Three Swain County Commission Chair candidates hope to replace Republican interim chair Jay Kirkland, appointed after Kevin Seagle’s resignation on Aug. 31, 2025, who is running for a regular commissioner seat.
Republican Robert “Robbie” Brown, independent Fred Crawford, and Democrat Jeramy Shuler look to bring change to a board criticized by some for inadequate transparency, unclear agenda items, and shortsighted budget decisions.
Commissioners have proposed to fund a $2.9 million airport purchase with North Shore settlement interest despite county revenue falling $5.8 million below expenses. Because North Shore appropriations have not increased since 2018 and continue to depreciate, the county’s financial position is tenuous.
Swain County’s small tax base greatly limits its revenues, with 32% coming from property taxes. Meanwhile, federal and state SNAP cuts totaling $190,000 have the county scrambling to fund necessary services.
And the state is approaching a shortfall that could lead to a reduction in school system appropriations across North Carolina, leaving the county to either cut positions or pick up the slack. The 2% property tax levy limit, which appears as a constitutional amendment on this year’s General Election ballot, could reduce Swain County’s budget by another $670,000, or 9% of total property tax revenue.
The easiest fix is to increase property taxes, but that’s neither popular nor, were the amendment to pass, viable.
Along with addressing other beasts like tourism, infrastructure, and economic development, the new chair will have to focus on expanding revenue or decreasing expenses — all while restoring trust in the minds of residents.
Robbie Brown
For over a decade, Robbie Brown owned Native Sports, a sports marketing business on the Qualla Boundary, while working at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center through the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Public Health and Human Services. He then contracted with EBCI and worked with the tribe’s tourism marketing before a five-year gig as manager of both Catamount Travel Centers gas stations. He’s spent the past four years coordinating resource inventory for the Cherokee Indian Police Department.
Brown said his business management background gives him myriad leadership experience. Though he leans conservative and is running as a Republican, he’s generally been unaffiliated, which he said allows him to listen to both sides.
He mentioned the issue of meeting decorum.
“One of the questions I’ve been asked is, ‘What are you going to do about that meeting because it’s turned into a circus?’” Brown told SMN, noting that he’s equipped to direct the meeting regardless of the circumstances.
He added that he’s already spoken to Sheriff Biran Kirkland about departmental issues and school leaders about future visits. He’d like to similarly engage all county employees.
“I think there needs to be a respect of the county employees and the work they do and (for us to) do as best as we can for them,” he said.
Brown takes a balanced approach to property rights, saying the county uses taxpayer money, so constituents have a right to be heard. But at the same time, he added, property owners shouldn’t be free of any regulations if what they do affects their neighbors. He spoke favorably of one restriction: stricter ridge-top laws.
North Carolina’s Mountain Ridge Protection Act restricts the height of structures built on ridges 3,000 or more feet above sea level in 19 Western North Carolina counties, Swain included. Madison County requires an additional 50-foot setback on either side of a protected ridge, a more stringent mandate akin to what Brown might be looking for. However, as of May 2026, the county planning board recommended rescinding the ordinance, a move MountainTrue has criticized for its potential to contribute to deforestation, natural disasters, and a weaker tourism economy.
“Yes, there’s economic growth, and we need economic growth, but at what cost … to our natural resources and our neighbors?” Brown said.
Instead, he said, economic growth should look like inviting in other industries, such as sports marketing. He’d also improve the county’s tourism, he said, asserting that Swain County’s Tourism Development Authority (TDA) has mainly beautified the town, which isn’t an effective use of tourism dollars.
Brown, who supports the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR), said its passengers typically do not stay the night in Bryson City: TDA would do better using its funds to incentivize overnight guests.
“What events are we bringing? How are we enhancing our tourism as far as the boats and fishing and stuff? … Are we doing anything that’s going to keep people long here long term?” He theorized. “We need to get dollars spent here because the dollar will rotate to your economy seven times before it leaves.”
Brown, in addition to building up the county’s recreation park, hopes to bring in a former TDA employee along with other experienced professionals to form a committee to attract economic development.
“Also, some quality and grant writers to be able to start reaching out for some of these grants because we’re missing out on a ton of money,” he said.
He suggested the county partner with the EBCI to host events and that all tourism-related activities be posted on an annual schedule. TDA salary additions could be incentive-based, returning a percentage of what comes in as economic impact.
If elected, he also hopes to meet with state legislators and expand where TDA money can be spent.
The state requires two-thirds of occupancy tax dollars to be devoted to marketing, with the rest to other tourism-related expenditures. A June 2026 law clarifies the definition of tourism-related to exclude solid waste collection or disposal; water supply, distribution, or treatment; fire protection; law enforcement, public safety services, or emergency services; affordable housing; and education — unless authorized by a local ordinance. The state Supreme Court ruled that funding Currituck County’s public safety falls under a broad tourism-related definition, with one concurring opinion advocating stricter qualifications. The Currituck case is recent precedent for funding public safety with TDA revenue; however, the General Assembly must pass a local bill if it hopes to follow in the coastal county’s footsteps.
