When Haywood County Democrats go to the polls on May 6, they’ll have plenty of choices. Six Democrats, including the two incumbents, are seeking the two available seats.

The top two vote-getters will face off in the November general election against the two Repubicans, one of which is former commissioner Kevin Ensley.

Candidate Cecil Patton did not return phone calls for this article.

Larry Ammons, 64

Retired bank executive, veteran

Political experience: one term as county commissioner, chairman for one and a half years

Ammons wants to continue being part of setting the course for the county’s future in the wake of unprecedented growth. “Whether it’s the landfill or the necessity of more room for the election process and DSS, all of those things are connected to an increase in population,” he says.

Accomplishments: “This four years is more like a body of work than any one thing that we’ve done. We’ve had planning, goal setting and accomplishment each year on the board,” Ammons says. That aside, he lists some of the most notable accomplishments of his term as the smooth way the board handled the Council on Aging problems, renovation of the historic courthouse, completion of the Haywood County justice center and the construction of Bethel Elementary School, and the county’s handling of the floods in 2004.

HRMC: Ammons is more hesitant than other candidates in expressing his views about the hospital crisis. Though he doesn’t object to having a county commissioner sit on the hospital board, he says that “county commissioners have an awful lot of jobs already, and don’t necessarily have the skill set they need for that.” Ammons also doesn’t support throwing out the current hospital board. He’d like to see what options are brought to the table before deciding his views on a merger or partnership for the hospital. In general, Ammons says commissioners couldn’t necessarily have done more to prevent the hospital crisis. “In terms of handling it differently, if the hospital board didn’t know, then we certainly didn’t know. I think the communication breakdown between the CEO and board members impacted them as well as impacting us and our ability to intervene in any effective way,” he says.

HCC: Funding the community college is a top priority for Ammons in seeking another term. Along with all current commissioners, he supported the quarter cent sales tax. “Providing funding is a matter of tradeoffs all the time, and we’re trying to do this through a way that’s as painless to the citizenry as possible, but create a stream of income to modernize the college. We’ve got to get them updated,” he says. Ammons would not promise he would not raise taxes if the sales tax referendum failed, instead saying every situation needs to be evaluated.

Why voters should choose Ammons: “The voters have had an opportunity to see how I serve with a business background in government, and if they like that, I’m willing to serve some more, and if they don’t, they can fire me. That’s a great system and it works in this country,” he says.

Kyle Edwards, 68

Owner, The Stomping Ground

Political experience: Maggie Valley alderman for 21 years

Edwards is the only county commissioner candidate from Maggie Valley. He initially entered the race because of his opposition to increased tipping fees at the county landfill, something he said officials promised wouldn’t happen when the new landfill was put in. Like other candidates, Edwards is against increasing property taxes, saying it would be burden on elderly residents and young families. Edwards supports less government intervention. “I think everything could be managed a little better,” he says. “We need to start working toward getting more industry in the county, and I believe in protecting the ones we have.”

HRMC: “Somebody was asleep at the wheel on this problem,” says Edwards. “If it’s in that bad of shape and nobody caught it, somebody wasn’t doing their job.” However, Edwards cautions the county against micromanaging the hospital board in the name of oversight. He’d like the hospital to stay an independent county hospital for now, but if that doesn’t work out, he’d consider another route.

HCC: Edwards supports the quarter cent sales tax to fund the community college. He says he’s for the college and the tax even though he’s against tax increases in general. He did say he would like to look into how the county is using the funds it already receives for the college and make sure that money is being spent wisely.

Why voters should choose Edwards: He wants to provide better management in Haywood County and ensure taxpayer dollars aren’t wasted.

Mary Ann Enloe, 67

Retired Dayco Purchasing Agent

Political experience: Incumbent, 2 terms as county commissioner, mayor of Hazelwood 15 years

Enloe is in her third term as commissioner, and says she’s running again because she loves dealing one on one with her constituents and knows how to navigate the system to benefit them. She’s also a big proponent of open government. Says Enloe: “My two deepest passions are accessibility for the people and a clean and open government.”

Accomplishments: Pushing for videotaped commissioner meetings; restoration of historic courthouse into a viable office building; bicentennial celebrations. “The history of Haywood County is extremely important to me. We have to know where we came from,” she says.

HRMC: Says commissioners could have done little to prevent the situation at the hospital from happening, but that they have worked to provide more oversight since the crisis broke. Commissioners have demanded the hospital come forward with weekly updates and attend county meetings, “Something that we did not have the authority to demand, but we did it because it had to be done,” Enlose says.

She says a commissioner needs to sit on the hospital board, as they do with many other boards, like DSS and the Health Department. “If we sit on the boards, then we know what they do and we can ask the tough questions,” says Enloe. Enloe says the current hospital board needs more training, which she intends to make sure they get. “The hospital crisis has made us understand that we need to provide some training resources for these board members. That’s the county’s responsibility. We see that now. This has been a wake-up call and we’re going to see better-trained boards. We’re going to see more business conducted in the sunshine.” This includes the hospital board not going into so many closed sessions, says Enloe: “That’s just not necessary and it’s not in the best interest of the public.”

