News · Press Release

Republican Darling Sandy Roberson Plunged His City Into Tens of Millions of Dollars of Debt, Now He Wants to Cut and Run

Six years into his term as Mayor of Rocky Mount, NC, we’re just now learning why Sandy Roberson is so eager to leave his hometown – he’s plunged them into tens of millions of dollars of debt, leaving Rocky Mount residents to pay the price. 

While he loans millions of dollars to his vanity run for Congress, Rocky Mount residents are left footing the bill for his fiscal mismanagement. In order to close the city’s funding gap, Roberson is raising costs for utilities like natural gas and electricity and doing a mass layoff of Rocky Mount employees.

DCCC Spokesperson Madison Andrus:
“Maybe Roberson should spend less time wining and dining to fulfill his political pipedreams and more time cleaning up his mess. Roberson’s absolute refusal to take responsibility shows a complete lack of accountability – the people of Rocky Mount deserve better and the people of eastern North Carolina don’t want it.” 

North Carolina voters are reading about Roberson’s disastrous financial mismanagement…
Southeast Politics: Sandy Roberson reveals Rocky Mount must make deep spending cuts to address financial crisis on his watch – Southeast Politics

  • GOP Congressional candidate and Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson revealed his city has run a monthly deficit of millions.
  • In a video released Tuesday, Roberson said a fiscal review of city finances found “deeply troubling” over-spending that will require a 10% reduction in the city’s full-time workforce as officials look to cut $30 million in spending in the municipality of about 55,000 residents.
  • Beyond the spending cuts, Roberson also said the city must now raise utility rates, including, for the average household, a $20 hike in monthly natural gas bills and an $8 jump in electricity fees, meaning a $336-increase in annual costs to every household in the city.
  • Roberson just last month touted his record as Mayor of Rocky Mount as evidence he had the background to rein in federal spending. “As Mayor of Rocky Mount, I know what it takes to deliver real results—balancing budgets, creating jobs, and making our communities safer,” Roberson posted on X in August. “In Congress, I’ll bring the same commitment to service and solutions for NC-01.”
  • Roberson in his video blamed the city’s financial situation on prior City Manager Keith Rogers, who resigned last year after being put on administrative leave, according to the Rocky Mount Telegram.
  • But Roberson was Mayor of the city during Rogers’ entire tenure leading the city. He won election in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023, the same year Rogers was hired as City Manager.
  • As Mayor, Roberson has touted economic growth in the city and efforts to attract and grow business.
  • But it’s unclear whether any of those efforts can continue.
  • “To stabilize our finances, we will make difficult but necessary reductions,” he said, “and these will include freezing many capital projects, eliminating non essential travel, and reducing spending on marketing, reducing our part time workforce about half, laying off approximately 10% of our full time employees.”

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