Admin

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To the Editor:

I am no Paul Revere, but like him I am providing warning that we are threatened. The real and present danger is disguised as our congressman. It is imperative that our present congressman, Republican Rep. Mark Meadows, be voted out of office. 

This past year he teamed with other congressmen to shut down the federal government. He could not have cared less who got hurt. What was most important to him was making a political statement. His pay never stopped, but thousands were not allowed to go to work as long as the government was shutdown.

Virtually all of the other misguided and self-centered members of Congress who shut the government down came to their senses after they saw the devastating effect of their political grandstanding, but not our congressman. He voted to keep the government shut down. His weapon was fear, and his motive was to injure enough people so that the masses would become afraid enough to adopt his program. 

That makes him more dangerous than a terrorist because a terrorist can hurt or injure a limited number of people. Our congressman is willing to injure the entire nation. He is a danger and must be defeated. This nation depends on it.

Steven E. Philo

Franklin

Comment

To the Editor:

Beam me up Scotty if you have heard of any big oil or gas companies prowling the western part of North Carolina trying to get people signed up to allow drilling for oil or gas on their property. 

With all of the letters on the dangers of fracking you would think that the oil rigs had already been put down and were ready to start drilling. Notice, there is no shale rock in our area and there are no guys running around trying to entice people to allow drilling in the western part of our state. If there was oil in these hills the wells would have been here long ago. 

This year our teachers got raises and they will get more raises as the state’s economy improves and more people find jobs. The North Carolina economy is slowly recovering. Asheville has such low unemployment that the Feds are coming to Asheville to find out why things are so good. WCU will soon be getting an engineering college added to its Asheville campus. That is a gigantic addition to the college. You can thank Sen. Tom Apodoca. R-Hendersonville, and the local Republican elected officials as well as Gov. McCrory for that new addition. Gov. McCrory is spending a lot of time in Western N.C. helping out with a lot of things including fixing up Interstate mess on I-26 in Asheville. The Governor also spends time in Cullowhee at WCU trying to help out there at the colleges as well as Southwestern Community College.  

This election is about improving the economy in our state. Saving the Evergreen paper mill in Canton was a big deal for the 1,000-plus people who work there. We now have an abundant supply of cheap natural gas in the United States which can replace all of the old coal-fired furnaces in America like the ones at the Evergreen Plant. Converting the coal furnaces at the plant will employ a lot of people in the area and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 50 percent. You can thank Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and other Republicans for keeping this issue alive for the people in the Canton area who work at the plant. 

On Nov. 4 we must elect people who can focus on running a cost-efficient government and making sure the local and state government officials are doing their best to serve the people in North Carolina. Under Gov. McCrory the number of unemployed people in our state is down to about 300,000. In just two years the Republicans have made a lot of progress in restoring the economy in Western North Carolina. Welfare and food stamps must be replaced with good jobs for all of those willing to work. North Carolina can again become the number one state in the South.

Remember we must reelect our Republican officials in November if we want to keep North Carolina moving forward into 2015.

Jim Mueller

Glenville

Comment

To the Editor:

From many perspectives, North Carolina is in big trouble.

Rather than governing to provide the best direction for all citizens, as our legislators are charged, some of our elected officials appear to be pursuing personal agendas aimed at serving a few rather than acting to benefit the majority.  

 A good dose of common sense, coupled with an honest and sincere desire to address the needs of all, fairly and equitably, is a prescription that could begin the healing process for our ailing economy, our critically ill education system, and mend the faltering health system. Concerns for the environment, particularly in the proposed fracking debate, could benefit, as well.

 Jane Hipps, Democratic candidate for the North Carolina Senate District 50, knows right from wrong and isn’t afraid to support her convictions. She speaks with volume, conviction and decisiveness, based on in-depth research and questioning before she speaks. She can be tough when she needs to be.

 Jane holds n indebtedness to special interest groups.  She is accountable only to her constituents and will fiercely guard and protect Western North Carolina.

 Well-equipped with knowledge and experience to treat North Carolina’s ills, she was employed, before retirement, in public education for 38 years as a teacher, counselor and curriculum advisor. She earned three master’s degrees during her educational journey: school psychology from Western Carolina University; master of science in nursing from Vanderbilt University (earned after retirement from education); and school counseling from UNC-Chapel Hill. An experienced business owner, she currently manages a farm.

 My support is unconditionally for Jane Hipps, a former colleague. Let’s not let others speak for us. We need to flood the polls in November and elect a mountain girl for mountain people.

 Edie Burnette

 Canton

Comment

To the Editor:

On Tuesday night, Oct. 7, I along with many property owners attended the presentation of the “Cullowhee Plan” for restricting our property use.  There were concerns voiced and questions asked. The main point that emerged was that, because the county has already allowed mega apartment complexes to be built without restrictions, to remedy this they will restrict individual homeowners and landowners.  

Although it seems to me they are punishing the majority for the actions of a few, the most disturbing fact that emerged was that the home and landowners will not be allowed to vote for this issue, but the planning board (whose members are not elected) would recommend and the county commissioners would approve.

Although I believe this is fundamentally wrong, we do have the opportunity to vote for some of the county commissioners in November. I am asking The Smoky Mountain News and The Sylva Herald to interview the commissioner candidates as to their stance on these restrictions to our property and publish the results so we may have a chance to vote for them based on their reply.

Mary Jo Jones

Cullowhee

Comment

To the Editor:

“Tis a puzzlement.” How can any elected representative currently in office perpetually insist on being proud while consistently voting against the needs and wishes of the people represented? Who can be proud of a vote to contaminate the very ground, air and water that benefits all of our state? At best these views display incompetence or perhaps a desire to convey willful misinformation. 

