Sylva faces tight budgets, deep division
This year’s election contest in Sylva has drawn a wide field of challengers.
File photo
The small Jackson County town of Sylva faces challenges similar to other Western North Carolina communities — balancing quality of life with growth while struggling with a relatively slim tax base requiring tight annual budgets — but divisive social issues have left the town and the county more polarized than ever.
Into that environment step seven candidates seeking three seats on the Sylva Town Council in two separate races. The winners will join incumbents Blitz Estridge and Brad Waldrop on council and serve under incumbent Mayor Johnny Phillips, who is also up for reelection but is unopposed.
Waldrum v. everybody
With the retirement of Mary Gelbaugh, a longtime commissioner, Joe Waldrum is one of only two incumbents on council seeking to retain a seat.
Waldrum was born and raised in middle Tennessee before moving to Sylva in 1995 to attend Western Carolina University, where he earned a degree in accounting and corporate finance. His career has spanned commercial banking, years as a stay-at-home parent and small business ownership in remodeling and woodworking. After the 2008 recession, he returned to Tennessee for work in internal audit and risk management, eventually serving as assistant director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office. He now serves as facilities director at Southwestern Community College, overseeing capital projects and operational budgets for campuses in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties.
“I ran initially because I love this town,” said Waldrum, who became quite emotional while recounting the reasons he decided to serve, and the reasons he wants to continue to serve. “It’s given a lot to me and my family. It’s not perfect. It’s a diverse kind of mountain town that’s changed a lot. There’s a lot of craziness going on in the country, and I just felt like I could bring the skills that I have and perhaps put those to use. These times demand thoughtful leadership, and not just reaction.”
The race initially drew six candidates; however, Dwight McMahan, a career sheriff’s office employee, recently withdrew. According to the Jackson County Board of Elections, ballots were reprinted and McMahan’s name will no longer appear on them, which leaves Waldrum, Taylor Armstrong, Calvin Autrey, Sam McGuire and a fifth candidate who declined to be interviewed competing for two seats. Voters may choose any two candidates.
Related Items
Poetry reading at City Lights
Handmade Holiday Sale
Western North Carolina voters look to move forward
Plot twist emerges in Jackson library fight
Armstrong was born in Florida but moved to Sylva with her family as a child in 1999, later earning an associate degree from Southwestern Community College. Professionally, she has a background in banking and now works as the county liaison for the Jackson County Farm Bureau.
“I’ve spoken about preserving the small-town feel and morals and values and traditions,” she said. “I do still want to grow economically, and I want to grow our small-town businesses in this town, absolutely, but I think that there’s a way to do those things and still preserve the heart of this town. And so that’s really my main focus. And just reminding everyone that we’re all citizens of this town. We’re all people. We’re all human.”
Born and raised in Jackson County, Autrey earned his high school diploma before going straight into the workforce, first spending four years at Carolina Tire, then 10 years at Sylva Tire, followed by two decades with Western Builders.
“I changed a lot of tires and dug a lot of ditches in my day,” he said.
Today, Autrey works at the ABC store. Married for 38 years, he said his deep roots in the community and concern for the town’s direction are what pushed him to run for office.
“You ride through town, you see all these dope heads. You see the homeless people. You see the weeds growed up knee-high,” he said. “You see where all these buildings has been torn down. I understand about progress, but with progress, that means get on with the program.”
McGuire is a native of Jackson County’s Beta community, where his family has deep roots through both the McGuire and the Cabe lineages. He graduated from Smoky Mountain High School, where he captained the football and track teams, earned the rank of Eagle Scout and ultimately completed a Ph.D. in Appalachian history, returning home in 2016 to teach U.S. history at Western Carolina University.
“History doesn’t repeat itself,” he said. “It rhymes, as I tell my students. History gives us context, and my specialty is Appalachian history. So growing up, I had heard family stories about family members and grandparents during the Great Depression, during the Civil Rights movement, and a lot of these challenges in the past that not only Sylva has faced, but all mountain counties have faced.”
County politics have forced the town to stake out a public position on several issues, including the Fontana Regional Library fight. In June, Jackson County commissioners voted 4-1 to leave an eight-decade partnership with the system over LGBTQ content.
Although Sylva did eventually pass a resolution in support of the FRL — more than a month after commissioners voted to withdraw from the system — the Village of Forest Hills took it a step further by cancelling a small contract with the county for planning services. Waldrum voted for the resolution twice, and thinks the fight isn’t yet over.
“I’m willing to do whatever it takes to turn this ship around because to me, it does not make sense,” he said. “It’s my understanding there’s one book that maybe they want relocated to some other place in the library, and I think there’s things that could be worked out, rather than burning down the whole facility in order to accomplish that.”
McGuire, who expressed strong support for the resolution during an Aug. 21 candidate forum, also shared his deep concern over the withdrawal and said he’d be open to next steps.
Autrey didn’t answer one way or the other about his support for the resolution, but he did stake out a nuanced position balancing intellectual freedom with concern for minors.
