For a town of about 11,000 people, Summerfield gets more than its share of media attention since it’s the home of constant drama, and, on Tuesday, Aug. 12, the mayor of the town announced that he had seen enough.
Summerfield Mayor Tim Sessoms resigned Tuesday, effective immediately, after more than a decade of public service to the town.
Sessoms announced the move in a press release stating, “It’s important in life to know when it’s time to call it a day.”
In the past, as the small Guilford County town has gone through its development battles and its ups and downs, Sessoms had made it no secret that he eventually planned to step down from that position.
In his statement, the mayor thanked elected officials, county and state employees and “most importantly, the citizens of Summerfield” for their support over the years.
Sessoms said he was stepping down before the end of his term because of irreconcilable differences he has with the current Town Council, including “their pursuit of previous staff, excessive hiring, and significant tax increases.”
Sessoms stated those were decisions he couldn’t support and added that, rather than remain for the next three months under those circumstances, he had decided to resign now.
He urged the Town Council to end its ongoing disputes with former staff as well as for former staff to consider setting aside their defamation case against the town.
He said the town would be best served by simply moving forward.
In recent years, Summerfield government has been marked by unusual turmoil. In mid-2024, the entire town staff – including the manager, planners, finance director and support staff – all resigned in a matter of weeks. Staff members cited a toxic work environment created by the newly seated council majority. Sessoms, at the time, called the resignations “devastating” and said the loss of experience would be hard to replace.
The mass departure left the town with no employees and only temporary help to keep basic services operating.
That upheaval came on the heels of development battles that had already divided the community. In 2023 and 2024, the state legislature de-annexed nearly 1,000 acres from Summerfield, clearing the way for high-density development plans by farmer and developer David Couch – a move many town residents opposed.
This year, the Town Council voted to launch an audit into municipal IT records while former staff prepared a defamation lawsuit against the town. Sessoms warned at that time that the dispute was turning into a “witch hunt” and argued it would hurt the community.
In his resignation statement Tuesday, Sessoms wrote that, while these were challenging days for Summerfield, he believed “great days lie ahead” if residents remain engaged.
He also called on the town’s roughly 8,000 registered voters to take part in every municipal election, even in off years.
Sessoms said he would continue attending community events, school programs and local gatherings. He also stated that he would make himself available to his successor, Lee Haywood.
“Serving as your mayor has been one of the greatest privileges of my life,” Sessoms wrote.
Poor Summerfield seems to be lost. Doesn’t know what priorities are.
Very sad to see Mayor Sessoms step down, although I understand his reasons. Mayor Sessoms was an awesome leader for the Summerfield community. He will be greatly missed. Mayor Sessoms has so much love for the community, so sad to see the continued downfall of a once vibrant community. Best wishes Mayor Sessoms, with much love to you and your family.
The people with money and power won. It’s sad for those who have loved this area for what it offered.
The Manager did not resign, his contract was not renewed by the fatal 4 council members. They don’t have a clue what they are doing but their actions have destroyed the town. I won’t be a bit surprised if the town loses its’ charter sooner than later. A sad day for what was a great little town. Elections have consequences and unfortunately the voters made huge mistakes on who they placed in office in the last election. There is an opportunity for voters in November to vote out the 2 incumbents who are a part of the fatal 4 and restore common sense by a 3-2 margin to the council. Maybe the town can then be saved.
So sad, Sessoms fought the good fight , but all too often we grow weary in our hearts.
RIP Summerfield