Title
Order of the Hornet Induction - County Commissioner Patricia "Pat" Cotham - Commissioner At-Large
Action
ACTION:
Induct County Commissioner Patricia "Pat" Cotham, Commissioner At-Large, into the Mecklenburg County Order of the Hornet, the highest honor bestowed by the Board
Commission Contact: Chair Mark Jerrell
Presentation: Yes
BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION:
The Order of the Hornet was established in 1972. It is bestowed by the Board of County Commissioners on persons who have displayed valor or high order of service uniquely and specifically to the residents of Mecklenburg County. This is the highest honor bestowed by the Board. The Order of the Hornet was founded in the spirit of the early Mecklenburg patriots who signed the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775, and proclaimed the County’s freedom from Britain more than a year before the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. Those early patriots valiantly fought for their independence during the Revolution and gave Lord Cornwallis such difficulties during his occupation of Charlotte that he termed the town a “hornet’s nest” of rebellion. County Commissioner Patricia "Pat" Cotham, Commissioner At-Large reflected the honor, strength, and fierce American patriotism that so stung Lord Cornwallis and is being recommended for membership in the Order of the Hornet.
Commissioner Cotham served on the Board of County Commissioners from December 2012 to December 2024. Her election in 2012 was her first elected office. She earned a BA in Spanish and a BJ in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a trustee to the N.C. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, a Democratic National Committee member and a delegate member of the Executive Council of the N.C. Democratic Party. She is an active member of the St. Matthew's Catholic Church,a Democratic Party Precinct leader, past president of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Women, chair of Uptown Democratic Fo...
Click here for full text