A Pike Road small business owner’s Teacher Appreciation Week plans were disrupted this week after concerns were raised about a potential conflict with local election rules.
Jessica Missildine Spurlin, who operates a local interior design business, shared in a public Facebook post that she had organized a “flower bouquet bar” as a gift to educators across all six public and private schools in the Pike Road area.
The gesture, which she described as a personal effort to show appreciation for teachers, involved coordinating with each school to set up the displays and personally delivering fresh flowers.
However, just as she prepared to begin deliveries, Spurlin said her husband received a phone call from an attorney representing the public schools.
RELATED: Mark Spurlin announces candidacy for Pike Road Mayor, challenging incumbent Gordon Stone
According to her account, the attorney informed them that the deliveries could be viewed as a form of political campaigning. As a result, she was not allowed to proceed with bringing the flowers to the public schools.
Spurlin emphasized in her post that the gift was well below the permissible value threshold and that she had no intent to promote any political cause during the delivery. “Not every gesture has a political agenda behind it,” she wrote. She added that the deliveries would have involved simply dropping off flowers and supplies without engaging in campaign-related discussions.
Instead, she offered teachers and staff the opportunity to stop by her home after school to receive a bouquet, sharing her address publicly in the post.
Her husband, Mark Spurlin, is a candidate in the upcoming 2025 Pike Road mayoral election. A local builder and entrepreneur, he announced earlier this year that he would challenge longtime incumbent Mayor Gordon Stone in the municipal race scheduled for August 26, 2025.
The qualifying period for Pike Road municipal candidates opens July 7 and runs through July 21.
Sherri Blevins is a writer for Mountain Valley News and a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
