Jimmy Hopkins served as a trustee for over 10 years. He was first appointed to the CFCC Board of Trustees by then-Governor Beverly Perdue and then reappointed by New Hanover County.
But when he disagreed with college President Jim Morton, who had allegedly kept him out of the loop on CFCC’s plans to have the county purchase the former Bank of America building in downtown Wilmington, he was removed. Hopkins took issue with the lack of transparency around the deal and voiced concerns he was kept in the dark, especially since he chaired the board’s facilities committee.
Related: Jimmy Hopkins lawyers up as the Bank of America building story gets messier
The letter of removal came from County Chairwoman Julia Olson-Boseman, who cited Hopkins’ unexcused absences from the board.
Hopkins countered that he had always notified CFCC when he planned to miss a meeting — and CFCC later acknowledged it had no method of tracking excused versus unexcused absences. Hopkins lawyered up and his attorneys issued a letter to the county, putting officials and commissioners on notice that they considered Hopkins’ removal illegitimate, that the trustee intended to continue attending CFCC board meetings, and that he would consider legal action if the county didn’t rescind his removal.
Related: State Treasurer and CFCC Trustee want county’s removal of Jimmy Hopkins rescinded
But, over the weekend, Hopkins seemed to have at least a partial change of heart.
In a letter to CFCC Board Chair William ‘Bill’ Cherry, Hopkins wrote, “[w]ith regret I resign from the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees, effective immediately.”
Hopkins noted that he and his attorneys still felt that Olson-Boseman’s removal letter “was unlawful and of no effect” and that he was “still a member of the Board.” However, Hopkins wrote that “in the interest of those the board serves, the students, faculty and staff, I am choosing to resign so that the focus of all involved can be on making Cape Fear Community College a place where the pursuit of knowledge is the priority.”
In closing, Hopkins alluded to unspecified issues at CFCC.
“In closing, while I regret the need for me to resign as a Trustee and thus no longer be in a position to advocate for the students, faculty and staff of CFCC on issues that deeply concern me of late, I believe that light will always prevail over darkness and eventually, the light of truth will prevail at CFCC,” he wrote.
Editor's note: Hopkins has agreed to a sit-down interview with WHQR and WECT on Thursday morning to discuss his resignation.
Hopkins Resignation Letter by Ben Schachtman on Scribd
