Haywood County will have a new sheriff for the second time this decade.
Mark Mease, a Republican, and Tyler Howell, a Democrat, are Haywood County natives whose families go back generations in Western North Carolina. Both men have also worked full-time law enforcement jobs while campaigning. Perhaps the most striking similarity is that both prefer to shun the political angling required during a campaign — at least during the General Election — saying they would prefer if the office of sheriff wasn’t even partisan.
The candidates, who’ve pledged to each other and voters to refrain from mudslinging during the General Election campaign, are instead trying to run on their merits and ideas. The winner will replace current Sheriff Bill Wilke.
Here’s a look at what they said during their interviews with The Smoky Mountain News.
