Attorney finds Hooper violated Jackson TDA attendance policy
Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper is taking on added responsibilities despite a poor attendance record in 2025.
Jackson County photo
Jackson County Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper made a rare appearance at a Jackson County Tourism Development Authority meeting last week — only her third of 2025 — after echoing former Chair Robert Jumper’s claims that the attendance policy didn’t apply to her. County Attorney John Kubis, however, says Jumper and Hooper are both wrong.
In October, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News revealed that Hooper, elected in 2024, hadn’t been showing up for meetings of advisory boards she’d volunteered to serve on; at the time, she’d missed seven of eight TDA meetings through August after attending only the first meeting of 2025.
The TDA’s attendance policy states that “conscientious performance of the duties required of members of the Authority shall be a prerequisite of continuing membership on the Authority” and that any member who misses more than two consecutive meetings without an excused absence or for any good cause “may be replaced at the recommendation of the Authority.”
None of Hooper’s absences were noted in meeting minutes as excused.
Subsequent reporting by SMN showed Hooper also missed the September TDA meeting, bringing her total absences to eight out of nine meetings. The TDA is the authority charged with collecting and spending the county’s room occupancy taxes each year. This year’s budget is around $3 million.
Through it all, then-Chair Robert Jumper — who also serves as editor of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ government-owned newspaper — defended Hooper, telling SMN that her participation “is appreciated,” that Hooper has “many commitments at the county level” and that the attendance policy didn’t apply to Hooper because she is a non-voting, ex-officio member.
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Jumper was repeatedly asked for documentation backing up his claim but failed to produce any and ultimately stopped responding to SMN’s requests for the basis of his assertions. Hooper has also refused to speak with SMN regarding her absences.
The TDA’s October meeting was canceled, but when Hooper showed up late for the Nov. 19 meeting — her second in 2025, out of a total of 10 — she “explained her absences from previous TDA meetings. She indicated she did not return after the first meeting because she was told she ‘didn’t have a say’ due to the TDA having its own board,” according to meeting minutes.
Jumper and TDA Executive Director Nick Breedlove apologized for the “misunderstanding” and pointed out that her commissioner updates are a standing agenda item. The meeting was also notable in that it was Jumper’s last, after years of service.
During the Dec. 17 meeting — Hooper’s third of 11 in 2025 — new board members heard new Chair Dale Collins address the issue head-on as the board approved its 2026 meeting dates.
“In reference to attendance that’s come up recently, as I mentioned in previous emails we’re working with our attorneys on guidance and how this policy applies, and it is going to apply to all board members, both voting and non-voting, or ex-officio,” Collins said, directly refuting Jumper’s and Hooper’s claims. “The key here everyone is to please communicate. If you can’t be here — we essentially have an excused and unexcused policy here.”
Jumper responded to a Dec. 18 email from SMN about the attorney’s opinion by reemphasizing that he is no longer affiliated with the TDA and that any questions about his prior service should be directed to the TDA.
Collins went on to explain that the bylaws clearly state that attendance is a prerequisite to service on the board and even though it is a volunteer board, he wanted to be respectful of everyone’s time.
“[Breedlove] has done a great job of setting it up to where we can attend remotely,” said Collins, who is a member of the Webster Town Council and also co-owner of Tuckaseegee Fly Shop. “I myself have attended a meeting on the back of a fishing boat off of Atlantic Beach — and did participate in that meeting. It is important work that we’re doing here, and [we] certainly appreciate everyone and their attendance.”
Breedlove then offered board members his personal cell phone number so that in the event an emergency arises — hospitalization was his example — they could qualify for an excused absence, which is not counted towards the attendance requirements stated in the policy.
Any voting member of the TDA can make a motion to remove a member for violating the attendance policy. On Dec. 12, SMN reached out to the entire TDA board seeking comment on the attendance policy. Several members referenced a policy stating that only the chair can state the official position of the board, however that board policy cannot abridge the First Amendment rights of board members to speak as individuals. No board members responded to SMN’s requests for comment.
Although Hooper is still eligible for removal per the board’s policy, Collins, the chair, told SMN Dec. 18 that the board has had conversations with Hooper about attendance. Collins called the whole thing a “misunderstanding” related to the policy.
“We’re not going to be taking questions on it, and we’re not going to be offering further comment,” Collins said. “We consider the issue addressed and we’re refocusing our full attention on the core mission to promote travel within Jackson County.”
The Jackson County TDA isn’t the only advisory board where Hooper’s attendance has been called into question. In October, SMN learned that Hooper had also missed two of five meetings of the Mountain Projects board. Mountain Projects is a longstanding nonprofit social services agency that helps some of the most vulnerable residents across several western counties.
Mountain Projects also has an attendance policy — “A member missing more than 50% of the meetings, whether excused or unexcused, per year may be asked to resign from the Board.”
At that time, freshly minted Board Chair Cris Weatherford, who also serves as the head of Jackson County’s Health and Human Services Department, told SMN that by his and his board’s reading of the policy, attendance violations are tallied at the end of the year, not on a rolling basis.
As Hooper did attend the most recent meeting of the Mountain Projects board on Dec. 12, she is now technically in compliance with the policy because she’s achieved 50% attendance this year.
On Dec. 18, Weatherford told SMN that his board has had some discussions about the attendance policy moving forward, but has taken no action on that policy.
During a Dec. 16 meeting of Jackson County commissioners, Hooper volunteered to serve on the Tuckaseegee Water and Sewer Authority board.
