After five candidates were elected to serve the Town of Mint Hill in 1971, the group chose Bobby Long to be the first mayor. The remaining four – John Harper, John M. McEwen, Jerry Mullis, and Ann Davis – became commissioners. Together, they made many strategic decisions that shaped the new town.
The Mint Hill Board was something of a “dream team.” Though bound to each other through years of working on projects together, they were not always in agreement on every issue but were able to resolve conflicts. All were in office when the town got its first park, first traffic light, and first ambulance. They all had connections to Philadelphia Presbyterian Church and Bain School, and their reaches went far beyond the Mint Hill community.
Mayor Bobby Long was born in Charlotte, but grew up in Union and Cabarrus Counties. After graduating from Bethel High School, he worked for a year as a surveyor and planned to attend North Carolina State University. World War II was in full swing at the time, so he volunteered for the U.S. Navy in 1944 and worked in radar on destroyer ships until he was discharged in July 1946.
He returned to the family farm for a year and then had an opportunity to work at Maxwell Brothers & Collins Furniture Store in Concord. He remained with the company for 31 years until his retirement.
Long’s marriage to Betty Wilson in 1949 brought him to Mint Hill, where they reared their daughter Debbie and son Mike. That same year he and other veterans formed the Earp-Williams Post #4958. He was also a key player in the formation of the Mint Hill Fire Department in 1952 and the Mint Hill Masonic Lodge in 1968. In 2013, the new fire hall on Fairview Road was named in his honor. Today Long is still dedicated to the organizations he helped organize and to Philadelphia Church, where he has served as a deacon and an elder.
John Harper was also dedicated to the community. He and his wife Floy operated a cattle and horse farm on Wilgrove-Mint Hill Road; their son Eddie and daughter Carol were active in the 4-H Club. When the family moved to South Carolina, they sold the farm to the town for its first park.
John M. McEwen and his wife Scottie operated a country store and a contract post office in Mint Hill for many years. They were also active members of Philadelphia Church and supported civic organizations. A county commissioner for several terms, he was instrumental in the establishment of the town in 1971.
The McEwens donated the land for the first town hall (now home to the Mint Hill Police Department). The assembly room in the current town hall bears his name.
Ann Davis and her husband Perry Andrew Davis were also active in the community and the church. A leader in the Piedmont Area Development Association, she spearheaded the movement to spruce up the town by painting mailboxes. After Andy’s untimely death in a car accident in 1969, Ann went to work with Bobby Long at Maxwell Brothers & Collins Furniture Store in Concord. She also became involved in politics and was elected commissioner. The Davises’ three children – Meredith, Perry, and Mary Beth – grew up in Mint Hill.
Jerry Mullis and his wife Millie continue to be involved in Mint Hill civic organizations and Philadelphia Church. They were key players in the establishment of the Mint Hill Athletic Association during the early 1970s when their sons Jerry and Jason played sports.
During his tenure as chief the Mint Hill Fire Department, the Emergency Medical Technician program was organized. He currently serves as board chair. After his father died, Jerry ran Delta, Inc., a power line construction company.
