If Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo was a dog, he’d be a golden retriever.
He’s warm, loyal, effortlessly friendly–goofy even. But he’s also serious when necessary.
Saffo, who paired a navy blazer with sporty, gum-soled Pumas for an interview, agrees with this canine assessment (matching human personalities with dog breeds is an ongoing social media trend). “I’m a happy-go-lucky person,” he said.
At 63, Saffo has led Wilmington, the state’s most populous coastal city, for nearly 20 years.
He’s enjoyed mostly breezy victories. In a third of his mayoral races, including his latest last year, he ran unopposed. Nearly all municipal elections in North Carolina are nonpartisan, though that hasn’t stopped the local political parties from getting involved.
Even when city councils and county commissions tilt Republican or Democratic, Saffo keeps getting re-elected.
For the record, Saffio is a Democrat. He gives a hearty laugh when asked whether he thinks he’s been a good one: “Some people might think I’m a great Democrat, some people might say I’m not a Democrat at all.”
For The Assembly, Johanna F. Still profiles Wilmington’s longest-serving mayor.
Mayor For Life
Wilmington’s longest-serving mayor Bill Saffo has sailed through more than two decades in public office. Charisma and centrist politics have helped him maintain bipartisan support.
A Doctor’s Dilemma
In March, retired physician Jon Martell went to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center for a routine surgery. But his condition quickly deteriorated, and in an interview with WHQR, he alleges the hospital nearly killed him.
Martell blames the system, not individual hospital staff, for what he calls “hands-off” care. After a resident doctor concluded his situation was noncritical, Martell says it took far too long for anyone to accurately reassess him as his condition rapidly progressed.
WHQR dedicated an hour-long episode of The Newsroom to the story, and we talked to news director and Dive co-author Benjamin Schachtman to discuss his findings.
Still: There’s been plenty of chatter on social media and behind the scenes about hospital conditions, but there hasn’t been a ton of reporting to corroborate serious concerns.
Your story pretty definitively lays out that things are bad. And Martell is the perfect source to illustrate what’s going wrong. Tell us why.
Schachtman: We’ve heard many anecdotal stories, but many are from the height of the hospital’s crisis in 2022, and many people weren’t comfortable sharing them publicly. Martell was willing to go on the record–and it had just happened.
And even more importantly, in addition to Martell’s medical background, he had been a hospital administrator, with a focus on quality and safety. So he was able to bring an articulate, clinical perspective to what went wrong.
Still: Martell formed a new nonprofit because of this experience, The Five Star Project, which focuses on trying to improve the hospital’s federal safety rating–currently two stars. What does Novant have to say about its rating?
Schachtman: Novant told us they were “pleased” that their efforts to maintain safety and quality were being recognized by Leapfrog, a nonprofit that gives grades based largely on federal data that gave them a “B.” That’s proven a pretty unsatisfying grade for many people I’ve spoken with.
And when we pushed, top Novant medical administrators said, basically, they’re more concerned with their own internal metrics than with the federal safety rating.
Still: I was left wondering to what extent the 2021 sale of the hospital to Novant is related.
Schachtman: It’s difficult to game out the counterfactual–how would a county-owned hospital have negotiated Covid? Would it have survived, financially, or would it have been auctioned off in a much weaker position after spending tens or hundreds of millions on traveling nurses to deal with staffing shortages? Everyone, including me, wants to Monday-morning-quarterback it, but experts tell me it’s hard to get a solid answer.
I think the next step for our reporting is to look at other best practices, how are the hospitals that are getting As from Leapfrog and four- or five-star ratings from the feds, how are they doing things? I think we have evidence that things are bad. OK. But now what?
Listen to the full episode here.
Read this newsletter online or contact The Dive team with tips and feedback at wilmington@theassemblync.com.
Not a subscriber yet? Good journalism is expensive – and we need your support to do more of it. For just $6 a month or $60 a year, you’ll unlock full access to our archives and help us grow in 2025.
Already a subscriber? Consider giving the gift of The Assembly to a friend.
Around the Region
Of Interest: A number of officials that have regulatory authority over state implementation of new water quality rules for PFAS have financial investments in firms that have lobbied against similar rules, Port City Daily reports.
Raising the Roof: Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees approved a 12 percent raise for president Jim Morton, bringing his salary to over $400,000, WHQR reports. Four out of 15 trustees dissented.
Fresh Grants: The New Hanover Community Endowment revealed a $19 million plan to address affordable housing in the region, Greater Wilmington Business Journal reports.
Around the State
Duke’s Center for Documentary Studies Rises From the Ashes
The center known for its popular film festival has named a new director and restarted some programs.
What Is Really Going On With Charlotte the Stingray?
It’s been months since a Hendersonville aquarium blew up the internet with its announcement of a “miracle” pregnancy, and experts and online fans are growing concerned.
UNC-Chapel Hill Provost Promises Rules for Recording Professors
After The Assembly reported that administrators had secretly recorded a professor’s lectures, the provost promised new policy.
The Assembly is a digital magazine covering power and place in North Carolina. Sent this by a friend? Subscribe to The Wilmington Dive or to our statewide newsletter.
You must be logged in to post a comment.