Sue Lee, a Republican representing Dist. 3, made Sampson County history in 2015 when she was named the first female chairperson of the Board of Commissioners. She is stepping down from her position at the end of the month with two years still remaining on her term.
Courtesy photo
After 10 years serving as a member of the Sampson County Board of Commissioners, Sue Lee surprised most, earlier this month, by announcing her resignation, effective at the end of November. She had two years left on her four-year term.
“Ten years is a long time” Lee said during a recent interview, noting that she had served as either chairwoman or vice chair the entire 10 years. “I just needed a break,” she attested.
Looking back, Lee said she really had no intention of running for office. “I had no desire to a be a politician at all — it wasn’t on my radar.”
But then, members of the Sampson County Republican Party came calling, suggesting she should run for county commissioner in Dist. 3.
While she had always paid attention to politics, Lee said it never entered her mind to actually run for an office. Her care for the children of Sampson County, and keeping taxes low for citizens were the catalyst for her decision to accept the local GOP’s call for her to seek the commissioner’s seat.
Lee said she mulled the notion, prayed about it, and, after very careful consideration, determined that her love for Sampson County, her concern for her own children and grandchildren, as well as her care for residents around the area compelled her to give it a go. Running, she said, was one way she could give back to the county that had been so good to her family.
Once she made the decision, Lee said she called former county commissioners to get their opinions and advice.
“I was told it would be one meeting per month and one, to one and half hours — and boy, was that incorrect!” she laughed, noting the extensive hours she has put into the county during her tenure, going over budgets, attending workshops, conferences, and other meetings as situations arose.
Lee said a lot of people might not realize how involved the job actually is, nor understand what the chair and vice chair are involved day to day. It was nothing, she said, to have to work even while she was at the beach with her family or at her family business. Duty to the county was always utmost in her thoughts, and when action was required, she had to drop everything to ensure things got done.
Explaining those duties, she said,was not meant to be a complaint but merely an explanation of the work required, much of which she wasn’t aware of until she took office.
Being a commissioner, Lee said, meant dealing with difficult issues at times, but the job also came with many good feelings of accomplishment, too.
The long-time commissioner said that one of the toughest times serving on the county commissioners’ board was during the controversial period of the pandemic, when the debate over whether or not the Covid vaccine should be mandatory for employees raged across the state, in all municipalities, in every corner. Lee said in her estimation it did not matter if one was for or against the vaccine, she simply did not feel that it should have been mandatory. “I wasn’t for that, not to be against it, but to have to take it in order to do your job didn’t sit well with me.”
She also mentioned other difficult times as an elected official, noting examples such as when funds and material were not always available. “Some of the hardest times were during workshops — during Covid, and it was excruciating when department heads would come requesting needs and the county didn’t have the resources to meet those needs,” explained Lee. “That was difficult for me, for all of us. I was born and raised here; I love this place, so to see needs not being met really hurt me in a deep way.”
Lee’s love and admiration for her home county brought her and her husband, Tart, back home in 1972, when they moved from Raleigh.
“It was just an hour down the road, but there’s still no place like Sampson County,” she said, fondly. “I couldn’t wait to move back here and be back around the people I know, and it truly has been a blessing. The minute we crossed the county line, I told my husband to stop the car, and I literally got out of our car and kissed the ground!”
But now, as she approaches another birthday, the 72-year-old Lee said she’s ready to slow down a little bit, take more time for herself, and enjoy a little extra free time with her family.
“I can’t wait to hang out with my grandchildren, and relax without a schedule, and drink an extra cup of coffee,” she laughed. That extra cup of coffee without looking at the clock is priceless!” And, going to the beach more is also among her to-dos now that she will have more free time.
Lee said what she really looking forward to is having lunch and dinner more with her family, who live close by.
“We’re such a close family,” she attested. “I love being able to sit down with everyone at the dinner table, and just spending time with my family.”
While she realizes her departure seems sudden, especially since she chose to step down with two years remaining on her term, Lee said she was just tired. Couple that, she added, with the fact that she had been considering leaving office ever since out-going Commissioners’ Chairman Jerol Kivett was defeated in his primary back in the spring, and it seemed the right timing.
“We had such a good working relationship with the wonderful people on the board, and I felt it would be difficult to start over after all this time.
“To everything there is a season,” she replied, quoting from Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8. “I just hope I have left the county better than when I started,” she added.
Lee said she does not plan to attend any county meetings in the future. “I fully believe someone will come in and be able to do the job just as well, and I will not be giving any advice, because this is their time,”
The Sampson County Republican Party will choose replacement tonight following a meeting of the executive committee. Once chosen, her replacement will then be recommended to the full Board of Commissioners.
Lee praised local GOP chairwoman Telia Kivett for working with the party out of Raleigh to get things moving along so the selection could happen before she leaves on Nov. 30.
“I am so honored to have served,” she added, expressing her consideration for the staff at Sampson County government, and the residents of the county. “I love the whole county; they have been so supportive, just wonderful to work for and work with. I am so thankful to have been able to work with, represent and help the people of Sampson County.”
During the November commissioners’ meeting, Lee tendered her resignation, saying, “Sampson County has been blessed with incredible personnel. They give their all to keep the county running efficiently,” she said in her statement at the November meeting. “Over these 10 years (as a commissioner), there have been many issues that we have faced, and I am happy to say I have worked with Sampson County as an elected official – not a politician. I made my decisions based on what I felt was best for the whole county.”
Lee, a Republican representing Dist. 3, made Sampson County history in 2015 when she was named the first female chairperson of the Board of Commissioners, serving in that role until 2022 when Kivett became chairman and she took the vice-chair position.