I’d like to believe that our representative to the General Assembly, Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is more altruistic than evidenced. I’d also like to think that racial bias, misogyny, or any other demeaning attitude toward our people, does not enter into votes that affect our land, our people or our children’s future (whose education is a whole other subject). I would like to. 

However, the repetitiously stated pride in these votes does not support that hope. 

I’ve too often seen the supercilious attitude displayed that gives lie to the verbal statements of proud, moral, religion and patriotism. Somehow, I think these overt displays of insensitivity and outright hypocrisy will leave our legislator to be eternally “knock, knock, knockin’ on Heaven’s door!”

Shirl Ches 

Franklin

Comment

To the Editor:

Suppose we turn history upside down, we might have heard the following from famous and infamous people:

Noah: “It’s not going to rain.”

French King Louis XVI: “They’ll never get the guillotine to work.”

George Armstrong Custer: “There aren’t any Indians out there.”

In modern times, some equally preposterous lies have been said, but these are real:

Chicago Tribune (after the 1948 election for president): “Dewey Wins!”

Lyndon Johnson (1964): “We are not about to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.”

George Bush (2005): “Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of yellowcake uranium from Africa.”

Now, in this current election, a local politician running for the N.C. House was heard to say something equally strange and out of touch.

Mike Clampitt: “Fracking is not an issue in this election.” 

Seriously. He said that. That statement might be true if Clampitt were running for a House seat on Mars, but not the 119th District in the N.C. Legislature. It could easily be argued that fracking is the dominant issue in the November election. Look at the signs on the side of road. Listen to the political debates. Read the letters in the newspapers. Watch the public protests. Check out all the communities — seven and counting in the 119th District — that have voted their objection to fracking our mountains.  

If Clampitt can say that fracking is not an issue here, he can say anything. Don’t be surprised if he does. 

Rick Bryson

Bryson City  

Comment

To the Editor:

Two weekends ago I went to the district attorney debate in Canton at the Colonial Theater. The debate was between Democrat incumbent assistant district attorney Jim Moore and Republican challenger assistant district attorney Ashley Welch. 

At the door I was told that I could ask a question to either candidate. I wrote a very serious question for DA Moore. Although the debate ended about an hour early and most of the questions were not very revealing, my question was never asked. 

My question to Moore was as follows: In a recent liberal newspaper, Moore was criticized for “forgetting” a warrant in a capital crime case for two months during his term as ADA. Why Moore did you allow this error, and if re-elected what would you do to prevent it from happening again? I would be very happy if Moore could answer this question.

A.J. Braswell

 Franklin

Comment

To the Editor:

I was just thumbing back through recent issues of SMN and read your piece about supporting local newspapers. It reminded me of a conversation I had earlier this year as a group of us planned getting the word out about an event. We brought up putting notices in The Smoky Mountain News and the Macon County News. One person in the group, a retired professional from Atlanta, said of the free papers, “Nobody reads those!” The rest of us were bug-eyed and responded “Everybody reads those!” 

I have shared his comments with others because his comment seemed so contrary to what I have observed. Everyone seems to agree with the group. We are so glad to have our local papers. We read them.

I get my national news from the Wall Street Journal and TV news, but my life is here in Macon County, and I want to know what is happening here where I live. 

You also mentioned something about not wanting communities to look alike. My husband and I are road-trippers, and we are often struck by how many places now look the same. Pull off the interstate at a busy interchange, and you could be almost anywhere in the U.S.  Sad. We’d like to see some indication of the local culture, style, foods, etc., but it’s getting harder to find such when traveling.

Valerie Niskanen

Otto

Comment

With elections nearing, some groups are already making plans for how to cast their ballot. 

In Sylva, a group will descend on the polls for the first day of early voting, 10 a.m. Oct. 23. The gathering is organized by the Jackson County Branch of the NAACP and co-sponsored by a handful of left-leaning organizations. They will meet at the fountain outside the Jackson County Public Library and walk 2 miles to the Board of Elections Office. 828.226.4526 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In Canton, the Haywood County NAACP will hold a march to the polls, 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. The group will meet at Harris Chapel AME Zion on 26 Prospect St. and walk two blocks to the Canton Public Library.  Those who cannot walk can meet at the library at 10:30 a.m. The group will wait at the library while everybody votes and then return to Harris Chapel for a general meeting at noon. 

Comment

Folkmoot USA got some cash toward its expansion of education programs with a $25,000 donation from Wells Fargo & Company. 

Folkmoot is an international folk festival held yearly in Waynesville and surrounding communities since 1984. The two-week event has featured about 200 groups from 100 countries in its 30-year history but is looking to begin offering year-round programming. 

“Wells Fargo’s generous gift shows their long-term commitment to diversity through educational arts programming, specifically to the Folkmoot Festival and what it provides to young people and families in rural Western North Carolina communities. We are so thankful for their support,” said Karen Babcock, Folkmoot USA’s executive director.

Comment

A panel of Western Carolina University faculty members, including an environmental health professor who has studied the spread and control of infectious agents such as Ebola for more than two decades, will take part in a discussion about the virus on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Part of WCU’s Global Spotlight Series, the event will be held in the auditorium of the Forsyth Building from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Comment

out waterwaysWestern North Carolina won big in the newest round of grants from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund. The fund, whose goal is to conserve environmentally important land and waterways, gave out $12.7 million total to fund 38 projects state-wide. 

Comment

Tuckaseegee Fly Shop, a new Bryson City business offering the town’s only full service fly shop, will hold its grand opening 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.

