Post-Election Reflection

Gratitude, Growth, and What Comes Next

Friends, neighbors, readers—

First—thank you. Your trust, your voices, and your engagement are what make our town strong.

We’ve just witnessed a significant moment in Wake Forest, North Carolina’s civic life. After six terms, Mayor Vivian A. Jones’ leadership is giving way to a new chapter under Ben Clapsaddle. For me, personally, this moment carries both gratitude and responsibility.

I was born and raised here, as were nearly 12 generations of my family. I moved away for military service, and only returned in 2018 with my wife, using the VA Home Loan I earned in service, to purchase our first home off Main Street. Being part of this community now—not just as a resident, but as someone writing about it—has deepened my appreciation for what Wake Forest has become.

Honoring Mayor Vivian Jones

When Vivian Jones took office in 2001, Wake Forest was struggling. Major employers had left. The infrastructure was aging. My parents reminded me that, at one point, the town literally pulled up sidewalks it couldn’t afford to maintain.

Vivian stepped into that moment and turned it around. She brought professionalism, stability, and a vision that helped transform Wake Forest from a small town with uncertain prospects into one of the fastest-growing communities in the country.

She deserves our respect, our applause, and her flowers — and more than that, I believe she deserves a lasting public tribute.

That’s why I’m calling on our community and our leaders to declare an annual “Vivian Jones Day” in Wake Forest — a day of celebration, reflection, and gratitude.

Let’s make it a town-wide event —a festival, cookout, or block party—bringing everyone together—new families and longtime residents alike—to honor her decades of service and the foundation she built.

Whether it’s at Town Hall, a park, or another place of her choosing, I hope we dedicate something meaningful in her honor — a monument, a plaza, or even a simple space that says thank you.

A New Chapter Begins

Mayor-elect Ben Clapsaddle’s victory reflects a desire for continued growth with renewed connection. His words — “We’ll protect what makes Wake Forest special while building opportunities for the future” — strike the right balance of progress and preservation.

The real work begins now. And it’s not just the mayor’s job — it’s ours, too.

As I’ve explored through my writing on Wake Forest Matters, what began as a blog covering local power dynamics — sparked by the controversy surrounding Pride in Wake Forest and the LGBTQ+ History Month proclamation — has grown into something more profound: a study of how influence, faith, and fear intersect in small-town America.

Those stories — “The Slip, the Storm & the Spin,” “Fact, Fairness & the Future of Wake Forest,” and “The Anatomy of a Moral Panic” — taught me that growth brings tension. And that transparency, empathy, and courage are essential for navigating it.

Where We Go From Here

As Wake Forest moves forward, my commitments are these:

• Honor the legacy. Acknowledge what leaders like Vivian Jones built.

• Hold space for truth. Keep investigating power, influence, and fairness.

• Champion unity. Growth must never come at the expense of belonging.

• Celebrate together. Let’s build a Wake Forest that takes pride in both its progress and its people.

Our next chapter should begin not with division, but with celebration — the kind that reminds us how far we’ve come, and how much stronger we are when we stand side by side.

So here’s to Wake Forest.
Here’s to Ben Clapsaddle.
And here’s to Vivian Jones — whose legacy deserves a day all her own.

Let’s make it happen. “Vivian Jones Day.” A day of gratitude, service, food, family, and community — because the best way to honor her legacy is to live it.

With gratitude and hope,

Tom Baker IV
Founder / Editor — Wake Forest Matters LLC
12th-Generation North Carolinian | Wake Forest Born & Raised+
📱 (910) 406-5115 📧 WakeForestMatters@pm.me
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