Sylva selects new commissioner
During its March 27 meeting, the Sylva Board of Commissioners voted to appoint Joseph Waldrun to fill the seat left vacant by Commissioner Mark Jones in February.
The town received four applications for the position. The candidate had to be selected by a majority of votes, with each of the four commissioners able to cast a vote, but not the mayor.
All four commissioners cast their vote for Waldrun, who will be sworn in at the April 10 meeting of the Town of Sylva. Waldrun will serve on the board until the November election.
“To the other applicants, I’ll say we have some other positions with the town and I’m very encouraged that we had four applications, and I hope the ones that weren’t selected will be interested in maybe serving on the planning board or something else,” said Mayor Johnny Phillips. “We do have a current vacancy on the planning board. I hope you express interest in one of those. Thank you for your time and effort.”
Commissioner Mark Jones resigned from the board through a letter during the Feb. 13 meeting, citing health concerns.
“Dear Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners and residents, it is with a heavy heart that I’m resigning from the Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners effective today, Feb. 13,” he said in the letter. “In the last month, I’ve had major medical issues that are forcing me to resign, I need to focus on my health and family, and I cannot give this position the full attention that I feel like the town needs.”
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Jones was elected to the board in 2023, the same election that saw Mayor Johnny Phillips and Blitz Estridge join the board. Jones is a lifelong resident of Sylva, working 30 years as a sales manager at a local business.
This was the third board vacancy Sylva has experienced outside of normal elections since 2023 when Mayor Linda Sossamon resigned in February of that year. At that time, Commissioner David Nestler was appointed by the board to serve as mayor and Brad Waldrop was selected from a pool of applicants to serve as the newest commissioners. Waldrop went on to win the most votes of any candidate in the 2023 municipal elections.
Just over a year later, in April 2024, Commissioner Natalie Newman resigned from her position on Sylva’s town board. The town selected Jonathan Brown to fill the vacant seat.
