The race for Sylva town board was won by only a hair on Election Day.

The results show Mary Kelley Gelbaugh edging Danny Allen off the town board by a mere four votes. Allen has been on the town board on and off through the years, with a total of 10 years in office if you add it all up.

Despite a crowded field in the Franklin election — a dozen candidates in all — a handful of victors emerged as clear frontrunners ahead of the pack.

Most of the winning candidates for aldermen and mayor reflect a public desire for change.

Candidates for Maggie Valley aldermen stood outside the polls on Election Day — one side staying toward the right and the other standing toward the left, both with signs exclaiming “Let’s Move Maggie Forward.”

Canton has four new aldermen.

In a close race, Carole Edwards, Ralph Hamlett, Gail Mull and Zeb Smathers won.

The town of Sylva has struggled this year with balancing its budget and keeping businesses filling its downtown storefronts.

Going into next year, those same problems will likely continue to challenge town leaders, and whoever is elected as mayor and to the Sylva town board this November will have to grapple with how to overcome them next year.

While infrastructure and economic development tops each candidate’s agenda, a far more consequential matter could await those who fill the four open seats on the Canton Board of Aldermen — who will Canton’s next town manager be?

Finances and the future of the festival grounds were front and center at a Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen candidate forum last week.

About 30 spectators showed up to hear what the candidates for aldermen had to say. Each candidate answered 11 questions posed by voters and vetted by the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.

District Attorney Mike Bonfoey publicly announced plans to retire next year when his current term of office expires. Bonfoey has been the lead prosecutor for the seven western counties for 10 years, directing a team of 10 assistant district attorneys.

Candidates have lined up to run for the town board in Bryson City this November after two current aldermen have bowed out of public office, leaving two empty seats up for grabs in a wide-open race.

This year’s election in Franklin is shaping up to be one of the most interesting — and crowded — the town has seen in a decade, or more.