Wake County lawmaker calls for civility in political interactions after hostile messages
A state lawmaker is calling for civility in political interactions after a town employee sent her hostile messages during the 2024 election.
Rep. Erin Paré, who represents Wake County’s Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, said she got two emails and two voicemails from a woman who used profanity in complaints about Paré’s campaign signs and called her names.
The messages were sent in October when Paré, a Republican, was running for re-election. They later caused her to decline an invitation to a legislative breakfast hosted by the town of Apex.
WRAL, which first reported the story, identified the woman as June Cowles, a senior planner for Apex. Cowles is registered to vote in Paré’s District 37. Paré said Mayor Jacques Gilbert confirmed Cowles was a town employee when she called him about the messages.
In a statement to The News & Observer, Cowles acknowledged that she messaged Paré’s campaign about the sign and explained her behavior as a result of grief after a friend died in October. She said she was not working for Apex on the day she called Paré and left the first voicemail.
“In no way does the emotional state I was in excuse my inappropriate behavior,” Cowles wrote. “I was not thinking clearly.”
Paré said she dismissed the first email as a constituent’s discontent. She has been a state representative since 2020 and said lawmakers sometimes receive messages from “irate constituents.”
“That’s happened to me before, but I’ve never received anything like this from someone in that type of official position with a municipality,” Paré said in an interview with The N&O. She doesn’t represent Apex residents but said she has worked with the town on various initiatives, including a collaboration to address substance abuse among young people.
“I think sometimes we all have to take a breath and go, ‘You know what, I should treat my fellow citizen a little better because they’re a human being,’” Paré said.
‘I was not thinking clearly’
In her statement, Cowles explained that she first contacted Paré’s campaign about a sign allegedly in a neighborhood right-of-way.
Cowles wrote that a member of Paré’s team told her that the signs were on private property and that she was “trespassing, and they were contacting the property owners. “
“Unfortunately, my emotions took over me and I left an inappropriate message to [Mrs.] Paré’s office stating that I did not trespass and that the large sign was placed near a dangerous intersection,” the statement read. “I also responded very upset to the e-mail that I was not trespassing and stated they were, in inappropriate words, ‘unintelligent.’”
Cowles said she has 24 years of service in the military reserves and six active-duty years and the news of her friend’s death “greatly impacted me.”
Cowles added that she later apologized to Paré’s team on Oct. 24 but believed the email did not reach Paré.
“Unfortunately, I do not know at this time if it ever made it to [Mrs.] Paré and I feel terrible if she did not receive it,” Cowles wrote.
Apex: No town policy violations
About a week after the two emails were sent, Paré started receiving voicemails on a campaign phone she uses during elections.
Paré sent recordings of the voicemails to The N&O to listen.
In one voicemail, the caller complained about Paré’s campaign signs being near a stop sign and causing a safety violation. Paré said she had her signs checked to make sure they met state regulations.
In another message, the caller said: “You’re such a lying [expletive],” and said Paré didn’t know how to read a map.
Paré said regardless of her “thick skin,” she thought the messages were another example of heightened political division in the country.
“It’s just part of the job to deal with concerned constituents,” Paré said. “But I really hope that we can see an improvement in how we deal with each other.”
In a statement, Apex Town Clerk Allen Coleman, acknowledged the constituent was a town employee exercising her First Amendment right and that employees are not regulated when they are not acting on the town’s behalf.
“When contact is made using a personal phone, outside of their work hours during their time off, and outside of their job duties, that employee would be considered as acting as an individual,” the statement read.
Coleman sent The N&O an email from Town Manager Randy Vosburg to Paré on Nov. 8 saying the town’s Human Resource Department investigated a town employee and concluded the employee did not violate any policies. Cowles is still listed on the town’s website as an employee.
“That said, we remain committed to fostering an effective relationship with all of our legislators in the General Assembly,” Vosburg wrote. “If there is anything you need from the Town of Apex, do not hesitate to contact us.”
‘We can all do good’
Paré said Gilbert apologized to her after she called him about the messages.
In a phone call with The N&O, Gilbert said he had a “great working relationship” with Paré and apologized on behalf of the town.
“[Apologizing] is the right thing to do,” Gilbert said and added the messages sent to Paré did not represent his views or the town’s. “If I believe there is a concern and a concern is valid, I think it’s important to present that apology.”
In 2021, Gilbert thanked Paré for helping in efforts to get additional funding for the town in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The town was awarded $16.7 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Of that money, $11.5 million came from the state.
Gilbert agreed with Paré that elections can heighten emotions but said this incident was a “good opportunity to educate our community members that we have to be careful.”
“We can all do good. We can be nice,” Gilbert said. “I always encourage people if you don’t like something or have a question about or think we can do better, just reach out. … But let’s start off by being nice to each other.”
NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com
This story was originally published March 14, 2025 at 9:00 AM.