Mullen was elected to council in 1992 a few months after the United States Justice Department approved a three district election system adopted by city council the previous year.

That plan expanded city council from four to five members with two council representatives in districts 1 and 2 and one in District 3, which Mullen represented.

The districts were created after the NAACP filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the city’s then at-large voting system.

“It’s tough right now,” said current District 3 Councilman Carl Ferebee, who said in a recent council member he looked to Mullen as a mentor. “There was no better person than Madison.”

When Mullen decided to not seek reelection in 1999, Ferebee ran unopposed and would often consult with Mullen. “Being the first black councilman in Roanoke Rapids, he tackled a lot of different things. He was a good person to get opinions from.”

Ferebee said he appreciated Mullen running for the new district seat. “That, in itself, was a milestone. He paved the way and I appreciate him stepping up to the plate. That always inspired me. It took a lot of courage.”

Phyllis Lee was the finance director in Roanoke Rapids when Mullen was on the council. “I thought an awful lot of him,” she said this morning. “He always had the interest of his constituents at heart. He was a fair council member. He truly worked hard to help his community. I know he worked hard for that community.”

Lee said there was much community development in Roanoke Rapids during Mullen’s tenure.

Even after he left council, he was active on the city’s beautification committee, Lee said.

In July council appointed Mullen as an honorary lifetime member of the beautification committee. “Madison has provided valuable service to the beautification committee and the city since his appointment in 1999,” the resolution adopted by council reads.

In 1999, after Mullen decided not to run, council honored him with a resolution. “After his return to Roanoke Rapids he served as an active and able member of the board of adjustment and two terms as a distinguished and hard working member of the Roanoke Rapids City Council where his education and past work experience enabled him to be of great assistance in the progress and the growth of the city of Roanoke Rapids.”

Mullen received a bachelors degree from North Carolina A&T University and a masters in humanities from West Virginia University.

A graduate of the Philadelphia Police Academy, Mullen spent 28 years as supervisor and acting supervisor of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole before returning to Roanoke Rapids with his wife, Mary.

H.D. Pope Funeral Home is handling the arrangements, which are incomplete at this time.