The event will include a ribbon cutting, reception and chance to meet the new owners, with plans to continue the party later at Nantahala Brewing Company. The new fly shop is located at 3 Depot St.

828.488.3333 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.tuckflyshop.com.

Comment

Three lakes in Jackson County will go without trout stocking this fall due to low water levels stemming from maintenance work. 

Duke Energy owns Bear, Wolf Creek and Tanassee lakes, and the maintenance being performed on the dams will draw down the water too much to support stocking. However, normal stockings will resume once work is completed in the spring. 

Other trout waters in Jackson County that will be stocked include Balsam Lake and the delayed harvest section of the Tuckasegee River. 

www.ncwildlife.org/Learning/Species/Fish/Trout/TroutFishing.aspx

Comment

out acornIt looks like 2014 will go into the history books as “The Year of the Acorn,” according to Friends of the Smokies. 

Comment

out forestmanagementThe U.S. Forest Service is holding the next round of public meetings on the Forest Management Plan for Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

Comment

out bigsweepSwain Middle School students in the New Century Scholars Program and the afterschool program volunteered to help remove over 45 pounds of litter outside Swain Middle School and High School during the Big Sweep event, a statewide blitz each fall to purge local waterways of trash that is not only unsightly but can harm wildlife and aquatic ecology.

Comment

Black Balsam Road is now open, restoring access to a popular trailhead and jumping off point for the Shining Rock Wilderness in Haywood County.

The road, which branches off of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 420 and is the starting point for a number of popular hikes, had been closed since Sept. 2 for resurfacing. Hikers used to the potholed access that used to be there now have a much smoother ride toward the any of the many trails branching off from the area. 

Comment

The Jackson County Arts Council announces its grant recipients for the 2014-15 Grassroots Grants. The arts council is a Designated County Partner of the North Carolina Arts Council, from which the Grassroots grants are funded. The JCAC received $12,254 from the North Carolina Arts Council and $9,201 from Jackson County. They also receive funding from membership donations and fundraising efforts.

This year’s Grassroots Grant recipients include Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild, WNC Pottery Festival, Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Western Carolina Community Chorus, Western Carolina Civic Orchestra, Farmers Market Family Art Days, WCU Youth Art Spring Display, Dillsboro Merchants Association – ColorFest, Town of Sylva 125 Founders Day Celebration, Junior Appalachian Musicians, Smoky Mountain High School, Jackson County Library for Copper Workshop, Jackson County Schools, Cullowhee Mountain Arts, Jackson County Visual Arts Association.

Grassroots Grants are awarded to local nonprofit agencies in Jackson County who produce programs of arts, culture or historic merit and who demonstrate financial and administrative stability. The purpose of Grassroots Grants is to recognize and support exemplary forms of artistic expression, both contemporary and traditional, visual arts, performing arts, literature, media and folk arts.

www.jacksoncountyarts.org.

Comment

ColorFest, the annual art and craft festival in Dillsboro, had around 4,000 attendees at this year’s event, which was held on Oct. 4.

With funds donated by Champion Credit Union, the Dillsboro Merchant’s Association was able to provide the cash prizes awarded to the winning artists. 

The winners included:

• Best in Show — Cory Houston Plott, pottery turned on manual wheel in parts with applied design and glazed with traditional wood ash glaze.

• First Place Fine Art — Char Avrunin, encaustic and oil portrait using traditional old master techniques in the portrait on a contemporary abstract background done with layers of wax mixed with oil paint.

• Second Place Fine Art — David Vanderlaan, giclee on wrapped canvas of multiple photos of dead trees PhotoShop manipulated into a design.

• Third Place Fine Art — Jack Stern, oil painting of local landscape on canvas.

• First Place Craft — Martha Kelly, embroidery and quilted nativity with silk border.

• Second Place Craft — Joan Stocker, loom beaded face with fringe.

• Third Place Craft — Lou Ball, wood carving of gorilla.

• Honorable Mentions Fine Art — Doreyl Ammons Cain, acrylic painting; Tara Miller, encaustic and mixed media.

• Honorable Mentions Crafts — Susan Coe, pottery; Johanna Ohly, raku vase with carved leaves; Becca Irwin, cobalt blue vase with lid and crystalline glaze; Jane Payne, beaded and stone collar necklace.

Comment

The fall production of Bram Stoker’s classic “Dracula” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17-18, 24-25 and 27 and at 2:30 p.m. Oct. 19 and 26 at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

The stage adaptation is closely based on the original, presenting the frightening story that made this a horror classic. The mysterious Count Dracula first meets with real estate agent Jonathan Harker at creepy Castle Dracula in Transylvania. Dracula then goes to England where he is living on a large estate next to an insane asylum run by the incredibly naive Dr. Seward. 

The others that make up the cast of this thriller include Professor Van Helsing, who must convince Dr. Seward that Count Dracula is a vampire; Renfield, a fly-eating lunatic who serves the Count; beautiful Lucy Westenra, who has an uncanny resemblance to a girl Count Dracula loved over 100 years ago; female vampires, and many more. 

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students ages 6 to 18, and those under age 6 are admitted free. 

828.488.8227.

Comment

The Apple Harvest Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, in downtown Waynesville.

The one-day festival has grown into the region’s premier juried arts and crafts event and celebration of all things apple. This year’s festival will feature 175 exhibitors, live entertainment and great food amid more than 40,000 festival attendees strolling the street. 

