North Carolina town has 2nd mayor die in past 6 months

TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. (WBTV) – A North Carolina town is dealing with the death of a mayor for the second time in the past six months.

The most recent mayor of Topsail Beach, Morton Blanchard, died on March 2, a news release from the town said.

Blanchard had just taken office near the end of 2024. Prior to his five months as mayor, Blanchard spent more than a decade as a town commissioner in Topsail Beach, and before that served in local government in Rose Hill, N.C.

The town said Blanchard worked on “many initiatives,” but worked particularly hard on trying to bring public sewer service to residents.

Less than six months before Blanchard died, the mayor before him, Steve Smith, passed away on Sept. 13, 2024.

Smith was a “visionary leader who had a passion for serving his community,” the town said in a release. He was said to have been committed to preserving Topsail Beach’s unique character and natural beauty.

According to their obituaries, both Blanchard and Smith were 73 years old when they died. The town did not say how either died.

Sister-station WECT reported that Mayor Pro-Tem Frank Braxton will fill in as acting mayor.

Topsail Beach is in Pender County, a little less than an hour north of Wilmington.

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