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Webster candidates speak out on issues facing town
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Bedford
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Berry
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Bryson
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Collins
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Davenport
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Myers
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Spaulding
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By Lynn Hotaling
As is the case in three of four Jackson County municipalities, the race for the five seats on Webster’s town board is a competitive one this year.
The contest is divided between incumbents – Louise Bedford, Billie Bryson and Jean Davenport – and newcomers – Fran Berry, Barbara Collins, Sharon Myers and Laura Spaulding. Current board members Raymond Ledford and Kirk Stephens chose not to seek re-election.
An eighth candidate, Dawn Breakiron, will be on the ballot but told The Herald she no longer wants to win a seat. According to Breakiron, she attempted to withdraw but told it was too late for her name to be removed. Breakiron declined to be interviewed for this report.
Bedford is 74 and was born in Webster and attended high school there before moving away. She taught art in High Point public schools until her retirement and moved back to Webster about 13 years ago. She has been a town board member for eight years and currently serves as treasurer.
Berry, 63, has lived in Webster for 18 months. She’s retired from the state of Nevada where she was a program analyst in the Secretary of State’s Office. She has never held elected office.
Bryson is 62 and has lived in Webster for 60 years. Retired from Western Carolina University’s Hunter Library, Bryson has served two terms on the town board.
Collins, 67, is a retired Department of Social Services income and child support supervisor who has lived in Webster for 42 years. She has never held elected office.
Davenport, 58, has lived in Webster for 26 years and has been on the town board for eight; she currently serves as town clerk. She teaches eighth-grade language arts at Smokey Mountain Elementary School.
Myers, a real estate paralegal, is 58 and has lived in Webster since 1978. She has never held elected office.
Spaulding, 39, teaches in the Crossroads program at Jackson County’s School of Alternatives. She has lived in Webster for five years and has never held elected office.
The seven candidates remaining in the Webster race were interviewed during the past week. The questions they were asked and their answers follow.
How do you think increased development, including the new Lowe’s, at the N.C. 107/N.C. 116 intersection will impact Webster? Do you have any solutions?
Bedford: It will impact Webster strongly, I fear. It’s almost as if they have their bypass now. We have a lot of traffic – including truck traffic – especially on River Road.
If Lowe’s has two entrances onto 116, as I hear it will, I fear it will really impact Webster.
I don’t really see a solution. As long as the highway department maintains 116, they will maintain our road and our traffic. Until Webster can take over 116, we have no control. I’d like to see Webster get to the point where the town could afford random policing of the traffic. That would make a great deal of difference. When the Highway Patrol can come out and patrol, they do a good job, but they can’t come as often as we wish they could.
Berry: It will affect traffic flow, and there will be a lot of congestion, especially at school and commuter times. The junction of 116 and 107 is Webster’s main access to Sylva and Cullowhee.
I understand they’re talking about a bypass. If it would help in the traffic flow, it would be extremely beneficial, but it would be a tremendous expense. At certain times it’s needed, but I don’t know if it would be worth the expense.
Bryson: It’s definitely going to be murder. The way it is now I can’t get out of my driveway (N.C. 116 near Buchanan Loop intersection) at certain times of the day, especially in the mornings.
I know there will be three entrances for Lowe’s, and we may see increased truck traffic through Webster. The traffic that comes through here doesn’t come slowly; you can hear them sailing around curves and screeching their brakes.
I don’t really see a solution. Our traffic is always bad with WCU, Southwestern Community College and Smoky Mountain High School as well as the nursing home and the new DSS building. Since the other towns didn’t have a say in Lowe’s coming here, we don’t have a choice except to grin and bear it, watch out for the traffic, and try to keep from getting run over.
Collins: It will bring more traffic as any new development entails, which is a problem. We can work with Lowe’s and the N.C. Department of Transportation to come up with a workable solution. I am sure other small towns have faced this same problem.
Davenport: I think it will impact Webster a great deal, in particular with more truck traffic. Trucks will make deliveries and then go through Webster. I’m really fearful there will be more accidents at the intersection. With two Lowe’s entrances on 116, along with Ingles and the (State Employees) Credit Union, there is a potential for accidents. I think that will be more of a problem than than with traffic coming through Webster.
With regard to solutions, limiting Lowe’s to one entrance might help. Wal-Mart has many stores but only one entrance. A traffic engineer might come up with an answer. Maybe eliminating the side entrances at some places would help; somewhere along the line people will have to give up a little.
Myers: I’m not even concerned about that, and I don’t have much of an opinion about it. There will be more traffic at the light, but that’s outside the city limits. We’ll just have to wait and see. There’s not much we can do about it; 116 is a state highway.
As to possible solutions, there may be something that whoever gets elected can look into.
Spaulding: It will mean more traffic. There’s already at least one accident per day in front of my house (N.C. 116/Buchanan Loop intersection). One reason I’m running is that I’m concerned about traffic. I have children, and I’m afraid we’re going to lose our neighborhood quality. I’m very concerned about safety. My number one concern is the family; I will always do what’s best for families.
I moved here because I wanted a nice place to raise my children. Two weeks ago a fence was taken out, and there are minor accidents daily near the post office. Kids and families walk the street – that’s my major concern.
It’s not that I don’t want Jackson County to grow – I just wish they’d consider where they put things. One solution might be to have developers use empty spaces like the old A&P. The towns of Sylva and Webster need to work with county commissoners for better land planning.