Live performers will include:

• 10:30 a.m. — Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition

• 11:15 a.m. — Green Valley Cloggers

• 11:30 a.m. — Bobby & Blue Ridge Tradition

• 12:15 p.m. — Green Valley Cloggers

• 1 p.m. — Simple Folk

• 2 p.m. — Southern Appalachian Cloggers

• 2:15 p.m. — Simple Folk

• 3:15 p.m. — Southern Appalachian Cloggers

• 3:30 p.m. — Whitewater Bluegrass

www.haywoodapplefest.com.

Comment

art sciencekid“Sid the Science Kid LIVE: Let’s Play!,” a stage production of the popular PBS Kids television show, will hit the stage at 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Comment

art airsupplySoft rock megastars Air Supply will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Comment

art communitybandThe Haywood Community Band will perform a concert of popular music evoking the heart of America at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in Maggie Valley’s Community Pavilion. 

Comment

art homecomingThe Catamount spirit will sweep Jackson County for Western Carolina University’s homecoming weekend, including a community pep rally and parade in downtown Sylva. 

Comment

art studiotourThe Haywood Art Studio Tour will be from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25-26. 

Comment

To the Editor:

When I read letters to the editor demanding more government spending, it is clear many do not understand what they are asking for. It is a relief to live where the legislature has balanced the budget and lowered taxes. That takes courage, as there will always be those who insist their own area of interest was unfairly ‘attacked’ in the process of bringing spending under control. 

This year the legislature passed a large raise for teachers, yet we see some sneering about it. Those wanting more money for teachers should understand that it will come as the state economy improves. That comes by making the state competitive in drawing and keeping businesses. When people have jobs, when businesses are thriving, revenue to the state grows. In spite of an economy just beginning to improve, the legislature made raises for teachers a priority. Remember, it is the previous governor who cut teacher’s pay. 

Those who think Medicaid expansion is good are listening to the wrong people. It does not mean a cash bonanza for the state! Ask your doctor what the reimbursement rate is for seeing Medicaid patients and compare it to what you or your insurance company pays. Ask yourself if a growing bureaucracy means quality healthcare, and ask if encouraging more people to depend on the government is better than healthcare provided through a growing economy. We all want to help the needy, but it is kinder and more cost effective to do it without the federal government.

These are some of reasons I support state Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for reelection. Ask yourself if some of the statements printed in letters supporting his opponent could possibly be true. Her website even says the General Assembly has “stolen from the poor and given to the rich.” Please don’t fall for such wild nonsense. Let’s keep North Carolina on the road to an improved economy.

Valerie Niskanen

Otto

Comment

To the Editor:

Republican leaders like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, and Rep. Roger West, R-Marble, voted to allow hydraulic fracking without comment from the citizens of North Carolina whose property rights, drinking water, health and liability exposure will be impacted. Even U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., is not opposed.

Local Republican leaders have not opposed fracking when common sense says that fracking — with its toxic chemicals and corroding well casings — will eventually cause major problems for landowners.

Republicans are not stepping up to protect our property rights and instead are allowing compulsory pooling to take your rights away if you do not want fracking on your property.

They also are allowing you to be arrested if you disclose any of the proprietary toxic chemicals used in the wells on your land. This is America with a democracy last time I checked. It is time to send these Republican leaders a message: “go frack yourself,” and then we vote them out of office. 

Larry Stenger.

Franklin

Comment

To the Editor:

I am a 1953 graduate of Waynesville Township High School, received my undergraduate degree from Furman University and two graduate degrees from schools in Texas. 

One of my high school classmates told me recently that his granddaughter has just graduated from Furman University and has a teaching job in South Carolina because she could make $10,000 more a year than teaching in North Carolina. This is another example of how the Republicans are destroying the education system in this state since they have taken control of the governor’s job, Senate and House. 

Last year they cut education funds $500 million. Our schools are short on textbooks and teachers are leaving the state and our schools, meaning our children and youth are the losers.

When you go to the polls in November, please vote for our children/youth. Vote Democratic! If you are wondering about fracking, check with Oklahoma and West Texas about the hundreds of earthquakes that are occurring since fracking began.

Vote for the Democratic candidates!

Robert G. Fulbright, Ph.D.

Waynesville

Comment

The past four years have been the first in recent memory that Democrats haven’t held a majority on the Jackson County board.

But likewise, Republicans haven’t had the majority either — a point Chairman Jack Debnam is quick to point out, and points out often.

Debnam is an independent, ascribing to neither party. It was a historical anomaly not just in the mountains but the entire state when Debnam won a county commissioner seat as an unaffiliated candidate four years ago.

But he has been criticized by Democrats for really being a conservative at heart — his independent status merely a ruse to help his election chances with a Democratic-heavy electorate.

But in defense, Debnam pointed to his voting record.

“I voted with the Democrats 95 percent of the time. I also voted with the Republicans. That’s because 95 percent of our votes were unanimous,” Debnam said.

Out of 586 votes by county commissioners over the past four years, 95.06 percent of them — to be exact — were unanimous. Only 24 — or 4.1 percent — were split votes.

But Brian McMahan, the Democratic challenger for chairman, questioned that bragging point. Most of the

“Of the 586, most are routine, procedural agenda items that pretty much are non-debatable,” McMahan said.

Things like approving the minutes, ratifying department head reports, approving budget amendments.

“Those are not a Democratic or Republican issue,” McMahan said. “Those that were split votes were of significance. Those 24 represent real issues where there is a difference of opinion.”

Debnam said Jackson is the only county in the state where neither party has the majority on the county board, and he believes it has brought balance.

“A split board has made things better in Jackson County,” he said. “We have done good things with two Democrats, two Republicans and myself.”

Debnam said it isn’t easy to run as an independent. To get on the ballot four years ago and again this time, he has to collect a passel of petition signatures — he gathered 1,100 in all this time.

