Scotland Neck Mayor leads by example

by Hank Dewald, Daily Herald StqffWriter

SCOTLAND NECK - Many folks in the Valley didn't know much about James Mills until he won a hotly contested mayoral race in Scotland Neck in 2007, but Mills has been successful both as a businessman, community activist and now politician. In accepting his latest honor as a 2009 African-American hero, Mills told the audience, "I never sought to be a hero; I never sought to be so-called great. I only sought to correct what 1 perceived to be a wrong. I say to you young people, if you seek to serve humanity then sometimes there will be sacrifices."

Mills has made sacrifices, but he has also been rewarded for those sacrifices he said. "I've been rewarded with great joy and feelings inside, of knowing that I stood faT the right things. I have sought to make sure that the hands that picked cotton could pick presidents."

Mills was born in Nash County to James A. Mills and Estella Eason Mills in 1949. His father died when Mills was six and the kids moved to Tillery to live with his mother's family, John and Hattie Edwards Eason.

After graduating from Brawley High School, where he received numerous honors, Mills mixed work with higher education, proving honors such as most likely to succeed, most reliable and president of the student body were well deserved.

Edgecombe Community College led to a solid foundation in business and real estate before he finished up at Medgar Evers College, in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he studied political sciencc and histol)'. In between those schools, Mills also attended the N.C. Justice Academy, where he was certified in corrections and the police information network by the N.C. Department of Justice, all the while working as a correctional officer at Caledonia.

While still working on his education, Mills led a group of black Halifax County residents in an historic law suit which broke up the at-large voting system that denied blacks the ability to elect black county commissioners. That case went to the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 1986, Mills began working in the manufactured housing industry, garnering many awards for sales. By 1989, Mills was working for Family Housing in Roanoke Rapids. He was honored with that company's presidential award twice. Carolina Power and Light awarded Mills the Common Sense Award for encouraging customers to purchase energy efficient homes that would reduce their utility costs. This was the first award of its kind presented by the company.

By 1997, Mills was ready to step out on his own and opened his own manufactured housing dealership, Superior Housing Center, becoming the first African-American to open a dealership in Rocky Mount. In 1999, Mills sold that dealership to Palm Harbor Homes and became the first Afiican-American manager for that company.

In 2007, Mills again garnered statewide attention when he ran for mayor in Scotland Neck, winning a hard fought battle with incumbent Robert Partin. The race was contested by Partin citing voter fraud, which brought statewide media attention to the tiny town. The N.C. State Board of Elections denied Partin's appeal and Mills officially became the first African American Mayor of Scotland Neck, a position he holds today.

Mills finished his speech last Tuesday by telling the students in the audience that the field of service is the greatest need they could become involved in. "If you will give of yourself, the reward is there. It may not be in your lifetime, but there is a greater reward waiting for you in The Kingdom."