Three seats are up for election on the all-Republican board. Democrats could only field two candidates, librarian Carly Pugh and former longtime commissioner Michael Sorrells. Pugh and Sorrells will advance directly to the November General Election, where they’ll face the three winners who survive the six-candidate Republican Primary Election — already a contentious contest, shaped as much by expectations as exhaustion.

Accomplishments

Despite the turbulence of recent years, Haywood County has entered the current election cycle on firm financial footing — with one hurricane-sized caveat — by maintaining strong reserves, high tax collection rates and a reputation for conservative fiscal management even as pressures mounted.

The county’s most recent countywide property revaluation took effect Jan. 1, 2021. While North Carolina law requires counties to revalue real property at least once every eight years, Haywood County had adopted a four-year cycle in an effort to keep assessments closer to actual market conditions. That schedule was later disrupted as another comprehensive reappraisal originally slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2025 was postponed until Jan. 1, 2027, a decision county leaders attributed to widespread property damage from Hurricane Helene and concerns that storm-related impacts could undermine the accuracy and fairness of valuations as well as some people’s ability to pay.

Across budgets adopted from fiscal year 2021–22 through 2025–26, commissioners made relatively modest changes to tax policy while leaning heavily on modest growth in the county’s tax base. Over that span, the general fund ad valorem tax rate increased from 53.5 cents per $100 in assessed value to 55 cents, then remained flat for three years, a move that coincided with post-pandemic inflation and rising service costs.

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That tax increase — to fund enough school resource officers to ensure coverage at every Haywood County public school — was passed without opposition. The increase costs the average taxpayer about $3 a month and proves once again taxpayers don’t mind paying a little more, so long as it’s for public safety.

At the same time, each successive budget was built on higher estimated taxable valuations, climbing from roughly $9.11 billion in fiscal year 2021–22 to about $10.28 billion by FY 2025–26. Estimated collection rates consistently hovered around 98%, allowing revenues to grow without repeated rate increases.

Fiscal pressure instead migrated toward special tax districts, with incremental adjustments made to fire, road service and sanitary district rates, reflecting a broader strategy of preserving countywide stability while allowing service-specific areas, like fire districts, to respond to rising costs.

Given the tumult, it’s remarkable the current board has any accomplishments at all. The list, however, is long and spans not only fiscal stewardship but also public safety and public health, housing and hurricane recovery efforts.

Haywood County’s financial standing drew positive attention when Standard & Poor’s reaffirmed the county’s strong credit rating, reflecting sustained balanced operations and prudent financial management even as the county navigated tight budgets and major capital projects amid lingering impacts from Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 and economic headwinds from the Pactiv Evergreen mill shutdown in 2023.

Earlier this month, the county reported remarkable progress on building out its broadband infrastructure, leveraging state and federal programs to bring the number of unserved and underserved locations across the county from 8,200 to approximately 121.

Affordable housing remained a priority for commissioners as they approved funding recommendations and programming aimed at increasing housing stock and accessibility, again with federal and state partners channeling disaster recovery and community development block grant resources toward multifamily and single-family housing projects.

Facing what local officials described as a mounting addiction and public health crisis, the commission engaged in shaping a broad countywide strategy to confront substance use disorders. The initiative emphasized prevention, treatment and long-term recovery connections to address alarming trends in overdoses and mental health crises.

After years of debate and planning, commissioners finally approved the contract for the long-discussed jail expansion project. The decision came after extensive public discussion amid controversy, misinformation and political tension, centering on capacity limitations, safety concerns and operational challenges at the aging facility.

Commissioners have also continued recovery and mitigation work related to Hurricane Helene, addressing widespread infrastructure damage, delayed federal reimbursements, property impacts, economic disruption and even misinformation. Emergency communications and flood monitoring capabilities have been augmented following Fred and Helene, aligning recovery grants and mitigation planning to bolster resilience against future storms.

Cleanup efforts and resiliency projects persisted through 2025 as local leaders continued to work with state and federal agencies to secure support and funding for long-term recovery and resilience — despite the failures of recovery czar Michael Whatley and Congressman Chuck Edwards to deliver meaningful aid. A few days ago, Gov. Josh Stein reported that the state had received about 12% of the $60 billion it’s owed from the feds. That translates directly to the $16.8 million hole in Haywood County’s fund balance.

