Graham Council to Meet at Elections Office Despite Mayor's Objection; Recording Planned

Graham's city council will hold a special meeting on Jan. 20 in the conference room at the Alamance County Board of Elections, 1128 South Main Street, after council members approved an alternate location despite objections from the mayor. The move means the meeting will not be broadcast live, though it will be recorded and made available online after the fact.

City Manager Megan Garner arranged to use the elections office for the session. Mayor Chelsea Dickey raised concerns that the elections board location lacks the capability for live broadcasting, while Graham's city hall can stream meetings in real time. Other council members agreed to the change, and Councilman Jim Young offered to use his personal video equipment to record the proceedings. City IT staff plan to post the recording on the city's website after the meeting.

The decision highlights tensions about public access and transparency that matter directly to residents who follow local government in real time. Live-streaming allows viewers to watch deliberations as they happen and to participate in public comment cycles informed by unfolding discussion. A recorded, post hoc posting preserves a record and remains accessible, but it removes the immediate, interactive element that some constituents rely on for timely civic engagement.

Holding the special session at the elections office also changes the physical access point for the public. The conference room on South Main Street is a known downtown location, but it differs from city hall in routine civic traffic and established streaming infrastructure. Residents who typically tune in from home, at work, or mobile devices may need to adjust expectations and either attend in person or wait for the posted recording.

Practical arrangements put in place aim to balance those concerns with the council's scheduling needs. The council agreed to the alternate venue with the understanding that the meeting would be recorded and posted by city staff. Using a council member's equipment for the recording introduces a private-device element to the technical chain; municipal IT will handle the public posting, preserving official access to the record.

For voters and civic watchdogs in Alamance County, the episode underscores ongoing questions about how and where local government conducts public business. Decisions about venue and broadcast shape who can follow meetings live and how quickly the public can respond to policy proposals. Expect the posted recording to be the main public record for this meeting, and watch the city's website for availability.

This development may prompt future discussion at the council level about streaming policies, technological investments, and the trade-offs between flexibility in meeting locations and real-time public access. In the near term, residents should check the city's online meeting page for the recording or consider attending future sessions in person at the posted location.