“I’m the first one for freedom of press, and no, they shouldn’t outlaw books,” he said. “But if me or you was to show pictures like that to a 10-year-old, let me tell you what, me and you’d be going to court and we would be on that there predator list.”
Armstrong may be one of very few people in Jackson County to have not yet formulated a position on the library, saying she’d have to do more research to decide if she would have supported the resolution were she on council at the time.
“I’ve seen the books that the whole issue was regarding. I’ve followed the issue and the articles in the paper, and I’ve listened to people on both sides,” she said. “I try to keep an open mind. I understand both sides of it. I do feel that there should be some regulation as to what kind of books our children have access to, but at the same time, it’s all on how you raise your kids too.”
The other county-level issue residents of Sylva must contend with is the substantial property tax increase passed by commissioners in June. Armstrong acknowledged that nobody likes to pay more taxes but allowed that sometimes they are necessary, especially if they’re used in positive ways.
“It affected us, absolutely,” she said. “Again, I try to keep an open mind, and I can see how it would be needed.”
By contrast, Calvin Autrey called the increase “a little heartbreaking” for working families.
“Me and my wife, we both work every day. Yes, we can afford to pay taxes. But what about these poor people that’s living off of $600 or $700 a month [in] Social Security? They’ve had to save all year to pay the taxes,” he said.
McGuire alluded to the increase in terms of the estimated $500,000 in additional funding from the county that will be required to operate an independent library in perpetuity, which may lead to another tax increase for the county next year.
“I think about those numbers, and think about all of the other services, or all of the other benefits that that money could go toward,” he said, calling for greater dialogue with commissioners.
Waldrum, with extensive financial experience, looked at the situation more philosophically, for both the town and the county.
“You can either elevate the income or decrease the expenses,” he said. “Decreasing the expenses is perhaps a better way to do that. And the library is a case in point — $500,000 is a lot of money, and so that’s an area where we could probably take a good, hard look at and help the property tax-paying citizens out a little bit by not making moves that are going to increase expenses.”
The town’s Community Care Program, which has received national attention for pairing police with a social worker, also drew starkly different views. Autrey rejected the approach outright.
“Law enforcement comes with a badge and a gun, son, and they need to stand up and do their job,” he said.
Armstrong said she supports the program “if it is being effectively used and it’s consistent,” and would back expansion to provide coverage on every shift. Currently, availability is limited. Waldrum said he’d support expansion if the numbers warrant it, but McGuire went further, praising the initiative and arguing for similar partnerships to address the wide spectrum of issues connected to mental health, homelessness and substance abuse.
“I am delighted with the with how successful the Community Care program has been. I would support expanding it. I actually just went on a ride-along with the Sylva Police Department on Monday and it was very interesting. It was very informative,” he said. “This is kind of my workhorse mentality of trying to learn as much as I can. I got to be an eyewitness to some of those issues and their impact on families.”
Economic growth along the N.C. 107 redevelopment project was another topic where candidates displayed a wide range of opinions on what, exactly, should happen once the project is complete. The town has already lost more than 40 businesses to the project and is eager for new ones to take their places.
Armstrong stressed small-town character over big-box development, warning that high-end retailers would drive away young families.
“I think it’s important for us to provide an example of the reality of building a business and how that looks, starting out,” she said. “The reality is that you’re not going to start out on top. The foundation of our country was built on small towns like Sylva.”
McGuire, schooled in the lessons that have kept rural Southern Appalachia relatively poor over generations, spoke from a 30,000-foot view on the topic.
“This was an essay question that I posed to my Appalachian history students. [The paper mill in] Canton had just closed. I said, ‘Okay, here’s the situation. Go to your community. Try to talk through the costs and benefits of all of these options.’ The crucial aspect is trying to understand that there isn’t a silver bullet. There’s not a cure-all,” he said. “You want a very diversified economy.”
Autrey pushed for urgency above all else.
“If you’ve got a stretch of road and ain’t no businesses, people ain’t going to stop,” he said, quickly pointing out that there’s nary a large outfitter, like Bass Pro Shop or Dick’s Sporting Goods, to be found in an area with substantial demand for outdoor activity equipment.
Waldrum took probably the most unique approach to economic development along 107, recalling that one of the main goals of the project was to increase safety. Development, he said, would be market-driven, but at the same time, there are limits.
“I think most folks that are in the town of Sylva do not want this to turn into Gatlinburg,” he said. “I like Sylva the way it’s flavored, but I think developing it smartly, a Bass Pro Shop probably doesn’t necessarily have a place here.”
The FRL debate isn’t the only place divisive social issues have been raised in Sylva — they’ve also surfaced in the debate over whether the town should approve an annual Pride parade. Estimates of town cost to close Main Street and accommodate a parade run between $7,500 and $8,500.
Armstrong said financial support from the town for Pride was not fiscally responsible but added that she had no problem with the content of the Pride parade. But other parades — Christmas, homecoming, Memorial Day, Fourth of July — all pretty much cost the same.
