Before a standing-room-only crowd Tuesday evening, the Edenton Town Council voted to censure Councilman Aaron Coston after he declined his colleagues’ request to resign over pending felony charges. Coston apologized to his constituents and said he could continue to serve. Councilman Patrick Sellers, who moved for the censure, told Coston the charges had put the council’s ability to govern in question.
“We cannot govern successfully unless the people here, the people online, and all the citizens of the town have full trust,” Sellers said. “Because of that, I think it would be best for you to resign.”
The Nov. 10 resolution removed Coston from boards, commissions and committees on which he represented Edenton. For the remainder of his term, he may no longer use discretionary travel allowances or represent the town in an official capacity at public events. He retains his seat and his vote on town business.
Mayor Hackney High opened the discussion by asking council members to keep their comments respectful. He said residents had asked what the town intended to do about the charges. In individual conversations before the meeting, High said, council members had agreed that Coston should be asked to step down. High and Sellers took that request to Coston several days before the vote.
In a Sunday evening phone interview, Coston said he intended to stay. Asked what a censure would mean for him, he said, “It’s a public scathing, that’s all it is. I don’t lose any power on the council.”
During public comment Tuesday, Edenton resident and business owner Amber Hardy urged Coston to resign. Hardy told the council that in 2022, Coston asked her to represent him in the sale of property he did not own. She said he was acting on behalf of his grandmother under a power of attorney that Hardy said was invalid.
“It could have cost me my livelihood, my real estate license,” Hardy said. “It is not a good look for our town, and he does not represent me as a citizen.”
Coston’s finances had surfaced in earlier court proceedings. As the Edenton Social Light previously reported, he told the court in one matter that his monthly income was $550.
The council took up the censure while two criminal cases were pending. In May, a Chowan County grand jury indicted Coston on charges of identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses. Investigators allege he used another person’s information to obtain two credit union loans totaling $12,000. In October, Coston was arrested on a Pitt County extortion charge. The warrant alleges he demanded $5,000 from a man and threatened to contact his employer. Coston is presumed innocent in both cases.
Before the censure discussion, Coston was invited to speak first. He thanked the business owners, friends and family members who had reached out. “When I first took office, I had two strong principles in mind, and that was transparency and accountability,” he said. “And even in a moment like this, you know, I have to hold myself to those standards. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t.”
Coston declined to discuss the case. A year into his second term, he spoke about his work on neighborhood parks, youth programs and early literacy. He cited his support for a $35,000 appropriation for the education foundation and recalled occasions when he stood alone in opposing policies the council later revisited.
“I understand that the situation that I am in right now doesn’t reflect well on council. It doesn’t reflect well in the town,” Coston said. “I apologize to my constituents.”
He said he could set personal matters aside when he entered the council chamber. “When I step through that door, step across that threshold, I leave any problems, personal problems, or anything going on at that threshold,” he said.
Sellers, a defense attorney, told Coston he believed in the presumption of innocence. He said the pending felony charges in multiple jurisdictions had nevertheless affected the relationship between Coston, his colleagues and the people they represented.
“It causes great concern, and that concern goes to trust,” Sellers said. “It’s trust from this council towards you, and then trust from our community towards you. With that lack of trust, we cannot govern.”
High told residents the council could ask Coston to resign but could not force him to surrender his seat. The resolution read aloud before the vote acknowledged that Coston is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. It stated that the council believed the charges had undermined public confidence in the body. High called for a voice vote and announced that the censure had passed.
Councilman Craig Miller then moved to withhold Coston’s monthly stipend while the charges were pending and to restore the money if he were cleared. High asked for a second. None came, and the motion failed. Coston will continue to receive his stipend.
Before turning to the town manager’s report, High addressed what would be required of everyone around the table. Coston would continue serving alongside colleagues who had asked him to leave. Those colleagues, in turn, would have to put that request behind them as they worked with Coston on the town’s streets, parks, budget and public safety.
“You have projects to complete. You have employees,” High told the council. “And most importantly, you have citizens who expect our officials to lead.”