Hoping to bypass TDA funding altogether, Roberts proposed a county-train partnership in which GSMR charges, say, $1.50 extra per ticket: 50 cents to schools, 50 cents for infrastructure, 50 cents for emergency services. Additional fees would then sit in a county-regulated GSMR fund, instead of being turned over as a future write-off to the finance office and disbursed as needed for each of the three categories. An intentional county-train contract would likely be legally sound given voluntary GSMR agreement.
“[GSMR] may never do it. I’m one of those guys, though — until they say no, until you go meet with them — at least try to talk to them about it,” Roberts said.
According to Brown, two of the three GSMR-proposed funding categories — schools and infrastructure — face ongoing issues. The school system requested a 4% teacher supplement and received 2% in the last budget cycle. SCC also didn’t receive the full appropriations it requested.
He wasn’t sure he’d have funded either any differently because he didn’t have eyes on the financial situation. But if the money were there, he’d favor at least raising the supplement.
“If we’d have had the funds in there for the 4% and we don’t need it for anything else, (then) absolutely, give [teachers] the 4%,” he said, adding that both he and his wife left the school system years ago due to lack of a living wage.
He also chalked up some of Swain County Schools’ issues to internal problems.
“We’re concerned more with getting federal funding and getting kids to move from other schools to Swain County rather than the actual behavior and things that are going on inside our school,” he said.
State schools are struggling primarily with North Carolina’s chronic operational underfunding, poor capital project budget, and inequitable spending formula.
Brown also advocated returning to a stricter dress code.
“I’m not trying to be as old school and just crazy, but we’ve got kids dressed like they’re going to a club rather than going to school,” he explained.
As for infrastructure, Brown asserted Bryson City is growing beyond what it can support.
“We need a third bridge in [Bryson City] because we have put another school on that side of the river,” he said, explaining that it would mitigate the bottleneck created when the train arrives while school lets out.
Brown would support the county purchasing the $2.9 million airport property, recommending it be used to house a multi-sports and event complex. However, he wouldn’t be upset if a developer bought it for an affordable housing buildout.
“We got to look at something that’s going to build the tax base in the county,” he said.
Fred Crawford
Before his retirement, Fred Crawford worked for 25 years at the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), gaining both private-sector and government-adjacent experience. Since Texas has no regulated monopoly like Duke Energy, the Texas-owned LCRA competed alongside private companies to appeal to customers. Meanwhile, his paper trail was subject to Texas’ strict public records requests law, he said, which required fulfillment in 10 days or fewer.
Crawford outlined his day-to-day responsibilities in his final role of managing LRCA’s real estate division.
“I managed an annual operations and maintenance budget of $3.5 million a year. My capital budget was anywhere from three to $10 million a year, depending on the capital plan,” he said, noting that he oversaw large infrastructure projects.
Now, he volunteers with Southwestern Commission’s Area Agency on Aging as Swain County’s delegate within the Senior Tar Heel Legislators, where he advocates for Medicaid expansion and works with legislators like Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon). A Mainspring Conservation Trust board member, Crawford and his wife own Whittier-based Dogwood Farm.
He credited his leadership, financial, business, and public-sector background with providing the expertise needed to chair the commissioners. He said he’s noticed board meeting agendas are incomplete and that decisions are made without a full understanding of the financial repercussions.
“I felt like my experience is best suited to running those meetings, organizing the agenda, and making sure all those presentations and reports and decisions that are before us have all the information that we need to make an educated decision,” he said.
Crawford said addressing the budget would be a pressing issue.
“What I’d like to do is create a strategic financial plan that includes a two-, five-, and 10-year capital plan so we have an understanding of replacement costs, replacement schedules for major equipment,” he told SMN, adding that it seems like commissioners have historically taken a more reactive approach.
The county also needs a maintenance plan, he said, noting that commissioner meetings have led him to believe its HVAC systems are always having issues.
“(Another) priority is to [take] a look at the audit, past audits, and getting a handle on what is our fund balance,” Crawford said.
He’s worried about labor cost reporting and how quickly Swain County has been drawing from its fund balance, though he hadn’t seen its 2025 audit. The document is available through the N.C. Treasurer’s website and was submitted nearly one year late on July 6, 2026, SMN reported. Auditors issued a “significant deficiency” in internal control because of the report’s tardiness, though they noted that some factors contributing to the delay were outside the county’s control.
Like Brown, Crawford thought revenue could be increased not through property taxes but by expanding tourism funding applicability, an idea he said he’s already kickstarted.
“I’m working with (Rep.) Anna Ferguson (R-Swain) … to revise the tourism development law so that we can have more flexibility … and so that we can leverage those tourism occupancy tax dollars and spend it, perhaps on our fire and rescue, police force,” he explained.
Like Brown, Crawford wants more tourists and more money spent through the outdoor recreation industry, which he said brings people here who value nature and are in town for the right reasons.
“We should have fishing tournaments. And paddle-board festivals and mountain biking conferences,” he said.
However, he advocated that Swain County “diversify” its economy instead of relying so heavily on tourism.
