After interviewing five applicants that applied to serve out an unexpired term on the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen, the board unanimously appointed Twinkle Patel to the seat. 

The town of Waynesville swore in Haywood County’s first openly gay elected official — Biltmore Farms Director of Information Systems Anthony Sutton — last week, but the real story may be the retirement of a once-controversial and divisive issue in American politics.

Waynesville’s new mayor and aldermen haven’t even been sworn in yet, but based on how the board’s most recent regular meeting transpired, a new dynamic in how town government will operate in the future appears to be taking shape. 

Like much of the United States in 2015, the Town of Waynesville was still straining to stand up straight after the Great Recession of 2008 knocked it knobby-kneed; although Western North Carolina suffered less and recovered quicker, erasing a decade’s worth of economic growth comes with consequences — declining property values, a general economic malaise and few forward strides taken. 

They’re all hotel owners, they’re all devoted volunteers in their community and they’re all running for a seat on the Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen. 

Much like this summer, a simple real estate transaction has led to important consequences for the Canton Board of Aldermen/women. 

The three remaining members of the Canton Board of Aldermen/women have decided not to appoint anyone to a board seat left unexpectedly vacant by the resignation of an alderman June 13. 

Just 18 months after winning the second of two open alderman seats in the town of Canton, James Markey told the Canton Board of Aldermen/Women June 13 that he was resigning his office due to a change in residency. 

Franklin’s new and returning councilmembers were recently sworn into office and immediately started conducting business during the December regular meeting.

Just a couple of weeks ago, Billy Mashburn discussed with The Smoky Mountain News his continued goals and vision for his hometown of Franklin.