Longtime commissioner and Board Chair Kevin Ensley, along with an experienced board, deserve much of the credit for keeping things relatively normal — even making some progress, despite the major catastrophes of the past four years and despite one commissioner actively working against them.

Best has decided not to seek reelection, leaving a seat open. Long is looking for a third term. Terry Ramey is seeking a second. They’ll compete with Tiffany Collins, Howard Knepper and Jeff Stines. Voters may choose any three.

Terry Ramey

Recent, mysterious campaign signs labeling Ramey “the village idiot” didn’t just come out of nowhere; Ramey’s three years on the board have been marked by all manner of misadventure, all of it brought upon Ramey by none other than himself.

Even before his election in 2022, Ramey quickly became known for lying — backing Monroe Miller’s claims of criminal self-dealing by commissioners. Ramey has yet to present any evidence backing up his claims.

Terry Ramey. File photo

Miller died in 2024. The lies didn’t stop there. After his election, Ramey lied about his delinquent property taxes. Shortly after Ramey was seated, commissioners issued a joint statement calling on Ramey to pay his delinquent taxes and to stop threatening the media for reporting on the issue.

In 2023, an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News revealed that public records provided by Ramey showed he’d only made or received 26 phone calls related to county business during his first month in office, all with other elected officials or county administrators. The records — if they’re even accurate — show no calls to or from constituents during that period.

A similar request for emails — assumed accurate because they were pulled by county IT administrators — shows Ramey received 99 emails during that same period. Most elected officials in Haywood County report receiving far more.

During a chaotic, marathon commission meeting in December 2024, Ramey was taken to task for his appearance in a YouTube video that spread lies about the county’s powers to circumvent state law, earning Ramey’s fellow commissioners death threats and a public call from Haywood’s House Rep. Mark Pless for Ramey to step down.

Ramey was subsequently stripped of his advisory position on the Smoky Mountain Events Center board for bringing similar threats to the volunteers who keep the facility running.

He’s has also been tied to the operations of Haven on the Hill, an ersatz campground for Helene survivors known mostly for allegations of mistreatment and misappropriation of donations. Most recently, the operator of the campground, James Lunsford — who currently faces trial on federal gun charges — has been  accused of selling donated campers on Facebook marketplace.

In 2024, Ramey was investigated for the mistreatment of his horses after an anonymous tip. A Buncombe County veterinarian said the horses had “poor body condition scores.” The equine issue draws another parallel with Lunsford , who pleaded no contest to one count of animal cruelty himself in 2019.

Over the past 35 years, Ramey has been sued dozens of times, mostly for nonpayment of bills owed to vendors or contractors.

When asked for a list of county property taxes Ramey still owes, Haywood’s outgoing tax collector Sebastian Cothran provided to SMN a total of more than $2,000 — and growing. Some of the bills date back as far as 2008. Despite earning a small salary for his “service,” Ramey has made no attempt to pay his overdue taxes.

All three Republican candidates for tax collector have confirmed that Ramey indeed owes the taxes, despite outgoing tax collector and fellow Republican Sebastian Cothran doing nothing to solicit voluntary payments from Ramey.

Ramey did not respond to an interview request from The Smoky Mountain News.

Howard Knepper

A mortgage industry professional who says he has handled thousands of closings over the course of his career, Knepper brings decades of experience in real estate finance, lending and regulatory compliance to his run.

Howard Knepper. File photo

He now owns a restaurant on the outskirts of Canton, but he’s owned a home in Auburn Park for more than 20 years, where he said he spent about a third of his time until recently deciding to live in it full-time. He briefly attended junior high in Waynesville before his parents divorced.

Knepper describes deep personal ties to the community through family history dating back to the late 1960s and long-standing professional involvement, including stories he shared about his father’s work connected to Wellco. He framed the last three years as an exercise in damage control, arguing that the board’s accomplishments came in spite of Ramey.

“A distraction like Terry Ramey only makes [being a commissioner] more complicated,” Knepper said.

Knepper said Ramey’s conduct went far beyond political disagreement, pointing specifically to the YouTube video that falsely claimed commissioners could override state law to provide emergency housing — a fabrication that led to death threats, harassment and hundreds of phone calls directed at commissioners and their families.

“What Mr. Ramey did was to actually put these commissioners in a terrible, dangerous position,” Knepper said. On Ramey’s longstanding tax delinquencies, Knepper was equally direct, tying the issue to basic qualifications for office.

