Landscape shifts early in the game in Waynesville’s mayor race
A candidate for mayor in Waynesville is dropping out of the race, although his name will still be on the ballot.
Lynn Bradley, a Waynesville business owner, said he wants to throw his support behind another candidate, Jonnie Curé, in her bid to oust sitting Mayor Gavin Brown.
“I am going to come out in support of her. If we fight against each other and Gavin gets back in, we are still at where we are at,” Bradley said.
Bradley said he stepped up to run because he felt like “somebody needed to do it.”
But a few days after Bradley signed up to run, Curé also signed up to run. Bradley then tried to get his name taken off the ballot, but it was too late under state election statutes.
So instead, he hopes to spread the word to voters not to vote for him come Election Day, but to vote for Curé.
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“I don’t want to burn up votes,” Bradley said. “She has got the time and she has done more homework than I have. I think it is great to let her do it.”
Curé said she welcomes the support. She said she didn’t know Bradley would drop out if she ran.
“I did not talk with him about running or not running. That is a very personal decision,” Curé said.
When asked whether she and Bradley would have taken votes away from each other had they both run active campaigns, Curé said that’s a moot point now.
“It would be hard to predict how the chips would fall. It is not a necessary subject, because you erase the board and rewrite the game plan,” Curé said.
Meanwhile, Brown said the election dynamic hasn’t changed all that much for him — regardless of whether he’s running against just Curé, just Bradley or both of them, since they apparently share a platform.
“I am running for my vision of the future for Waynesville,” Brown said. “It is clear we are diametrically opposed in our visions for the future of Waynesville.”
Bradley agreed his views are in line with Curé’s: lower taxes, less regulation and more free enterprise to grow the town’s business and industry economy.
“The budget of Waynesville needs to be streamlined. Everybody has a budget except for governments and towns,” Bradley said.
Curé said that it appears she and Bradley do share similar platforms, but will have to get together and compare notes with him.
“That will fall into play as we move forward,” Curé said. “I look forward to a closer association with Lynn Bradley for sure.”
Brown questioned whether Bradley or Curé would be up to the job of mayor for a town of Waynesville’s size.
“I have seen nothing in Mr. Bradley’s past or Mrs. Curé’s past that indicate they have a modicum of knowledge about he workings of the town of Waynesville,” Brown said. “It takes a certain amount of expertise to do a good job — and that’s the operative word, a good job.”
Brown believes Waynesville is on the right track, and is running on his record of progress.
Bradley disagreed that Waynesville is on the right track or has seen progress.
“Sylva is leaving us in the wake. They are doing leaps and bounds over Waynesville,” Bradley said.
Brown begged to differ.
“His assessment that Sylva is leaving us in their wake, he must be riding in a canoe,” Brown said.
