Three candidates — incumbents Tim Hines and Ben King, and newcomer W. Kent Maxey — are vying for two open seats on the Bryson City Board of Aldermen.  

Though aldermen serve four-year terms with odd-year staggered elections, Hines has only held the position since his appointment in April 2023 following Steve Augustine’s resignation. Nonetheless, Hines, who also works as a manager at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, said he’s learned a lot about the nuanced nature of town issues throughout his time in office.  

To the Editor:

The tariff disaster is the last of three major events that demonstrate that the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress are incompetent to govern the country. The deportation debacle was the first and the so called cost-cutting fiasco is the second.