Running as a team has posed a conundrum for Debnam. On one hand, aligning with the Republican commissioners could hurt his chances. It certainly won’t gain him any Republican votes. There’s no bona fide Republican running for chairman — it’s just Debnam and Democrat Brian McMahan on the ticket — so Debnam is likely the most palatable choice for conservative voters, regardless of official staking himself out with the Republican candidate camp.

But buddying up with Republican running mates could hurt his chances with swing voters and moderates who question how independent Debnam really is if he is running as a team with Republicans.

At the forum, Debnam addressed the apparent incongruity of running as a team with Republicans on the one hand, despite his partisan independence. A split board is in Debnam’s interest. He needs the two Republican commissioners to win to balance out the two sitting Democrats not up for election this time.

Without a split board, Debnam couldn’t lead from the center.

The other two Republicans likewise touted their ability to work with Democrats and avoid split votes.

“Since we are a mixed board of two Democrats and two Republicans and an independent chairman, we have had to work together to get these things done,” Commissioner Doug Cody, a Republican running for re-election, said.

Still, McMahan questions how genuine it is to use the unanimous voting record as a litmus test of cooperation.

“The chair has so strictly controlled the agenda the more controversial votes have been denied access to the agenda in the first place,” McMahan said.

Some issues get decided by majority consensus without having a formal vote, like whether to give the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad a economic development loan. Regardless, the course has been different than it would have been under a Democratic majority.

“This election is about a vision for the future and where we are going,” Democratic challenger Brian McMahan said in his closing remarks. “We are at a crossroads. Now is the time to grab ahold of the reigns and to lay the foundation. We cannot afford to stumble.”

Comment

Chip Hall, D, 46

Qualifications: Chief deputy at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Twenty-five years at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in a variety of positions.  

Reason to run: “I want to reach out to be active in everything that goes on in our community, to have a relationship with our citizens beyond anything we’ve ever had.”

Philosophy: “Community involvement is the key to a functioning sheriff’s office and a good community response.”

Favorite fruit: apples  

 

Curtis Lambert, R, 44

Qualifications: Former officer at Sylva Police Department. Fourteen years in law enforcement, including service with the Sylva Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office; former vice president of payroll service. 

Reason to run: “I have a combination of law enforcement and business experience, and that’s what it takes nowadays to be an effective sheriff.” 

Philosophy: “An effective leader will be someone that will have an open-door policy and an open-department policy to where they’re not trying to hide things that are going on.”

Favorite vacation: history tour of Charleston, S.C. 

Comment

Democrats

• Kirk Kirkpatrick, a lawyer, has been on the board since 2002 and has been a supporter of recreation.
• Michael Sorrells has been a commissioner for four years and previously served six years on the school board. He is a service station, convenience store and café owner in Jonathan Creek.
• Bill Upton, the retired superintendent of Haywood County Schools, a principal and teacher, has been on the board eight years.

 

Republicans

• Denny King, a conservative voice in county politics and frequent critic of sitting commissioner’s decisions, previously ran for a commission seat in 2012. He came within 300 votes. 

• Phil Wight, owner of a motel in Maggie Valley and Maggie town alderman. Wight has long been involved in Maggie’s controversial breed of politics and a player in the tourism industry.

 

Libertarian

• Windy McKinney, is a historian and writer with a Master’s Degree in Medieval Studies from the University of Kent, in the United Kingdom. She is the Libertarian Party of Haywood County’s first candidate for county commissioner and feels the area is ready for a candidate who will “change politics as usual.”

Comment

Jackson commissioner chairman

• Jack Debnam, the current commissioner chairman and a Realtor. As an unaffiliated candidate, he belongs to neither party. 

• Brian McMahan, a Democrat, previously served as commissioner chairman but lost to Debnam in 2010. The 39-year-old chief of security at Balsam Mountain Preserve is now seeking a rematch.

 

Jackson commissioner: district that spans from Dillsboro to Qualla 

• Charles Elders, a Republican and sitting commissioner, is the owner/operator of Elder’s Superette. 

• Joe Ward, a Democrat and farmer, is retired from CSX Transportation. 

 

Jackson commissioner: district that includes Sylva and Scotts Creek

• Doug Cody, a Republican and sitting commissioner, has worked in the insurance industry for 29 years.

• Boyce Deitz, a Democrat, is a retired teacher and football coach. He coached former U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler as a high school quarterback, and later went to work for the congressman. 

Comment

Highlands district, one seat

Republican 

• Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will continue to be a great place to live and call home through low taxes, great schools, safe communities and efficient services.” He is president of Tate Landscaping Services, and has served on numerous Highlands town boards.

Democrat

• Michael David Rogers owns a landscaping business. If elected, he plans to focus on attracting business to the area, as well as environmental issues. “I love the mountains and the water and I just don’t like seeing it be trashed out and destroyed.” 

Franklin district, two seats

Republican

• Ron Haven, a motel and inn owner and sitting commissioner, said he intends to “keep taxes low” and work to improve the community for future generations. “I’ve got an interest in watching my children grow up and have opportunities in life.”

• Gary Shields, a retired educator and Vietnam veteran, said he feels a sense of  “civic responsibility” to his home. “I care, I care about Macon County. If you’ve got the time, the energy and the want-to, you need to be involved.”

Democrat

• Ronnie Beale is a two-term commissioner who previously served as chairman, and is a leader in the NC Association of County Commissioners. He is president of a construction company and previously served on the planning board.