Would you support future annexation for Webster? If so, what areas?
Bedford: I would support annexation. We have houses on Buchanan Loop that are not in the city limits, and they certainly ought to be. Also, Bullfrog Cove is already subject to our zoning because it’s in Webster’s extra-territorial jurisdiction. If these areas benefit from our zoning laws, then the town should benefit from their financial support. Those are my immediate concerns right now.
Berry: I understand some people are in limbo after the annexation that’s been done already because they don’t have the right to vote in Webster. Annexation would be healthy for the town, if it’s handled properly – if the population gets the advantages of annexation.
I could see a situation where I could support annexation, if it’s done properly and the people receive the benefits.
I’m not aware of any specific areas to be annexed right now.
Bryson: I’ve lived here all my life, and I believe in protecting Webster’s boundaries. If annexation will protect them, then I’m all for it.
I believe in protecting Webster’s history, too. Our town used to be the county seat, so anything that protects Webster, I’m all for it.
Webster is surrounded by mountains, and I would favor annexing all the areas in the current ETJ. I would definitely want to protect all the areas in the ETJ from encroachment by any other town. I believe in annexation if it will protect all of Webster’s boundaries.
Collins: I am not for far-reaching annexaton; however, I can understand the need for it under certain circumstances, such as close inside Webster proper. As an example, I understand that some small part of Buchanan Loop is not within the city limits.
Davenport: Yes, I would support annexation. In particular I support annexation for the back side of Buchanan Loop and Bullfrog Cove. The town limits don’t cover these areas, but they’re part of our community. They are seen as part of our community, but legally they’re not within the town limits.
Malcom MacNeill’s new development on the back side of the Loop came in voluntarily, but there is still a large part of that area that is not in Webster’s city limits.
Myers: I’m against annexation 100 percent. It think it’s wrong for our town. Annexation has created lawsuits, and most of the people I’ve talked to don’t want it anyway.
I think our town is wonderful just the way it is and with the ETJ just the way it is. I think our borders protect the town.
If we annex, people will want services and Webster doesn’t have services to offer.
Spaulding: To be honest, I don’t know. I would have to look into it more. I know there are heated issues, but I don’t understand it all; I haven’t researched it. I’m not sure how I feel right now. I have a lot of learning to do, and I realize that. I’m good at listening, hearing both sides, and weighing the issues.
Why should Webster voters choose you?
Bedford: Well, I would like to think I’ve been a progressive board member. I love this town – it’s always been a part of my life. I’d like to give it four more years of service, and I think the service of incumbent board members will be very helpful. You have a lot to learn when you join the board, and we’ve been through that.
People are concerned about growth in Webster, but the fact is a number of large tracts are coming on the market. We can’t stop growth, but we can control how it’s done. I think our ordinance that mandates one dwelling per acre will help, because it will keep development low density and ensure a minimum number of septic tanks and wells.
The growth is coming, and I feel all we can do is help control it.
Berry: As a new entry into Webster, I think I could bring a different point of view and lend support where needed. I want to contribute to the community as much as possible.
Bryson: Because of my years of experience. I’ve been doing the town’s finances for the past eight years, and I did bookkeeping for 30 years before that at WCU. I have about 38 years of accounting experience; I also keep the books for Webster Methodist Church.
I also dealt with the state system at WCU, and that’s a valuable thing for a town that can’t afford a finance officer. I do the state reports that are required every three months, and I do the audits.
If the town’s people and my neighbors think I’m doing a good job, then they’ll continue to let me do it.
Collins: Over the years I have seen changes in Webster, mainly more people moving in and more home construction. Webster has remained, for the most part, a small village environment, which I wish it to remain.
I appreciate our zoning requirements and do not desire a change. I would hope to address Webster’s basic needs in a positive way and would try to seek input from the people prior to major decisions affecting the residents.
Davenport: I have a genuine interest, and I have shown that interest by my past work. I’m willing to commit the time and effort it takes. I feel like I can be depended on to keep the town’s legal records in the right order and meet state requirements.
I feel like we’ve started some important projects, and I’d like to stay to see them through.
A really important issue to me is that Webster and Jackson County are exploding with growth. Growth can be good or bad. I feel like our zoning ordinances are a good thing. Our 1-acre minimum lot size is an environmentally friendly ordinance. Only a small part of our town is served by the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority. We don’t have a town water and sewer system, and the land can only support so many wells and septic tanks and be safe.
I do think it’s very important to monitor our growth and make it happen in a positive, planned manner.
Myers: I’m basically running because the current town board doesn’t listen. I would listen to the people. I think the town board needs to get more in touch with what the people want instead of what board members want.
I also think the town tax rate should have been lowered from 8 cents to 6 cents to keep our town taxes in line with revaluation, the way the county tax rate was lowered.
I asked current town board members to do that, but they told me they had already made up their minds.
I think it’s time for the people of Webster to take their town back.
Spaulding: Webster’s voters are the reason I’m running.
I’m a teacher, and I love children. Webster’s beautiful, and I want to keep it that way. I knew I wanted to live here because it’s beautiful and safe.
My heart is with the people of this area; I’m not affiliated with any individual. I will do what I feel is right based on the information I have.
(Editor’s note: This is the fifth installment in a series on Jackson County’s upcoming municipal elections. Next week’s paper will include discussion of Sylva candidates.)
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