More than a decade after Jackson County residents helped finance and shape what became one of the county’s most visible civic institutions, a longtime library advocate returned to the commissioners chamber Jan. 6 to issue a warning — decisions made now could quietly unravel what the community deliberately built together.

We never thought that Micromanager of the Year would become a repeat award, but here we are.

This year’s micromanagers of the year are the members of the Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees.

As the board continues to handle complex big-picture issues without the guidance of an attorney, some members are also finding time to dictate how staff members conduct day-to-day business.

Jackson County’s various governing boards spent much of the year demonstrating that governing does not require attendance, consistency, basic curiosity about consequences, respect for the law or for the feelings of taxpayers, voters and young people. 

To the Editor:

For nearly 100 years, the Fontana Regional Library System has reflected the traditional mountain values of literacy, truth and community responsibility. These values guided our grandparents who built the first libraries in these mountains. They guided our parents who supported them. And they guide many of us today. Yet these long-held values are now at risk. 

The Fontana Regional Library Board of Trustees is again struggling to implement changes as it trudges forward without legal representation. 

At the Nov. 12 meeting, held in Jackson County, Cynthia Womble, who in September resigned her position as board chair but remains on the board, again expressed concern that Rady Large, an attorney who worked with the board on a pro bono basis, took a new job and couldn’t continue that service.

After months of tension between Jackson County and the Fontana Regional Library system, commissioners appear to be charting a new course — one that could ultimately reverse their June decision to withdraw from the regional library partnership. 

At the very end of their Nov. 4 meeting, Jackson commissioners discussed three proposed amendments to the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement. 

Three candidates — incumbents Tim Hines and Ben King, and newcomer W. Kent Maxey — are vying for two open seats on the Bryson City Board of Aldermen.  

Though aldermen serve four-year terms with odd-year staggered elections, Hines has only held the position since his appointment in April 2023 following Steve Augustine’s resignation. Nonetheless, Hines, who also works as a manager at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino, said he’s learned a lot about the nuanced nature of town issues throughout his time in office.  

Seeking guidance, Jackson County Public Library board members met with County Manager Kevin King last week hoping to learn more about what, exactly, the lame-duck advisory board should do to prepare for operating an independent library over the next nine months. 

For most of its history, Webster’s elections have been sleepy affairs. At times, there weren’t even enough people willing to step forward and serve. This fall, that dynamic looks much different. 

“I’m really excited to see the number of people in this race,” said Dale Collins, an incumbent Webster commissioner who won his last race as a write-in with just 14 votes.

As tension develops among Fontana Regional Library trustees and a seismic shift lies ahead in about nine months, the board is plugging ahead without an attorney. 

The July FRL meeting was the last for former board attorney Rady Large, who had offered his services pro bono for about the last two years but had to resign upon taking a job with Western Carolina University.