Canton voters weigh recovery and renewal
Canton’s recovery from disaster and loss continues to shape the town’s politics, as voters choose leaders to guide the next chapter.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Canton’s election carried the weight of four turbulent years — a pandemic, a devastating flood, the closure of its largest employer and Hurricane Helene’s destruction.
Four candidates sought two board seats, each offering a vision for how the hard-hit town can recover, rebuild and regain financial stability without losing its resilience or identity. Incumbents Kristina Proctor and Tim Shepard leaned on experience earned through years of crisis management. Both pointed to progress on wastewater planning, infrastructure repairs and disaster recovery as proof that steady leadership matters.
Challengers Adam Hatton, a business owner and volunteer firefighter advocating faster response to emergencies and stronger local action, and Neal Swanger, an Army veteran and former police officer prioritizing infrastructure oversight and fiscal prudence, argued that new voices could speed up decision-making and push for better communications, broader grant pursuit and renewed urgency in dealing with federal bureaucracy.
Voters rewarded Proctor and Shepard for their service with convincing margins. Shepard led with 282 votes, trailed closely by Proctor with 276. Hatton finished third at 185, with Swanger's total at 131.
The future of the wastewater treatment plant dominated the campaign. With the old facility still located on the former mill site, candidates agreed that a modern replacement is critical to economic redevelopment. Proctor and Shepard linked that work to long-term sustainability, while Hatton and Swanger emphasized cost control and accountability.
Flood recovery, road maintenance and fiscal discipline were other recurring themes. Canton’s board has relied heavily on grants and delayed reimbursements from FEMA, forcing leaders to balance the budget carefully while keeping taxes level. Candidates disagreed on whether to keep the vehicle registration fee used to fund paving but shared a common desire to make every dollar visible in the town’s recovery.
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Mayor Zeb Smathers has never faced an opponent and won a third term with 364 votes. In 2021, Smathers earned 157 votes, with 19 write-ins, but in 2017 — his first race for mayor — he counted 294 votes against 78 write-ins, most going to then-Mayor Mike Ray, who decided not to run for reelection against Smathers.
This time, there were 52 write-in votes.
Proctor — then known as Kristina Smith — led the ticket in 2017 with 270 votes. She was joined on the board by James Markey, who later resigned after moving outside town limits. Shepard subsequently won the open seat, earning 137 votes in 2021 and trailed closely by Proctor with 126. Challenger Matt Langston finished a distant third with 49.
In 2023, Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull and incumbent Alderman Ralph Hamlett cruised to victory over Hatton, earning 249 votes and 219 votes, respectively, versus Hatton’s 150.
The next board will oversee some of the most consequential projects in Canton’s history — rebuilding critical infrastructure, restoring tax revenue from the mill site and ensuring that lessons learned from years of disaster become the foundation for a more resilient future.
Results are considered unofficial until county boards of elections certify them on Nov. 14, 2025.