HCC: Enloe is on the board of commissioners that unanimously voted to approve the quarter cent sales tax for the community college. If the referendum fails, Enloe says finding funding for the college will still be a top priority. “We’re ahead of the curve on our public schools, and I’m very proud of that. As far as education goes, we can turn our priority to the community college — they’ve stood in line long enough.” She vows she will never vote to raise property taxes to fund anything, however.

Why voters should choose Enloe: “I have the accumulated local experience, and there is validity in having a woman’s viewpoint. In 200 years, only two women have been elected county commissioner, and I’m one of them.”

Kenneth Hollifield, 55

Truck Driver

Political experience: none

Hollifield first decided to run because of his concern over the handling of the hospital. A major part of his platform is removing the current members of the hospital board. “I don’t believe they should wait until their term expires — I think they should go,” he says. Hollifield is also worried about how the county is spending taxpayer dollars. He points to the $5,000 bust of Sheriff Tom Alexander being commissioned by the county and the purchase of 22 acres for a recreation site in Jonathan Creek as wasteful spending. “Just because I’m a commissioner, that’s not going to give me the right to approve everything that comes up,” he says.

HRMC: Hollifield wants the current board of hospital commissioners thrown out. He’d like the county to take over the hospital and have some authority in the hiring process of a new CEO. He says a county commissioner should be appointed to the hospital board and attend every meeting. The board itself should undergo a selection process that doesn’t focus on the “good old boy syndrome,” where only certain well-known applicants really have a shot at getting on the board. “Let’s put in there somebody that’s qualified, that you’ve got a lot of faith in and that’s not afraid to say no,” he says. Hollified says the selection process for the new CEO should be open, and that the job should go to someone already in Haywood County. He also says the hospital should stay an independent county hospital unless it is evident HRMC isn’t capable of running on its own.

HCC: Hollified wants to make sure the college has already applied for and received necessary benefits and aid from the state, and only then should the county OK a quarter cent sales tax. He won’t raise property taxes to pay for the college. “I think people have been taxed enough on their property and shouldn’t be taxed anymore,” he says. Instead, he would look into bonds, federal assistance and “other means of being able to rebuild or remodel,” the school.

Why voters should choose Hollifield: “I don’t know about a lot of things that are going on, but I will learn what’s going on. My main concern is, let’s grab ahold of the county, take back over it and see that they run it the way it should be run,” he says.

Mark Swanger, 57

Retired FBI agent, veteran

Political experience: one term on county board of commissioner, school board chairman six years

Swanger, a former county commissioner chairman, was ousted from his seat in 2004 amid controversy over the firing of former county manager Jack Horton (Swanger voted to let him go). Swanger said he didn’t decide to run again until very recently, and was convinced to do so partly by the hospital crisis. “It’s probably the most critical event that has occurred in Haywood County in a generation,” he says.

Swanger is vehemently opposed to property tax increases, saying they make it difficult for the elderly on a fixed income and those living paycheck to paycheck. “I don’t want to compound the economic downturn by creating more difficult circumstances for the average working people,” he says.

Swanger is also a big proponent of open government, receiving the prestigious North Carolina Press Association’s William Lassiter Award “for his commitment to keeping the citizens of Haywood County informed about their local government.,” according to the NCPA.

He says citizens should know what the county is doing with their money. “We’ve got to do our part to make sure we’re very good steweards of that money and not make decisions today as a snapshot that will adversely affect future budget years,” he says.

HRMC: Swanger has clear opinions on what should be done in the aftermath of the hospital crisis. The hospital board’s bylaws should be totally revamped, he says, and all executive committees should be done away with. The board’s meeting should also be televised, so members of the public can see what’s going on. Thirdly, an ex-officio member of the county commissioners should sit on the hospital board, and be the commissioners’ “ears and eyes.” Swanger knows a challenge lies ahead for HRMC, starting with gaining back the public’s trust. “The long-term challenge is — will there be enough patients using the hospital to ensure its sovereigncy,” he says. That said, Swanger recommends looking at all possible options for the future direction of the hospital and evaluating them carefully. “We need to have all options available so if we get to the point that the doors are going to close and we know we can’t make it under the current structure, we have enough information to make a decision in a timely manner,” he says.

HCC: Swanger supports the quarter cent sales tax because of its small size and the fact that a significant portion of it will be paid by tourists and others who visit the county. “The county has a statutory requirement to maintain the campus, and I think this is the least painful way to make that happen,” he says. “I don’t think any board has fulfilled that obligation.”

Why voters should choose Swanger: Not afraid to voice his opinion for fear of political consequences; committed to being as open as possible when a situation involves public dollars. He’s also not a one-issue candidate, he says. “The overriding issue in the campaign may be the hospital, but candidates need to be well-rounded and make good decisions about a variety of topics.”