“If you’re going to serve as a commissioner — even if you’re not — you need to pay all your taxes,” Knepper said. “You have to settle your Haywood County tax debt. There’s been ample time, he’s obviously not going to do it, and it’s a snub in the face of all of us.”

Asked for his broader assessment of the current board’s performance, Knepper again emphasized the scale of recent crises — COVID, Tropical Storm Fred, the Pactiv Evergreen mill shutdown and Hurricane Helene — while returning to what he described as the extraordinary burden of internal disruption.

Looking ahead, Knepper said his top goal as a commissioner would be restoring focus, stability and deliberate decision-making, particularly on fiscal matters that require sustained attention rather than reaction — like the upcoming countywide revaluation.

“I don’t want to have a tremendous amount of money in reserve that’s unnecessary and screw the taxpayers,” Knepper said. “I also do not want to give back all the money and leave Haywood County in a weak position. I want to have a proper balance.” 

On economic development, Knepper’s comments were limited but philosophical, focusing on fiscal stewardship rather than specific recruitment strategies.

Knepper did not identify a specific county department he believes is underfunded. Instead, he stressed that those decisions require careful analysis conducted by a unified board.

“It takes a board to work together to really look at everything, ask the questions, analyze it, bring in the experts and make the right decision,” Knepper said.

One issue that’s dogged Knepper, however, is a 2015 video in which he voices opposition to a “canned” bear hunt in Florida.

“Let me make this very clear. I am absolutely not against bear hunting, because bear hunting is embedded in our history,” Knepper said. “It’s just that I’m against what Florida did on that organized license hunt, killing cubs and pregnant bears for unnecessary purposes when they didn’t follow scientific data.”

Throughout his interview, Knepper repeatedly returned to a single theme: that Haywood County’s challenges demand competence, discipline and attention — qualities he argued are incompatible with ongoing internal turmoil.

“Don’t just send [Ramey] back, because they’re going to be a distraction,” Knepper said. “That’s not what you want on a board of commissioners.”

Tiffany Collins

Collins, who has only lived in Haywood County for five years, has hitched her wagon firmly to Ramey’s.

Tiffany Collins. File photo

“We do have a team,” Collins said. “I mean, we’re running our own campaign, me and Terry, we’re not running together. We’re separate, but we do have a team of people that we do work with.”

Collins said she moved to Haywood County in 2021 after growing up with her grandmother in Plant City, Florida, a childhood she described as “difficult” but rewarding nonetheless.

After attending Haywood Community College, where she studied business, Collins credited the school with helping her pursue education and entrepreneurship. She described herself as a social media marketer and concierge, and emphasized that she has not been advised by current or former county officials but has instead relied on her own research and outreach — including a series of informal, unscientific surveys she says give her unique insight into the people of Haywood County that incumbent commissioners don’t have.

“I feel like I do know the residents here more than they do,” Collins said. “Because they don’t have that information. I do.”

Her alignment with Ramey raised questions about whether she is prepared to deal with the type of vitriol — death threats and harassment — visited upon commissioners after Ramey’s disastrous YouTube appearance.

“I’m not worried about any threats,” Collins said, adding that she would respond to harassment by remaining calm and professional. “So if somebody wants to threaten me, they can. I’d want to hear their concerns, and I’d want the facts to be presented. I operate on facts.”

Asked for her assessment of the current board’s performance, Collins offered a sharply critical view, arguing that commissioners have failed to meaningfully engage residents.

“I don’t think our current commission even knows this own community,” Collins said. “I’m not a part of the ‘good old boy’ network here, and I’m not tied to anybody locally here.”

On economic development, Collins said she is not opposed to growth but criticized what she characterized as the county’s reliance on residential development to expand the tax base, which turned the strawberry fields of her youth into high-density housing.

Collins also offered harsh criticism on the county’s longstanding economic development deal with the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, which has left the county a bridesmaid, but not yet a bride.

“If we don’t have a particular person here that’s doing [economic development], which is why we send the money to Buncombe County every year, I would love to take on that responsibility as well,” she said.

Collins added that she has reviewed county budgets and spoken with the county manager, but did not identify specific development strategies she would pursue if elected.

“I have the budget pretty analyzed, pretty good,” Collins said. “There’ll be things that I’m going to bring up.”

