2023 A Look Back: Odd Man in award
Phillip Wight.
File photo
Maggie Valley is gonna Maggie Valley.
It comes with the territory. To win a seat on that town’s board of aldermen one has to endure some contentious moments, likely over a residential development or (gasp) a park.
Alderman Phillip Wight used to be a strong ally of Mayor Mike Eveland, but over the last few years, the two men have grown apart, largely over differing views on development. The feud blossomed to the point that Rep. Mark Pless (see MICROMANAGER pg. 9) even became involved and hosted a press conference at Wight’s motel.
By the end, it seemed as though Wight’s only ally on the board when it came to development was his wife and fellow alderman, Tammy. Well, not anymore. The Wights were both up for reelection in November, and Tammy decided she’d had enough of life as a public official. Phillip, seemingly reluctant, filed to run again.
And wouldn’t ya know it — Phillip won!
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However, Eveland also won his reelection and Tim Wise, who didn’t run on the same ticket as Eveland but is clearly an ally, won the race for Tammy’s seat. This means Phillip is even more of an odd man out, or is it odd man in?
The question is, will everyone play nice?
