Four candidates vie for two seats on Swain Commission
There are two seats open on the Swain County Board of Commissioners this year, and voters will see four candidates on the ballot. However, in a slightly unusual turn, two of those candidates are unaffiliated.
The unaffiliated candidates are current Bryson City Mayor Pro Tem and local business owner Ben King and Bobby Jenkins, who worked in the county building department for 13 years. King and Jenkins are running against incumbent Republican Kenneth Parton and newcomer Tanner Lawson, also a Republican.
Parton did not return phone calls requesting an interview.
To appear on the ballot, King and Jenkins had to amass the signatures of 390 registered Swain County voters. Both men said it wasn’t too difficult to collect the signatures since they had volunteers helping them out. Jenkins used to be registered as a Democrat but said he feels like the party left him behind.
“I’d probably register as a Republican at this point if I had to pick one,” he said.
King has always been unaffiliated.
Related Items
All aboard 'The Polar Express'
GOP’s rationale for power grab just doesn’t wash
New Century Scholars inducted at SCC
Americana, folk at Mountain Layers
“There’s a balance to government, and I’m not sure that going all in for one side or the other is the best approach, especially at local level,” he said.
Being unaffiliated hasn’t been an issue for King thus far in his young political career since Bryson City’s town board isn’t elected on a partisan basis.
“I sort of wish the county was that way,” King said.
King noted that his experience serving in municipal government gives him a leg up when it comes to county government.
“It’s given me good perspective on what’s needed at the county level, and I’d say the same thing about my business experience,” he said.
Likewise, Jenkins thinks his experience working for the county has given him an inside look at the way things operate.
“I think that I can be of some help to the county,” Jenkins said. “I do know how the county operates, and I will look for any areas where we can trim.”
This is Lawson’s first time running for elected office. In the Republican primary, he was the highest vote-getter with 793, for 37.11%, while Parton finished with 736, 34.44%. Lawson, a youth pastor, said he’s enjoyed the campaign process since it’s given him a chance to connect with his community in a different way. He said one of his first priorities as commissioner would be to hire a new county manager.
While he said interim county manager Lottie Barker has done a great job, it’s time to get someone permanent.
“Whether we just hire [Barker] or we seek somebody else, we need to have that position filled,” he said.
It seems likely that a property tax increase may be on the horizon for Swain County, considering it has spent hundreds of thousands on its schools and it’s looking to increase the number of paid firefighters. Lawson admitted that he still has more to learn when it comes to the budget process but that he’s been reviewing the current budget and asking questions as he goes along.
“I would never say I want to raise taxes, and I’d like to say there’s some money we can find, but we don’t know until after the election and get working on the budget,” he said.
Jenkins said that raising taxes should be a last resort but that it wouldn’t be off the table for him.
“I don’t like paying them more than anyone else,” he said. “But if it came down to cutting services or raising taxes, I’d say raise taxes. If your house catches on fire, you want to see a big red truck rolling up. That’s the bottom line of it.”
King didn’t mince words when saying he thinks the county government overall is severely underfunded and that all revenue sources should be evaluated.
“Our current services and current employees are showing that they’re concerned about their level of pay and the fact that our lack of pay has led to a significant amounts of vacancies that are hard to fill,” King said.
“Over the past, we’ve leaned very hard in the direction of raising property values instead of taxes, which has led us to the point of super high values of property where you can’t adjust much more,” he added.
Another recent issue on the board has been an occasional inability to work together with things getting so heated between commissioners during a meeting earlier this year that a sheriff’s deputy had to intervene. All three candidates were clear that they would work productively with others on any issue, regardless of differences.
“Not taking it personal is step one,” King said. “We need to be able to shake hands and walk away from the table.”
“It should never come to blows,” Lawson said. “We should always think about what we say or do before we say or do it. You should be level-headed enough to say, ‘I disagree with you, but I won’t go any further than this.’”
“It can’t be my way or the highway,” Jenkins said. “There has to be some compromise in order to get things accomplished. I think I can disagree and shake hands and go on down the road.”
For their final pitches, all three encouraged voters to think about what they want for Swain County’s future. Lawson simply encouraged people to get out and make their voices heard at the ballot box.
“Go do your civic duty,” he said.
Jenkins wanted to remind people who he is.
“If they don’t like the truth they don’t need to talk to me,” he said. “If I do get elected, I will do my best for the citizens of the county and what would be the best interest of the county.”
King noted that this election is about the direction of Swain County in the coming years, during what may be a crucial stretch with numerous important decisions, including that potential property tax hike.
“I think this is a great election for this county to look at the future and determine what kind of county we’ll be and what kind of decisions we’ll make for those who live here and those who have businesses here,” he said.