Asked to identify the single biggest financial risk facing Haywood County over the next four years beyond Helene recovery, Collins mentioned the operation of the new jail.

“It would be really crappy if new people got into office, and then the first thing we’d have to do is increase taxes, because there’s affordability issues going on,” Collins said.

Despite her understanding of the budget, Collins did not identify a specific county service she believes is currently underfunded.

On the upcoming countywide revaluation, Collins did not outline a specific policy approach, but said the process would be “the board’s decision.”

Jeff Stines

A Haywood County native who has spent his entire life in the county and nearly his entire career in public service, Stines graduated from Pisgah High School before earning a machinist degree from Haywood Community College and completing multiple state-certified programs in water, sewer and utility operations.

Jeff Stines. File photo

He began his career more than 30 years ago with the Town of Waynesville, starting at the wastewater treatment plant before moving through streets and sanitation, water and sewer maintenance and eventually into leadership roles. Stines ultimately served as water and sewer superintendent and then as public works director, a position he held for five years before retiring. He describes Haywood County not just as home, but as the place he never wanted to leave.

“I’m not knocking anybody that’s not raised here, born here, but there’s a lot of heritage in North Carolina or in Haywood County, and I just think that that it’s a big asset to run for one of these seats and be a true native of Haywood County,” Stines said.

Asked how prepared he is to serve on a board that has endured death threats and harassment stemming from misinformation spread by Ramey, Stines acknowledged the abnormal nature of the past three years.

“You have to be mindful of what you say and when you say it,” Stines said. “You have to be transparent. But you can also say things that will cause possible harm, like that, and you cannot do that. It’s totally inappropriate, totally unprofessional. To answer your question, yes, I am very ready to handle that if it were to come up.”

Despite the turbulence, Stines offered a largely positive assessment of the current board’s performance, citing the unprecedented overlap of crises commissioners have faced in a short span of time.

Stines said his top goal if elected would be to focus on people who are struggling but want help, particularly those experiencing homelessness, while balancing compassion with fiscal responsibility.

“I’m a Christian,” Stines said. “The ones that honestly want and need help, I would love to see those folks helped and transition back into a normal lifestyle.”

That approach, he said, applies broadly to county services, where he believes targeted investments can make a difference without overburdening taxpayers.

While Stines did not single out a specific department as underfunded, he pointed to the need for careful evaluation of programs that demonstrate measurable outcomes.

“You want to help [people],” Stines said. “But you also want to be cognizant of taxpayer dollars.”

On economic development, Stines did not offer a sweeping vision or critique, instead emphasizing steadiness and realism shaped by decades of managing infrastructure and public works budgets. He said counties should work with municipalities to bolster infrastructure.

Looking beyond Hurricane Helene recovery, Stines identified long-term financial pressures as a significant risk, particularly the cumulative cost of maintaining aging infrastructure and retaining skilled employees in a competitive regional labor market — something he knows about firsthand.

He also addressed the upcoming countywide revaluation with a tone markedly different from several challengers.

“I’m all about cutting taxes if you can but understand sometimes you can’t,” he said. “I think that’s something that’s definitely going to have to be looked at.”

He also cautioned that the process needs to be performed fairly, especially for property owners who now own functionally worthless parcels due to Helene.

David Burnette

Burnette comes to the Haywood County commissioners race with years of hands-on experience in public education governance and a demeanor shaped by steady service rather than spectacle.

He’s served on the Haywood County Schools board for nearly eight years, where he has been directly involved in overseeing a school system that has remained in the top tier statewide even as the county weathered overlapping crises. His background is rooted in education policy, budgeting and personnel oversight.

David Burnette. File photo

“My school board experience will bring valuable experience and valuable insight,” Burnette said. “It takes a lot of money to fund the school system, and the county commissioners are very important in that funding.”

Asked about the unprecedented turmoil of the past three years, including death threats directed at commissioners after Ramey spread false information about the board’s authority, Burnette did not minimize the severity of what occurred. He described the episode as dangerous and counterproductive, and said it underscored the need for restraint and professionalism.

“To ask anybody to violate the law or the Constitution is just absolutely crazy,” Burnette said. “I would hope that I could bring some stability and some trust with my extended amount of experience in levelheadedness and leadership.”

Despite the chaos, Burnette offered a measured assessment of the current board’s overall performance, noting that commissioners have had to navigate a convergence of disasters few local governments ever face.

