Haseeb Fatmi is headed to the NC Senate. The seat he leaves behind on the Wake Forest Town Commission must be filled the right way — openly, fairly, and from scratch.
Big news out of Wake Forest landed Thursday night. Local Democratic Party officials voted to appoint Haseeb Fatmi to the North Carolina State Senate, filling the seat vacated by the abrupt resignation of Sen. Terence Everitt. According to WRAL, Fatmi will also appear on the November ballot seeking a full term in what analysts expect to be one of the most closely watched state senate races in North Carolina this cycle.
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It is a remarkable ascent for a first-time officeholder. Fatmi, a corporate attorney, won his first election only last November — to the Wake Forest Town Commission. Now he steps into a competitive swing district that Democrats must hold if they want any chance of breaking the Republican supermajority in the State Senate.
We wish him well. That’s genuinely exciting for Wake Forest.
But his departure creates something that demands immediate and careful attention here at home: a vacant seat on the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners.
And this town already knows exactly how to handle it.
The Process That Worked — And Who Built It
When the Board convened in December 2025, one of the most pressing questions facing the new members was how to fill the commissioner seat left open when Ben Clapsaddle won the mayoralty. Residents were anxious. The fear of a backroom deal — an appointment handed to a political insider without public input — was real and openly voiced from the podium.
It was Haseeb Fatmi, in his very first minutes as a sworn commissioner, who put that fear to rest. Rather than wait for the drama to unfold, Fatmi introduced a detailed, pre-written motion establishing a structured, public selection process — complete with a clear timeline, an open application window, public interviews, and an up-or-down vote at a regular Board meeting. All of it on the record. All of it in the open.
That process — which we covered in full at the time — worked. The community could see every step. Anyone who wanted to apply could apply. It set a standard this town should be proud of.
That is the standard that must be applied now.
This Is a New Vacancy. Treat It That Way.
There will be a temptation to shortcut. The easiest path would be to reach back into the pool of applicants from January — the people who applied for the last vacancy — and simply choose from that list. Faster. Less friction. Done.
It would also be wrong.
That was a different vacancy, at a different moment in time, with different circumstances. The people who applied then applied for that seat, under those conditions. Some may no longer be available. Some may have changed their minds. And critically — there are residents of Wake Forest today who are ready and willing to serve, who had no reason to raise their hand before, or simply weren’t ready until now.
Recycling the old applicant pool doesn’t honor the spirit of the process Fatmi created. It guts it. It transforms a transparent public procedure into a closed-door exercise using stale paperwork — and it sends exactly the message this community fought to avoid: that the decision was already made before anyone got a chance to participate.
The Wake Forest Town Commission vacancy that exists today is a new vacancy. It requires a new process.
A Reminder to the Commissioners — and to All of Us
As we wait to see how the Board of Commissioners takes up this question, we want to be clear: transparency and fairness are not optional features of good local government. They are the foundation of it.
This community fought for an open process in December. Residents showed up to the podium and demanded it. When Commissioner Fatmi delivered it, the relief in the room was palpable — because it meant the process would belong to everyone, not just to insiders and their networks.
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That moment should not be a one-time exception. It should be the rule.
So we call on the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners to do the right thing:
Open the process.
Post the announcement publicly.
Accept applications from any interested resident.
Set a clear, published timeline.
Conduct interviews in a public meeting.
Vote in front of the community.
Every resident of Wake Forest who wants to serve their town should have the opportunity to raise their hand. That is not an unreasonable demand. That is simply how it is supposed to work.
Do it the way Fatmi showed us. The process is already established. It already works. And it already belongs to this town.
Watch this space. Wake Forest Matters will track the commissioner appointment process closely. When the Board announces next steps, we will cover them. If you’re a Wake Forest resident considering applying, check the town’s official Board of Commissioners page for application details once they are posted.
Wake Forest Matters is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom covering Wake Forest, NC. We report on local government, schools, business, and community life — free to read and reader-supported. Fearless. Local. Loud.