Libertarian

• John Martin is a “semi-retired entrepreneur” who has worked in the insurance and real estate fields. He wants to “facilitate a better tomorrow” through “long-term sustainable growth.” He intends to work to “keep taxes low” and ensure Macon County is “business friendly.”

“Good jobs in Macon County are getting tougher for people to find today and citizens deserve better.”

Comment

Highlands district, one seat

Republican 

• Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will continue to be a great place to live and call home through low taxes, great schools, safe communities and efficient services.” He is president of Tate Landscaping Services, and has served on numerous Highlands town boards.

Democrat

• Michael David Rogers owns a landscaping business. If elected, he plans to focus on attracting business to the area, as well as environmental issues. “I love the mountains and the water and I just don’t like seeing it be trashed out and destroyed.” 

Franklin district, two seats

Republican

• Ron Haven, a motel and inn owner and sitting commissioner, said he intends to “keep taxes low” and work to improve the community for future generations. “I’ve got an interest in watching my children grow up and have opportunities in life.”

• Gary Shields, a retired educator and Vietnam veteran, said he feels a sense of  “civic responsibility” to his home. “I care, I care about Macon County. If you’ve got the time, the energy and the want-to, you need to be involved.”

Democrat

• Ronnie Beale is a two-term commissioner who previously served as chairman, and is a leader in the NC Association of County Commissioners. He is president of a construction company and previously served on the planning board.

Libertarian

• John Martin is a “semi-retired entrepreneur” who has worked in the insurance and real estate fields. He wants to “facilitate a better tomorrow” through “long-term sustainable growth.” He intends to work to “keep taxes low” and ensure Macon County is “business friendly.”

“Good jobs in Macon County are getting tougher for people to find today and citizens deserve better.”

Comment

Commissioner Democratic candidates

• David Monteith is the longest serving county commissioner with 16 years on the board. Retired Ingle’s market manager and a school bus driver.

• Steve Moon has served for 8 years and is on the board and owns a tire and service shop.

• Ben Bushyhead, a retired department director in Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians government. He narrowly lost in the 2006 election for the county board but won this year.

• Danny Burns, a Pepsi Cola technician, ran as a challenger in the May primary and sailed to victory.

 

Commissioner Republican candidates

• Carolyn Bair, retired grocery store cashier and fast-food worker.

• Lance Grant II

Comment

The Bethel Rural Community Organization was recognized with the Mountain Heritage award at the recent Mountain Heritage Day festival held at Western Carolina University.

The Bethel Rural Community Organization, a nonprofit created “to enhance the quality of rural life in the Bethel Community of Haywood County,” was recognized for fulfilling that mission with farmland and historic preservation initiatives. Producing and offering books, CDs and DVDs — as well as selling art prints of historic sites — the group collects and documents the area’s history. 

“We’re very honored that the work we do is recognized,” said Ted Carr of the organization. “Our goal has been recording and preserving history so that our heritage can be shared in the future and told by those who know the stories best.”

Comment

out lakeloganA paddle tour of Lake Logan in Haywood County will be held on Sunday, Oct. 19, with Haywood Waterways Association, Lake Logan Episcopal Conference Center and Waynesville Recreation Center.

Comment

out cyclistA workshop and strategy session on making Haywood County a premier road biking destination will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, in Waynesville.

Comment

out eaststreetAn effort to breathe new life into a neglected Waynesville park will be the focus of the next Trout Unlimited Cataloochee meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Waynesville Inn. 

Comment

out newsuperGreat Smoky Mountains National Parkhas a new acting superintendent following Dale Ditmanson retired as superintendent in January after nearly 10 years of service, and his replacement’s departure more recently. 

Comment

out farmgrantsWestern North Carolina farmers can apply for farm diversification grants over the next two years totaling $340,000.

Comment

To the Editor:

This is my first written word, publicly in 20 years. I pray that it be as in the will of the Father in that I commit this time, for I feel from the depths of my heart that protecting the poor innocent people with property left in the Smokies and this paradise of creation the Father blessed our Native Americans with. As a Marine I was ready, willing and quite capable of fighting to the death to defend my home and my neighbors. That feeling of protecting and serving should never leave a man who has ever served America.

So it is today with the men and women who commit to defend our civil laws, I look at this solidarity with the spirit of protecting those who need protecting the most. I say we are shepherds protecting the sheep. It is with that purpose of thought that I commit myself and the ancient church to defend Western North Carolina, especially. For it has been my home for some time. Yes, as that Marine of Marines to defend my paradise, to await the return, yes, defend the land and the people from the fracker people. Their greed will poison and destroy even to put innocent poorer people in their graves. These fracker kinds of people have a very, very dark but clear record in many other states today.

It is in this regard I would truly thank our county manager and staff, our county commissioners, our Bryson City mayor and his town council. I would also thank all the organizations that swiftly mobilized as a fighting force of purpose, to defend WNC. This defense to me personally is as r­eal as any terrorist threat from anywhere else in the world. I think I have said enough for now. Thank all you again. The men and women of Swain County, Bryson City and the Nation of Cherokee who have committed to protect and serve.

I pray that each and every one of us, as with one spirit would pledge to vote for men and women who will fight the fracker or anyone else who would invade and destroy even one of our citizens, or his land in WNC. Swain County, you are the first to make a unified stand. Thank you from the depths of my heart.

Raymond Judson McGill

Bryson City

Comment

To the Editor:

Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, has been running ads that say N.C. citizens are paying more for health insurance because U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan supported the Affordable Care Act. In fact, you can thank Tillis  and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for increasing your health care premiums by $1,000 every year. They were both key figures in blocking the expansion of Medicaid in our state for 500,000 citizens that would have quality health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, but now have no insurance at all.

