political office she has ever held.

Terry takes over from Eulis Willis, who spent more than 20 years on the town’s council and another 26 years as mayor.

Rose said she looks forward to leading Navassa during a time of growth.

“I see that the town will need to come together,” Terry said. “We have three very, you know, three different sections of the town and we have a lot of incoming people. And I’ve lived in different areas and I’m accustomed to pulling people together.”

Willis said he is proud of his time as mayor and can’t wait to see what Terry and the rest of the town council does going forward.