He’d likely support hiring an economic development coordinator to bring one or two businesses — light manufacturing, small business, tech, or software — to the area.
Crawford is committed to balancing county revenue with costs, but he’s not against spending more when he feels that it’s warranted.
Swain County Schools asked for a 4% teacher supplement this past year, which Crawford said would’ve put them on par with neighboring counties. Crawford criticized the commissioners for awarding only half of that request.
“I would have done as much as I could to try to find that extra 2% to fund teacher supplements fully. It’s discouraging to hear that now we’re thinking about spending $2.9 million on an airport property, on buying a piece of property, when wait a minute! Just a month ago, we didn’t have any money for teachers,” he explained.
Crawford is the only candidate opposing an airport purchase.
The county has also failed to meet its maintenance and upkeep obligations for Southwestern Community College’s Almond School Building, he asserted.
He sees a broader issue in Swain’s digital communication, particularly the website.
“It looks like it was done in 1980. It’s terrible,” he said of the county’s site, explaining that the agendas, board packets, and publicly accessible documents should be readily available.
The county’s brick-and-mortar projects are outdated too, he said.
Crawford’s infrastructure concerns include affordable housing. He said he’s working with Sen. Corbin to increase Swain County’s N.C. Housing Trust Fund (NCHTF) allocations.
“That gives landowners an opportunity to rehabilitate or renovate existing abandoned homes with the idea that we can get them back onto a long-term rental market and help give some downward pressure on our affordable housing,” he explained.
However, the fund is working with a limited budget. The legislature appropriated $10 million to NCHTF this year despite growing affordable housing needs across the state, and federal funding of $5.64 million is just over half that figure.
Another of Crawford’s ideas would kill two birds with one stone: using grant funding to turn dilapidated properties into affordable housing units. That said, he opposes zoning, a view most Swain County residents share.
Expanding broadband is the second infrastructure issue he’d confront as commission chair. And Crawford said he’s already addressing it.
“We’ve been working with … the broadband committee to get that last mile and the so-called last mile for infrastructure for fiber, so that all of our homes have access to fiber and fast internet. It’s a necessity,” he said.
Jeramy Shuler
Jeramy Shuler, born and raised in Swain County, credits his day-to-day interactions with customers as a small business owner, and the leadership he’s gained by firefighting, for the skills to be a public servant.
“To run a small business in a small county, it’s a challenge,” he said. “I also am a captain for Bryson City Fire Department, and the leadership role that requires, I feel like I can take it to the next level in the commission board, and get things done,” he said.
That’s why he’s running for chair of a board he said lacks transparency, respect, and order.
“I feel that the commission chair is responsible to see that that is done,” he said, adding his strong relationships with both candidates and sitting commissioners will help bring unity to meetings and discussions.
Like Crawford, Shuler said the county’s most pressing issue is an unbalanced budget. Unlike Crawford, he’d likely support the airport property purchase.
“Yes, I will [be in favor] as long as we can meet the needs that are present at this point in time,” he explained.
He’d also prioritize Swain County’s new middle school. It appears that on Sept. 28, the county began seeking pre-construction bids for materials testing, geotechnical engineering, and special inspections at the proposed school.
Shuler said school air conditioning units are failing amid generally aging equipment.
Regarding appropriations to schools, he said he probably wouldn’t have done anything differently since he hasn’t seen exactly what was funded.
“I will say that I am 100% in support of doing everything that we can possibly to support all of our school systems and bringing them up to the standard they need to be,” he said, adding that he’d support education over another budget category.
Another concern is more personal: Swain County has too many volunteer positions in its fire departments. Most teams, like his, are entirely volunteer. West Swain Fire Department firefighters are paid Monday through Friday but volunteer when responding to emergencies outside of working hours.
“The fire service in Swain County needs to be brought up to a higher level. We need paid firefighters 24/7 in Swain County,” he said, adding that while the volunteer fire service does well, “it’s getting really hard in this day and time to get volunteer firefighters, so at certain hours of the day, trained, certified firefighters are hard to have on staff without them being paid.”
If elected, he’d like to implement a unified fire tax to enable paid 24/7 fire protection in all three Swain fire districts, funded through property taxes levied county-wide. Twenty-one counties, from Wake to Buncombe to Avery, have a single fire tax rate. In others, districts set tax rates. Some counties, like Swain, don’t have fire taxes at all.
“I would like to carefully look into this and do this the right way, where it benefits our citizens, and we can get the greatest use of it,” he said.
Shuler is opposed, however, to raising property tax rates. Instead, he said he’d work with the county manager to cut costs and find different revenue streams. He cited overnight stays as one such source.
“I want to be a strong advocate for finding ways to get revenue generated outside of tax line,” he explained.
Overnight lodging is considered occupancy, not property, tax, and its proceeds fund the TDA, an entity Shuler said he’d work with to build a stronger relationship. While overnight visitors might bring money into the economy through local purchases — which support Swain businesses and generate sales tax — short-term rental stays cannot be taxed to increase revenue.
Shuler thinks Swain County is doing well in economic development, but he’d like to see other businesses — restaurants or a grocery chain like Walmart — add to the tax base.