North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine Marshall swore in Council members Kathy Behringer and Gra Singleton during the Dec. 7 meeting before Garner residents and family members.

Behringer, who took office for her second term, was voted in unanimously as Mayor Pro Tempore. She said she wouldn’t have run for public office if it weren’t for the support for residents in Garner.

“I want to thank those folks for encouraging me to do something I love and I hope I’m effective at,” she said.

Singleton was sworn in for his fifth term and dedicated the win to his brother, Todd. He said the win came a day after the second anniversary of his brother’s death.

Mayor Rohrbaugh remembered for years of service

However, the Rohrbaugh family was perhaps the most moved by the event. The meeting was dedicated in honor of Garner’s former Mayor, Donald Rohrbaugh, who passed away last month.

Betty Rohrbaugh accepted a plaque with the proclamation of the dedication as her family watched from the front row of the audience.

Marshall said the meeting was just one of the many imprints Mayor Rohrbaugh left on Garner and she was happy to be a part of it.

“I’m very pleased to be here with the Rohrbaugh family,” she said.

Singleton said a special thank you to Rohrbaugh for teaching him so much during his time in office as a Board of Aldermen member for eight years and as Mayor for 10 years.

“He (Rohrbaugh) did a good job of taking me under his wing and helping me to teach me about the due process of weighing decisions and he was fair,” Singleton said. “He loved his family. He loved his friends. He loved his church and he loved Garner.”

Mayor Rohrbaugh passed away at age 80. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2000.

Pop Warner Cheerleaders look for support

Coach with Pop Warner Civitan Cheerleading Ashley Ewing petitioned for the Council to offer financial support to the 16 local girls who traveled to Orlando, Fla. last week for a national competition.

While the Civitans gave funds, Ewing said it would have to be paid back. Some of the girls found sponsorships from local businesses; however, there would still be an outstanding balance for the three-night and four-day trip.

The group held fundraisers since October with the help of local businesses like Chic-fil-A and Krispy Kreme.

All of the 16 squad members were able to attend, but now they must find a way to pay back the nearly $5,000 to the Garner Civitan Club.

The 10 to 13-year-old girls have been practicing cheerleading with Ewing and assistant coaches since August. They placed first in a local competition and first in a regional competition in Charlotte.

Civitan member Randall Johnson said the wash account in the club’s budget that supports the Pop Warner program couldn’t fund the trip’s expense.

“They didn’t really anticipate this expense coming along,” he said. “It happens very rarely and it’s a fortunate thing.”

However, the Council could not offer Town money to the group because of Garner’s mid-year funding policy. Councilman Buck Kennedy said while the members would like to help, it opens the door to for other groups to ask for similar funding.

Instead, Kennedy said the Council members can elect to offer their own donation to the group if they so desire.

To donate to the Pop Warner cheerleaders, you can write a check to Garner Civitan with Pop Warner Cheerleader trip in the memo line. For more information, contact Ashley Ewing at 235-7580.