Hospitals and other caregivers still have to provide these people with the care they need even if they can’t afford to pay for it and have no insurance. In order to stay in business our hospitals have to cost shift this uncompensated care to those with private health insurance. This cost-shifting results in an average premium increase of $1,000 per year for every person in North Carolina with private insurance. 

Tillis and Davis are also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of our low-income friends and neighbors because of this lack of quality health care. Are Tillis and Davis really the kind of representative you want?

Ed Morris, MD

Franklin

Comment

To the Editor:

Becky Johnson’s report on the Canton and paper mill landfills gives me a much-needed better understanding of the massive mounds that have been accumulating beside I-40 I’ve been passing by over the years. While I knew that these landfills were predominately being developed from wastes of the paper mill, I did not have any knowledge of how hydrology from these landfills would be affecting neighbors’ well water nor the river from outflows.

Certainly the hydrologic contamination patterns must be interrupted as we are accumulating massive amounts of coal ash. Moving accumulated elements from coal beds in Kentucky or elsewhere and concentrating them in coal ash as waste byproducts does not address how the hydrology in our local environment will be affecting us. Unlike the coal ash ponds near the generating plants, drying coal ash dumps must be a better way, as the Evergreen Packaging plant is currently doing. The next question to ask is how are the pollutants from the landfill operations for the wastewater treatment plant finally dealt with? 

Air pollution and water pollution are linked also. When I was a child, little was known about managing pollutants from Canton’s paper mill and Enka’s rayon plant. There were occasional days that the odors from one or both those plants drifted through the morning air to our farm in the Fruitland Community east of Hendersonville. Those air pollutants were being dealt with much better in recent years and somewhere those air pollutants had to either be decomposed or dispersed in other ways, meaning some may have made its way into water. This was followed by procedures to clear up water hydrology and this has been a significant advancement in the past couple of decades. It is good to have a local agent, Marc Pruett, and state agent, David Ramey, oversee these operations.

Keeping our mountain air and water fresh and clean is always a primary need for all those living or visiting here.

Dan Pittillo

Sylva

Comment

To the Editor:

I am a retired classroom teacher and worked in Haywood County Schools for 37 years. During the past two years I have been disappointed and concerned over the decisions that have been made by the Republican-led legislature and governor that directly affect the lives of the citizens of North Carolina. 

A lot of valuable time has been spent at the taxpayers’ expense, especially in the area of education. I am pleased that teachers received a raise, but this turned out to be very misleading. Only beginning teachers received a significant amount. Many veteran teachers received less than 1 percent, and many didn’t receive any raise at all. We need to retain all teachers, and there isn’t any substitute for experience. Teachers have lost tenure and longevity pay, and those who are working toward advanced degrees don’t have any assurance that they will receive extra money for having obtained their degree.

Thousands of teacher assistant positions have been eliminated and teachers have to cope with more students in their classes, inadequate supplies, outdated textbooks and not enough books for all students to have a copy to take home.

Once an educator, always an educator, and I think Jane Hipps is the candidate that can help put North Carolina Public Schools back on track. I have known Jane since she came to Haywood County. She spent more than 30 years working in the county school system. She understands what educators need in order to bring North Carolina schools into the future. Jane also has a degree in nursing earned after retiring from Haywood County Schools. She will work to secure healthcare for all citizens, jobs for those who need them, and try to help people in all areas of life.

Sen. Jim Davis seems to think that teachers should be able to manage a classroom with more students, less materials, less pay, and without teacher assistants. His wife taught in California in the 1980s and she didn’t have teacher assistants, so evidently he doesn’t think they are needed. Sen. Davis can’t understand what teachers are fussing and griping about. After all, they got a raise.

Sen. Davis also thinks that public libraries aren’t important, and that they are becoming obsolete. If he wants a book, he just goes to a bookstore and buys it.  This isn’t a solution for the majority of North Carolina citizens. I am a member of the Haywood County Friends of the Library Book Sale Committee, and we work from September to July to hold an annual book sale. We made over $30,000 this past July to benefit the library. The books were priced so that everyone could afford them.  Hundreds of people took advantage of this opportunity to have books to read.

It seems that the Republican-led Legislature and governor didn’t have any clear vision or agenda for the laws that were passed. Every decision that was made at the state level was intended to suppress our values and freedoms. They have allowed doubts, fears, and paranoia to guide their decisions. Don’t ever underestimate revenge. It is a very powerful motive.

Gail Leatherwood

Lake Junaluska

Comment

To the Editor:

There has been a lot of discussion regarding environmental impacts of fracking, yet two areas have not been discussed much. One is the social impacts that hundreds of transient workers bring, and the other is property rights issues. I want to speak on the latter. 

The state geographic regions targeted for fracking are in areas owned and occupied by farmers and rural landowners. These folks tend to be the most uninformed about fracking due to the lack of accurate information available to them, yet they are the ones that will be most negatively impacted by fracking.

In Lee, Chatham and Moore counties, there are more than 2,000 farms that involve over 220,000 acres of farmland. There are documented cases in other states of farmers being negatively impacted by fracking to the point that it is severely affecting their livelihood. On Friday, Sept. 12, several individuals from other states spoke at the MEC hearing who were firsthand witnesses to the horrors of wastewater spills, deliberate spraying of toxic wastewater on back roads, failing cement well casings and negligent drilling companies who have no regard for people living next to these wells. We heard about cows dying by the hundreds from what can only be determined by vets as arsenic poisoning, calves being stillborn or with blue or white eyes; another indication of poisoning. The stories go on and on regarding poisoned dogs, cats, chicken, livestock and horses. While it is sad when a family loses a pet, it can be financially devastating when a farmer loses numerous animals that he depends on for his subsistence. 

