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Sylva voters made difficult choices
Sylva voters were fortunate to have five qualified candidates on the ballot for three available town board seats in Tuesday’s election.
The closeness of the vote shows the choice wasn’t easy for town residents to decide who won the four-year terms.
In the end, they went with a combination of experience and fresh perspective, which should be good for the town.
Maurice Moody was rewarded for his hard work during 10 years as a board member by being the leading vote-getter. Moody has never been afraid to speak his mind on issues, and voters apparently appreciated that fact.
Sarah Graham, a political newcomer, finished second in the balloting. The director of the Downtown Sylva Association, Graham has spent numerous volunteer hours heading up the popular Bridge Park project, and that undoubtedly resonated well with voters.
The third seat won’t be decided until the vote canvass, set for next Tuesday, Nov. 13. Incumbents Danny Allen and Ray Lewis are tied for that spot. If two provisional ballots and the vote canvass don’t determine a winner, a coin flip could be needed to settle the race.
Allen and Lewis are both former Sylva police officers and are to be commended for their work on the board regardless of the final outcome. Allen has served six years; Lewis is completing a four-year term.
Although he came up short, Mike Beck ran a strong race in his first bid for political office. Beck has shown he is community-minded for years as a member of the Sylva Volunteer Fire Department, which he currently serves as chief.
Meanwhile in Forest Hills, voters showed their appreciation for the job Jim Davis has done as mayor the past two years. In 2005, Davis and Sue Burton tied in the mayor’s race with Davis winning on a coin flip. A rematch between the candidates had Davis garnering 68 percent of the vote.
With a coin flip determining who would be the Forest Hills mayor two years ago and the possibility of a coin flip to determine a Sylva board seat this election, voters should be reminded once again of how important one vote can be.
On another note, voters in five Western North Carolina counties overwhelmingly rejected an increase in the land transfer tax while two counties decisively turned down a sales tax increase. Jackson County commissioners now have a tough decision regarding putting one or both of those measures on the ballot here in 2008.
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