Mease defeats incumbent Wilke in Haywood sheriff primary
Mease managed to gain a victory over the incumbent sheriff.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
Following a heated campaign, Mark Mease has defeated incumbent Haywood County Sheriff Bill Wilke in the Republican Primary Election.
Wilke was first elected sheriff in 2022. Mease had worked for the previous three sheriffs and left the office shortly after Wilke was sworn in. Mease said he would bring the office back to something more like what it was under Greg Christopher, who served from 2012-2022. Wilke has defended reforms he instituted that led to a sizable turnover in his office, especially early in 2023.
Mease’s campaign was championed by vocal public supporters, many of whom have worked in local law enforcement. It was enough to propel him to the win with 57.18% of the vote.
Now that Mease has won the Primary Election, he is set to square off against Democrat Tyler Howell, currently with the Waynesville Police Department, in November’s General Election.
Check back with The Smoky Mountain News for full results and detailed analysis across Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in our March 11 issue.
