Clyde challenger, incumbent take alderman seats
Clyde’s recovery from back-to-back floods continues to shape its plans for growth, resilience and long-term stability.
File photo
Clyde voters confronted familiar questions this election — how to rebuild after disaster, how to manage growth without losing the town’s identity and how to plan for a future defined by both opportunity and risk. Four candidates competed for two seats on the Board of Aldermen, offering different ideas but sharing a commitment to long-term resilience.
The small Haywood County town remains scarred by Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Fred, which exposed infrastructure weaknesses and forced leaders to rethink floodplain development.
Incumbents Frank Lay and Diane Fore emphasized continuity, pointing to years of work on water and sewer repairs, facility relocation and law enforcement reforms.
Challengers Cory Nuckolls, a hospitality executive advocating strategic growth, interlocal cooperation and financial preparedness, and Kathy Johnson, a retired bank manager promoting fiscal responsibility, small-business renewal and flood resilience, both called for broader economic planning and tighter financial management.
In the end, Nuckols eearned a seat with 57 votes, but Johnson fell short with 48, just behind longtime incumbent Diane Fore. Another longtime incumbent, attorney Frank lay, led all candidates with 78.
Nuckolls and Johnson both ran in 2023, losing to Amy Russell and incumbent Dann Jesse. Russell and Jesse earned 82 and 81 votes respectively, while Johnson counted 47 and Nuckolls 21 that year.
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Each candidate approached recovery as a chance to improve rather than simply restore what had been. Lay described rebuilding as an opportunity to relocate public assets out of harm’s way, while Fore said careful planning must account for both fiscal limits and public expectations.
Nuckolls focused on sustainable growth and emergency preparedness, arguing for a financial “nest egg” to help bridge the gap between disasters and federal aid. Johnson urged creative partnerships to attract new business and housing on higher ground.
The race unfolded as Clyde weighed how to protect its water system, strengthen its budget and turn the Pigeon River from a source of damage into an economic asset.
Results are considered unofficial until county boards of elections certify them on Nov. 14, 2025.
