SOUTHPORT — It’s taken half the year for the Southport Board of Alderman to get its planning board back to full muster after stalling appointments for myriad reasons in the last few months. Thursday’s alternate vote was also embroiled by terse exchange.
The aldermen agreed unanimously to name Clark Freise as an alternate to the planning board. Freise moved to the area in October 2025 and listed experience in “state public health and environmental commitment to civic engagement and public service” on his application.
However, Freise’s name wasn’t the first suggested to take up the position. Alderman Karen Mosteller motioned for Sue Hodgin to be seated, just as she did in February. But at that time it was not taken up, as Lowe Davis wanted to extend the pool of applicants.
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Some thought it was a move to prevent Hodgin’s return; often outspoken, the former planning board chair served on the board from 2022 to 2025 but was not reinstated in what she called retaliation by the board of aldermen. In the fall, she reapplied to replace Vice Chair Kevin Locklin, who announced he was moving from Southport. Also, alternate Ed Ekert and David Geary were in the running to fulfill Locklin’s term, ending June 2026.
Fast forward to February 2026, Ekert was recommended to step into Locklin’s place — many noting that’s par for the course for the position — with Hodgin suggested to then become the new alternate. Instead, the aldermen took a 4-2 vote, with Mosteller and Robert Carroll dissenting, to push the appointment to March and reopen applications to allow more candidates to come in.
The aldermen ended up voting on Ekert in March, but then delayed the alternate vote to ensure everyone who applied for the full-term position would actually want to serve as an alternate.
Mosteller sat on the interview committee consisting of Alderman Rebecca Kelley, planning board Chair Larry Ashley and Vice Chair Fred Fiss. On Thursday, Mosteller let the board know they had interviewed multiple people for the alternate position since March; however, some didn’t want to serve in that capacity and one wanted to wait to apply for the next full three-year term. Kelley informed the board they already had nine applications in hand to address the seat expiring next month.
Mosteller reminded her colleagues Thursday that Hodgin’s experience is vast.
“She has extensive state regulatory background experience in North Carolina and has invested in the completion of Brunswick’s leadership program,” Mosteller said, adding Hodgin’s zoning knowledge, insight into the city’s unified development ordinance and prior experience in general rose to a level of expertise.
Mayor Joe Pat Hatem, who doesn’t vote unless there is a tie, also mentioned “the number of years” Hodgin has lived in Southport and her familiarity with the city’s inner workings.
However, Kelley was not on board with the suggestion and favored Freise instead.
“I felt very strongly that new blood is something we are trying to encourage here in Southport,” she said, adding Freise’s environmental and government background impressed her.
According to his application, Freise went to the Naval Academy and MIT’s Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. He worked as assistant commissioner for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Mosteller pointed out she appreciated his background but also mentioned he was willing to serve in a number of capacities. Freise checked on his application an interest in the parks and rec, business advisory or forestry committees, as well as the board of adjustment.
The motion on the floor for Hodgin’s consideration, as seconded by Alderman Carroll, failed 4-2.
“Members of this board, I think, have a lot in common with modern automobile construction,” Carroll stated after the vote. “They take the ABS approach — and it’s not anti-lock braking system. It’s more of an ‘anybody but Sue’ approach.”
Carroll mentioned roughly 70% of the current planning board has less than a year-and-a-half experience and thought Hodgin’s experience was honorable and could be beneficial.
“It’s an unfortunate situation,” Carroll said, adding “the problem, I think, that some people have is thin skin. And they cannot accept being challenged.”
Hodgin was often at odds with the aldermen during her previous planning board tenure and called them out for transparency issues as it related to development policies. She also questioned them for going against planning board recommendations at some junctures.
Carroll praised her “thoughtful approach” on the Indigo project, now called Waterway and slated to bring more than 1,000 units to the area.
“She pushed that project as hard as she could to get it to be everything that we as a community wanted it to be,” he said.
“It’s unfair to Mr. Freise to imply the only reason he would be voted in is because it’s an anti-vote against someone else,” Davis responded.
Carroll accused Davis of playing politics by delaying the vote earlier this year to keep Hodgin out: “It’s governance by vengeance.”
Davis denied as much was true and pointed back to lack of adequate applications instead. While Carroll called Freise a “great guy” who is qualified and who he planned to vote for, the alderman implied there have been other applicants the board has voted for that didn’t fit the criteria.
“Well, I wouldn’t want you to vote for someone who isn’t qualified,” Davis said. “I don’t wanna drag anyone’s name through the mud, but tell me after the meeting who I voted for that wasn’t qualified.”
Mayor Joe Pat Hatem interjected: “Well, we can tell you who you voted against that was qualified.”
The vote for Freise’s alternate appointment was unanimous. Ekert will serve through June 2026 before the aldermen take up applicants again to serve a full three-year term.
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