By Valerie Macon
I sat down with Fuquay-Varina’s new mayor, William Harris — Bill, as he prefers to be called — to look beyond the title and meet the person behind it. What drives his commitment to public service? Which values shape his leadership? And when he steps away from town hall, what captures his time and attention? Our conversation offered a thoughtful and inspiring glimpse into the man guiding this growing community.
Harris has served the community in many roles over the years, a commitment shaped early in life. When I asked what inspired him to get involved, he didn’t hesitate. “It happened in phases,” he said. “The first influence was my parents. Both my mother and father were active in the community; and as a child, I saw that.” His father served as a church deacon and Sunday school teacher and helped establish the Pine Acres Community Center. “I watched him wanting to do something positive,” Harris reflected. “That was the example I grew up with.”
His mother, who he describes as a trailblazer, returned to school to earn her barber’s license and became one of the first African American female barbers in Fuquay-Varina at a time when women in the profession were exceedingly rare. “The good thing about that,” he recalls, “is that to keep me out of trouble, she took me to the barbershop with her.” Watching her work left a lasting impression. “Part of her success was having repeat customers. I saw how she interacted with people, how she built relationships. That’s where I learned that customer service and connecting with the public is essential to success.”
“So, I grew up with two powerful examples. My father served the community directly, while my mother connected with people through her work. She understood how to treat people, how to talk with them; and both of my parents were naturally outgoing. There were just four of us — my parents, my sister, and me — so that sense of openness and connection really defined our family. Looking back, that was the foundation I was given.”
As Harris grew up, he turned to music and stage performance, playing trumpet in a band, and imagining it might shape his future. He completed college, married, and started a family. When his father passed away, he returned to Fuquay-Varina and, following the example that had shaped him, reconnected with church and Sunday school while becoming active in the local Masonic Lodge.
His growing community involvement led him to serve as president of the Lincoln Heights PTA while his children attended school there, raising his visibility in the community. That role opened the door to an appointment on a local education council, expanding his engagement across Fuquay-Varina.
Not long after, he was selected to fill a vacancy on the town board when a commissioner moved into another position. Around the same time, while working as a probation officer, he began pursuing a master’s degree in public administration, which opened a better understanding for him of the possibilities of public service and further preparing for the path of service he was steadily stepping into.
Harris’s commitment to service extends beyond government into community well-being. He established the Mayor’s Health and Wellness Council, bringing together local leaders and healthcare professionals to promote prevention, education, and access to resources, an effort aimed at helping residents choose wellness before illness. He explains, “We advocate for health and are resources for information about health to include mental health and public health in general. We try to encourage citizens to think about their health. And I’m thinking that if the message comes from the mayor, it might mean something.”
Along the way, his lifelong connection to music has never really left him. Blending his love of music with his commitment to service, in April he took the stage with his trumpet, joining other local leaders as part of Wake on Stage, a United Arts Council and Wake County fundraiser supporting arts education and community art programs.
When asked what he enjoys most about Fuquay-Varina, Mayor Harris points to the simple pleasures the town offers — sharing a cup of coffee with friends at The Mill or settling in there to work on a project over another cup. He also enjoys playing golf with a group of friends, appreciating both the camaraderie and the opportunity to step away from the pace of his responsibilities. While his role as mayor can be both busy and complex, he makes a point of carving out time for interests and hobbies that help him recharge. He might read or listen to an audiobook, play music, or spend time with his family. He has three children and six grandchildren who keep him happily engaged.
The mayor has deep roots in Fuquay-Varina. Having been born and raised here, he has witnessed the town’s transformation firsthand. He takes pride in its growth and in the efforts of its leaders to meet the challenge of maintaining a thriving and vibrant community. His vision is for Fuquay-Varina to be a high-quality city with a small-town feel, a city that preserves safety and economic vitality while operating with efficiency and fiscal responsibility. And above all, he wants to foster a sense of belonging for everyone who comes here. “And that’s the big challenge that I see. But I think that, in itself, is exciting to me,” he says.
When asked what becoming mayor means to him on a personal level, he reflected on the journey that brought him here. “It is affirmation, for me, of the work that I’ve done in the past,” he said, expressing hope that his efforts make a positive and lasting impact on the community. But the role carries an even deeper significance for him — serving as mayor of his hometown is both an honor and a legacy. He explains, “It means so much to me because of the people who came before me, those who sacrificed to make sure that someone like me would have the opportunity to lead this town.”
That sense of legacy naturally brings him back to the foundation of his own life, particularly the influence of his parents and the values they instilled in him, values that continue to shape both his leadership and his outlook. “When I look back over my life, there have been a couple of things that I truly cherish. Getting back to my parents…they didn’t have a lot, but what they left me was a legacy of faith; and with that, you can do anything. There are no barriers, only those that we create. Part of the challenge has been learning to build faith and understanding the possibilities I witnessed in my parents, and that I continue to experience in life itself. You simply have to believe, have faith, and trust in those possibilities.”
From that personal perspective, his vision for the community becomes an extension of those same beliefs, grounded in gratitude and hope. “I just want to see this community that helped me so much continue to blossom and to grow and to be the best that it can be. I am a ‘possibilitarian.’ I believe in possibilities. And if I could inject that kind of spirit into what we do in this community, I think that would be a meaningful legacy for me to leave.”
