Former Mills River mayor returns to fill void left by council member's resignation

Dean Hensley, Hendersonville Times-News
·2 min read

MILLS RIVER - At the February Mills River Town Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Randy Austin made an announcement that council members knew about: He was resigning.

"We sold our house in Mills River, and we are moving to another part of the county, so we won't be living in Mills River anymore. This is why I'm resigning," he said.

Mills River councilmember Randy Austin, left, resigned in February. To fill his spot, Chae Davis, a former Mills River mayor, was appointed.
Mills River councilmember Randy Austin, left, resigned in February. To fill his spot, Chae Davis, a former Mills River mayor, was appointed.

Elected in 2019, Austin was an at-large member of the council and has served for over four years. His original term was set to expire in December 2023, but recent legislation moved all municipal elections in Henderson County from odd to even numbered years beginning in 2024, meaning an extra year was added to terms.

"I have served my original term, and it has been an honor to do so," Austin said. "This is hard for me, knowing this will be my final council meeting. When I ran for council in 2019, I committed to serving a four-year term. I am proud of the work we accomplished during that timeframe."

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Following Austin's resignation, the Mills River Town Council appointed former mayor Chae Davis to fulfill his remaining term, according to a March 5 news release. Davis served as mayor from 2017-21.

“I truly enjoyed my previous time serving and look forward to making a positive impact,” she said in the release.

According to the release, Austin had already announced he was not running again for council in the 2024 election. Mills River Town Manager Daniel Cobb told the Times-News on March 5 that Austin always "put the best interests of the town first."

"Mr. Austin was a pleasure to work with. He was strong in his conviction to always do what was right, whether or not it was his idea or someone else's," Cobb said. "The greatest gift to a town manager is working with elected officials who are serving for the right reasons, and even during times of disagreement on principle, relationships remain positive and professional."

Austin's resignation also created a vacancy for the Mayor Pro Tem position, which Jeff Young was selected to assume. Yount said he was "humbled by the nomination and honored to serve in that role.”

Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.

This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Former mayor to fill void after Mills River councilmember resigns