The Matriarch of Main Street Takes Her Final Bow

Tonight, inside the chambers of the Town Hall she helped build, the gavel will fall for the final time on the era of Vivian A. Jones. After 24 years of continuous service—a tenure spanning six terms and a quarter-century of explosive transformation—Wake Forest’s longest-serving mayor will preside over her last Board of Commissioners meeting.

For many residents, a Wake Forest without Vivian Jones at the helm is difficult to imagine. She has been the town’s steady hand and its smiling face, earning the title “The Matriarch of Main Street” not through title, but through tenacity. When she first took office in 2001, Wake Forest was a quiet community still searching for its identity as it’s growth started to take off. Today, as she steps down, it is a bustling, highly desirable suburban powerhouse—a transformation guided largely by her vision.

Mayor Jones steered this ship through some of the roughest seas the town has seen in generations. She navigated the complex challenges of rapid population growth, ensuring that as the town expanded, it did not lose its soul. She championed the “Renaissance Plan” that breathed new economic life into a dying downtown, turning White Street into the vibrant heart of the community. When the region needed connectivity, she didn’t shy away from the headwinds; she launched the Wake Forest Loop bus service and fought for regional transit solutions, understanding that a modern town requires modern mobility.

Her leadership style was defined by presence. As she often said during her campaigns, “Whether it’s an event, a meeting, or a community gathering, you know that you will see me there.” It was this “barn-raising” ethos—learned from her father in rural Randolph County—that endeared her to thousands. She governed not from a pedestal, but from the pavement, walking the greenways she helped build and patronizing the businesses she helped attract.

As we bid farewell, the community owes a debt of gratitude for her stewardship.

To Mayor Jones, we offer the heartfelt salutation of the sailor embarking on a new journey. For your steady hand at the helm and your decades of watch: Fair winds and following seas.

Tom Baker IV

Tom Baker IV is the publisher of Wake Forest Matters, Wake Forest’s only independent local newsroom. A Wake Forest native, Navy veteran, and intelligence professional, Tom launched Wake Forest Matters to bring serious accountability journalism to his hometown. Tips and story ideas: publisher@wakeforestmatters.com