Prior to election filings, incumbent alderman Eldridge Painter chose not to seek re-election for personal reasons. Incumbent alderwoman Anne Cabe dropped out of the race two weeks ago citing personal reasons. With two vacant seats and no opposition, the two candidates and political newcomers Stacy Knotts and Harold Hensley win by default, forgoing any sort of successful write-in campaign.

The lack of opposition means two things. First, Sylva voters essentially have no say in who will represent them on the town board post-Nov. 8. Secondly, with the only contested race that between Mayor Brenda Oliver and Alderman Danny Allen, voter turnout is expected to be perhaps even lower than normal.

So the question has arisen of how to get more residents involved in local government. If there are so few candidates willing to run that a contested election can’t be had, why should anyone turn out to vote? And if no one cares enough to vote, why should anyone put in the time and effort to shape the town’s future?

“I am really discouraged with the voter apathy that’s going on,” said Mayor Brenda Oliver.

Oliver, 64, was first elected to Sylva’s town board in 1981. In 1991 she was appointed mayor and was subsequently elected to the post three times from 1993 to 2001.

In last year’s election — which led to Allen assuming a seat on the town board and a hotly contested presidential election — just slightly more than 200 voters cast a ballot. The town has 1,758 registered voters, meaning only 11 percent cast votes.

“I think it’s a basic distrust of government,” Oliver cited as a reason for the low turn out.

The public may feel comfortable speaking with a board member one on one, but perhaps feel as though their opinion doesn’t matter on a larger scale. Allen said that isn’t true, that if anything public opinion may be an issue’s deciding factor.

“To me it’s their voice that would help us make a decision,” Allen said.

Allen, 49, manages Quinn Theaters and was elected to the town board for a two-year term in 2001 and a four-year term in 2003. A town board appointee will serve Allen’s remaining two years if he is elected mayor.

“They’ll stop you out in the street and say, ‘These street lights need to be fixed,’ or especially with me they’ll say something about the police department, but they won’t come to a board meeting,” said Allen, a former town of Sylva and Western Carolina University police officer.

But just making contact in the first place is a step in the right direction, Oliver said.

“The voters are pretty savvy, they call board members because they have the vote and I think that’s progress,” said Oliver, who as mayor can’t vote.

With her new seat on the town board, candidate Knotts is looking to help implement some changes, fostering more public participation through a suggestion box in town hall and a Web site with a virtual suggestion box. The online box would allow those who cannot come to regular meetings, held the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. and the third Thursday of the month at 10 a.m., to still have a chance to have a say so.

“If they have a quick idea they can just shoot it to us,” Knotts said.

Over the course of her campaign, Knotts, 34, and a stay-at-home mom, went door-to-door to the homes of more than 1,000 residents, spreading her message and encouraging people to get out and vote, regardless of their choice of candidates.

“I was surprised how many people didn’t even know an election was coming up,” Knotts said.

Of those who participate in local government, either by attending meetings to speak out on an issue or by serving on a committee, many names appear on multiple lists. New voices are heard usually only when an issue specifically relates to their personal interests.

“There’s a small number of people who they hear from all the time and there’s a large number of people who probably never say anything,” Knotts said.

Attempts to diversify committee rosters have been met with resistance, as those who are asked to help fulfill civic duty often turn down the opportunity.

“A lot of them don’t want to get involved,” Allen said.

Already the town puts out a quarterly newsletter that is mailed to all Sylva residents and also available at town hall. However, board members taking a more pro-active role in educating their communities, soliciting opinions and encouraging involvement is something Sylva officials should consider, said candidate Hensley.

“That might be a good policy,” he said.

Hensley’s candidacy came about as a result of family and friends asking him to run, which if nothing else is at least an expression of interest in the town’s future leadership. As the county seat and commercial epicenter for more than 35,000 Jackson County residents, Sylva’s growth and development is about more than just the community that lives within its limits, Hensley said.

“There’s some topics that need to be discussed not just for the town of Sylva,” he said. “The town of Sylva serves all of Jackson County.”

For example, while N.C. 107 — the main artery through town — is the most heavily traveled road county-wide, it also services some of the town’s largest retailers and sources of tax revenue such as Wal-Mart and Ingles, said Hensley, 68, who is a retired Jackson County Schools maintenance supervisor.

Early voting in Sylva’s town elections is open through Friday, Nov. 4.

“I have been telling people they must vote,” Oliver said. “I went up to vote the other day and I was the 18th person to vote.”

Mayor, pick one

• Brenda Oliver, 64, retired nurse and director of surgical services at WestCare, incumbent

• Danny Allen, 49, manager of Quinn Theaters, sitting alderman

Town board, pick two

• Harold Hensley, 68, retired maintenance supervisor for Jackson County schools

• Stacy Knotts, 34, stay-at-home mom