“Overall, I think they’ve done a pretty good job,” Burnette said. “When you’ve got so much going on it’s almost like driving down the road, and you may not be perfectly straight in your lane, but you’re staying out of the ditches.”

That perspective reflects Burnette’s broader governing philosophy, which prioritizes continuity and incremental improvement over dramatic course corrections. When asked about his top goal if elected, Burnette pointed to maintaining core services and protecting institutions that are already working, particularly schools.

“I think we always need more,” Burnette said of education funding. “But I think the commissioners have been fair with us, and I think they’ve given us enough to take care of our staff.”

Burnette acknowledged ongoing competition with neighboring counties for teachers, principals and support staff, noting that supplement levels can determine whether experienced educators stay or leave.

On economic development, Burnette did not present a sweeping agenda, instead stressing the importance of an educated workforce.

Looking beyond Hurricane Helene, Burnette identified jobs and long-term financial exposure as a risk voters may not be fully appreciating. Drawing on his school board experience, he warned that postponing necessary investments often leads to higher costs down the road.

Burnette approached the upcoming countywide revaluation with similar caution, saying he wants to work toward a revenue-neutral approach, if that’s possible.

In a field crowded with sharper rhetoric, Burnette presented himself as a stabilizing presence — someone more interested in keeping Haywood County functioning effectively than in relitigating the past or inflaming tensions that have already taken a toll on local government.

Tommy Long

Long enters the 2026 race as the most battle-tested candidate on the field, an incumbent commissioner whose two-term tenure has spanned some of the most destabilizing years in modern Haywood County history.

A lifelong Haywood County resident, Long’s background is rooted in blue-collar work, with decades spent in manufacturing and industrial settings before entering public service. He lost his job when the mill closed in 2023.

Tommy Long. File photo

Long’s experience extends well beyond the county line. He has been active with the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, where he serves as director of the seven westernmost counties and has worked alongside peers from across the state on issues ranging from jail standards and emergency management to infrastructure funding and legislative advocacy.

“I’m honored to do this job because my peers elected me to do this job for them,” Long said. “Whether it’s me or whoever, this is to Haywood County’s advantage to have somebody in that position.”

That exposure, he said, has reinforced the importance of procedure, preparation and restraint — lessons that proved critical as Haywood County weathered COVID-19, Tropical Storm Fred, the Pactiv Evergreen mill closure and Hurricane Helene in rapid succession.

The December 2024 episode in which Ramey appeared in a YouTube video encouraging his fellow commissioners to violate state law, triggering death threats against commissioners and their families, remains a defining moment of Long’s current term.

“All that stuff wasn’t on my bingo card,” Long said. “I expect professionalism and truthfulness from elected officials, and when you chum the waters, the sharks come.”

Despite that turmoil, Long offered a firm defense of the board’s overall performance, arguing that commissioners managed to keep county government functioning — and in many cases moving forward — amid extraordinary circumstances.

Long said his top goal if reelected is deceptively simple: keep county government working smoothly and predictably, without distractions that undermine public trust or staff morale.

On economic development, Long emphasized continuity over experimentation, noting that Haywood County has made measurable progress even as it absorbed major shocks. He pointed to broadband expansion, emergency communications upgrades and long-delayed infrastructure projects that advanced despite constrained budgets and delayed federal reimbursements.

Long’s top priority isn’t one readily apparent to most, and reflects both a long-term view of the county as well as the value of his service with the NCACC — preparing Haywood County for an aging population by strengthening health care, EMS and workforce planning. He came to the conclusion based on demographic data from the NCACC.

“We have got to facilitate taking care of our elderly population,” he said.

When asked which county services are underfunded, Long did not single out a pet issue, instead describing the annual budget process as an exercise in balance. He said commissioners must weigh competing needs — public safety, schools, infrastructure and human services — without allowing any one priority to destabilize the whole.

That same pragmatism shaped Long’s approach to the upcoming countywide revaluation, which he described as a technical process. He said his role as a commissioner is to ensure transparency and to help residents understand what revaluation does — and does not — mean for their tax bills.

After years marked by disaster, disruption and division, Long argued that institutional memory and professional discipline are not liabilities, but assets.

“I’m a native here. My family’s paid taxes here since 1808. My kids went to public school here. I’m a product of the public school system. I feel like I’ve governed well in some of the hardest times the county’s ever seen,” Long said. “I believe in Haywood County.”