Mayor Neal says state House bill targeted Lewisburg; council records speech of gratitude to volunteers

Lewisburg — Mayor Christopher Neal used his remarks at the Nov. 10 meeting to thank residents for their role in local campaigning and to criticize recent state legislation he said targeted the town.

Neal told residents that 'when the North Carolina General Assembly passed HB 183 singling out Lewisburg and only Lewisburg with election rules designed to make your voice harder to hear... they stacked the deck, they changed the rules mid game.' He framed the town’s recent campaign success as a community response to those hurdles, saying 'We proved that small towns still matter.'

The mayor’s assertion—explicitly attributing singling out of Lewisburg to 'HB 183'—was made as part of a civic‑oriented speech of gratitude; the transcript records no formal response or factual challenge from other council members during the meeting. The council did not take any formal action related to state legislation during the session.