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Municipal elections set for Tuesday in Jackson County
By Carey Phillips
Voters in Jackson County’s four municipalities will go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8, to elect mayors and town board members.
Dillsboro voters will also cast ballots on referendums allowing the on-premises sale of malt beverages and unfortified wine.
Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.
Voters in Sylva North will still vote at the Justice Center, but the room has changed. The new location is in the conference room upstairs in the new addition near the commissioners’ board room and finance office.
Sylva South voters will cast ballots at the Community Service Center.
Voters who live in the Sylva town limits but are in Dillsboro Precinct will vote at the Dillsboro town hall.
All Dillsboro voters will cast ballots at the Dillsboro town hall as well.
Webster voters will go to the Family Resource Center (old Webster School).
The Forest Hills polling place is the County Recreation Center.
Sylva Mayor Brenda Oliver is seeking re-election. She is being challenged by Danny Allen, a member of the Sylva town board.
Two seats are open on the Sylva board as political newcomers Harold Hensley and Stacy Knotts are challenging incumbent Anne Cabe.
However, Cabe has resigned from her seat on the board and sent a letter to the Jackson County Board of Elections indicating she does not want to be elected to the post. Election Director Lisa Lehman said Cabe’s letter means no votes cast for her will be counted, all but assuring Hensley and Knotts will be elected.
Sylva has 1,758 registered voters.
Webster’s mayoral race is between incumbent Steve Gray and challenger Sam Gray.
All five seats are open on the Webster board. Incumbents Louise Bedford, Billie Bryson and Jean Davenport are seeking re-election. Challengers are Frances Berry, Dawn Breakiron, Barbara Collins, Sharon Myers and Laura Spaulding.
Breakiron told The Herald she was not actively campaigning and did not want to be elected. However, she had not indicated her intentions to the Board of Elections by Tuesday afternoon (Nov. 1).
Neal Morgan has notified the Board of Elections that he is running as a write-in for a Webster board seat.
Webster has 352 registered voters.
In Dillsboro, the race for mayor is between incumbent Jean Hartbarger and challenger T.J. Walker.
All five Dillsboro board seats are open. Incumbents Jim Cochran, Mike Fitzgerald and Bud Smith are running. Newcomers running are Jimmy Cabe, Jim Dukes and John Faulk.
Emma Wertenberger, a current board member, did not file for re-election. However, she has indicated to the Board of Elections that she is a write-in candidate.
The Dillsboro referendum regarding malt beverages and unfortified wine will be voted on as separate issues.
Dillsboro has 154 registered voters.
Incumbent Jim Davis is facing a challenge from board member Sue Burton for mayor of Forest Hills.
Dick Iobst and Jim Wallace are unopposed for re-election to their Forest Hills board seats.
Forest Hills has 352 registered voters.
The Board of Elections Office will be open from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. for one-stop voting through Friday, Nov. 4, and from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5.
Absentee ballots that have been mailed out must be returned to the Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7.
A sample ballot is printed on page 3B.
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