In North Carolina there’s a 1940s policy called Compulsory Pooling. It was originally designed to prevent a landowner’s minerals or resources being depleted by a neighbor’s well. This policy is now being used in the fracking industry to force landowners who do not sign drilling leases to be pulled into a property group of landowners who have signed drilling leases. An oil company is required to have a certain amount of acreage in order to place a well pad. Forced pooling is a method of pulling in non-consenting property owners and basically forcing them to lease their land. Most landowners don’t consult with an attorney before signing land leases to oil companies. 

Folks in Western North Carolina have a long-standing adverse history with the government concerning land rights. Mountain people have long memories regarding situations where they feel the government “cheated” them. Any local can regale you with their version of the TVA dam, the Road to Nowhere or the Trail of Tears, complete with a personal family history attached to these events. Emotions run deep when you mention forcibly separating a property owner without their consent.

With the passing of Bill 286, the government has given oil companies permission to do just that. I’m unsure Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, knew what he was doing when he co-sponsored the fracking bill. Based on his waffling in the past couple of months, I’m not sure he does either. Either way, it’s obvious he’s not in touch with the people WNC. The ones I know are a proud, resilient, hardworking breed who don’t take kindly to strangers coming in and telling them what they can do with their land. It’s time we stick together. Demand the moratorium reinstatement.

Susan Leading Fox 

Bryson City

Comment

To the Editor:

Our country is in a heap of trouble. Ebola has now been introduced into the United States. In the Mideast ISIS is running rampant killing and beheading while announcing they intend to bring their fight to the United States. Our borders are open, allowing anyone to slip in and move about the country freely. What a mess!

Leadership from the top level of government is grossly lacking. And yes, that means leadership from the President of the United States. He does not take the advice of his military experts who have laid out the plan needed to defeat ISIS. Instead we are dilly-dallying with ineffective bombing and still talking about what to do next. 

He refuses to command our borders be closed and to co-operate with the states that are trying to do that on their own. He has sent troops to West Africa to fight the Ebola virus and in the meantime the virus is here in the United States. Every day he blames others for the lack of solutions to these very serious problems.

The main role of the U.S. government is to protect our citizens. Recently because the White House protection by the Secret Service was breached, the head of the Secret Service resigned and security there has been tightened.   There is continual talk about protecting our troops and keeping them out of harm’s way. There certainly is nothing wrong with those goals, but what about us … the American people? We are vulnerable and in grave danger. 

Barak Obama is not doing the job to protect us and neither are Democrats in Congress who go right along with him. Our Sen. Kay Hagan has supported Obama 96 percent of the time. I doubt she will change that record if re-elected. So unless Hagan and other Democrats are sent home, there is no hope of increased protection for us there.

I am increasingly concerned and truly afraid for our country, my family and all of us. As a country we seem to be befuddled and are being run by incompetents. This condition must change, and we have a chance to do it with our vote in this midterm election.

Carol Adams

Glenville

Comment

To the Editor:

The dictionary definition of “conservative” is, “Holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation.” How does that definition square with today’s elected Republican actions and agenda?

By definition you would think Republicans would want lower taxes for as many people as possible. That is a very traditional value. Yet unless you make more than about $90,000 a year, your overall taxes went up. A conservative businessman, when facing hard times, would cut his expenses and do everything possible to increase his income. Yet the “conservative” N.C. legislature cut the state’s income by giving the largest tax breaks in state history to the wealthiest 1 percent of our citizens. The state is now facing a very serious deficit. This will have to be made up either by additional cuts to education and Medicaid or by increased taxes on the poor and middle class and more increased fees for every possible service.

There can be no more traditional values than good schools. Over the last 50 years there has been a bipartisan effort in the N.C. Legislature to create one of the best school systems in the South. That is, until now. Recently, a national rating company listed N.C. as the worst state for a person considering a career in teaching. This ranking did not take into consideration the 5 percent pay raise given to new teachers which, incidentally, was paid for by cutting other portions of the education budget. Career teachers got next to nothing.

What could be a more traditional value than protecting the very land and water that make this state such a special place to live? Yet the response by the N.C. legislature to coal ash spills by Duke Energy, the reversal of almost all environmental laws and the approval of fracking seem to be the very opposite of traditional values. In every case, the beneficiaries of these changes are large out-of-state corporations, not the citizens of North Carolina.

Conservatism values the individual. Every individual should count. Yet the state legislature recently passed the most draconian voter suppression law in the country. A federal judge, while ruling on this law, asked the attorney representing the state, “Why does the state of North Carolina not want people to vote?” Of course the answer is, “voter fraud.” The number of actual voting fraud cases in the state, however, can be counted one hand. This is simply a naked attempt to suppress minorities, elderly, youth and poor from voting. Maybe that is a Republican value. But it is not a conservative value.

If you call yourself a conservative, think about what that means. Look around and see who represents those values you hold so dear.

Louis Vitale

Franklin

Comment

Smokey Mountain News Logo
SUPPORT THE SMOKY MOUNTAIN NEWS AND
INDEPENDENT, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM
Go to top
Payment Information

/

At our inception 20 years ago, we chose to be different. Unlike other news organizations, we made the decision to provide in-depth, regional reporting free to anyone who wanted access to it. We don’t plan to change that model. Support from our readers will help us maintain and strengthen the editorial independence that is crucial to our mission to help make Western North Carolina a better place to call home. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News.

The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. If you have a question about contributing to SMN, please contact us.