“Not holding those parades would be more detrimental to the heart of this town, because everybody is so used to those traditions,” she said.
McGuire took the opposite stance, insisting that objections about cost and logistics could be overcome.
LGBTQ issues remain among the most polarizing in both the town and the county. File photo
“Sylva Pride offered to pay for it,” he said. “I think that is a signal that changes the discussion significantly. It makes me wonder about other parades that we have — should that be a standard policy that whoever’s involved either pays for it or pays part of it? I know our budget is an issue, and so that’s kind of where this mountain common sense comes in.”
Although Autrey thinks people shouldn’t flaunt their sexuality in public, he supports the right of organizers to hold the parade — if they pay for it themselves.
“Everybody’s got their own thing. If you’re gay, you’re gay. I’m straight. The gay community is trying to force this down people’s throat. What you do in your bedroom is your business and should not be drug out in the street,” he said. “If they want to have a gay parade, or a Pride parade as they call it, fine. You pay for the police officer, you pay for shutting down the road, you pay for the businesses that’s going to lose money because you’re parading up down the street.”
Waldrum has been a strong supporter of Pride, saying during the candidate forum, “everybody’s welcome, and everybody should have equal rights and be represented in the town of Sylva.” He said he’s been speaking with Sylva Pride and trying to find a way to satisfy all parties; he’s also polled business leaders who, contrary to Autrey’s claim, say they experience a positive economic impact from the Pride parade.
“I believe there’s justification right there,” Waldrum said in support of the town picking up the cost for Pride — just as it does for other parades. “I think whatever we can do to support our neighbors, our businesses, our citizens, I think we need to do just that.”
Brown v. Matthews
In addition to the five-candidate free-for-all, there is another one-on-one race where voters will have to choose between incumbent Jon Brown’s performance and challenger Perry Matthews’ potential to address the same issues as the other candidates.
Sarah Hirsh, a vocal FRL supporter, initially filed to run but later dropped out. Like McMahan, her name won’t be on the ballot, leaving only Matthews and Brown.
Brown, who was born and raised in Sylva, graduated from Smoky Mountain High School in 1998 and later earned a doctorate in physical therapy from Franklin Pierce University. He now works at the Cherokee Indian Hospital and has served on the town board since being appointed to fill a vacancy in 2024.
“When I am going to vote on something, I don’t jump to conclusions. I like to hear all the angles. I like to hear all sides, and I like to do my research,” he said.
Matthews, born in Cherokee in 1985 and raised in Jackson County, studied culinary arts and hospitality management at Southwestern Community College after early work in construction and restaurants. He managed Guadalupe Café before becoming general manager and executive chef at Meatballs Pizzeria, while also teaching culinary classes at his alma mater.
“I’m really here for my community and just for us to keep moving forward to the future together as a community,” he said. “That’s my whole reason for running.”
As an indigenous person, Matthews acknowledged that outside the Qualla Boundary, elected officials with Cherokee ancestry are rare. Although not an enrolled member due to complex generational paperwork snafus, that doesn’t make Matthews any less Cherokee, or any less proud to be Cherokee.
“I’ve worked hard to not be looked at as just another kid from the rez because that has followed me my whole life,” he said. “I love my culture and I also love my community that I live in. I’m proud to represent the EBCI but am equally proud to represent the people of Sylva as a member of this amazing community.”
The resolution in support of FRL passed by council in June was certainly a statement. Asked if there was anything more council could or should do to make its voice heard, Brown said no.
“I honestly don’t think there is,” he said. “I think passing a resolution in support of our library and making our support known was sufficient for now, but I do think that we as a town need to support our library and ensure it stays open, because it’s a real treasure for our community.”
Pressed on the same question, Matthews was in general agreement with Brown, saying he doesn’t think the town should go any further, to avoid possible repercussions from Jackson County commissioners. Matthews does, however, want to continue to make it known that the withdrawal will have a concrete impact on taxpayers.
Pocketbook issues draw another contrast. On the county’s tax increase, Brown credited the process while urging restraint at the town level.
“Well, I have faith that they studied the situation and they raised the taxes to an appropriate level. No one likes for that to happen and for me my stance is, if we can avoid raising taxes at all costs let’s do so,” he said. “I think they were in a position where they had to. We could debate whether it was the right amount, if it was excessive, and I don’t know that I could speak to that in my position.”
Matthews described how residents — especially lower-income residents — experienced the hike.
“I was unaware of this until all of a sudden, on Facebook, I started seeing people actually post the increase in their property taxes,” he said. “I was like, how did this happen? We’re already in an area where rents and housing has increased triple and quadruple but the cost for labor in an average employee has not.”
Public safety is one place where they overlap, though they come at it differently. Brown emphasized outcomes from the Community Care Program.
“We voted it to be a permanent position, a paid position, and built that into our budget. The effect it’s had on our community, I think, has been nothing but positive, and yes, that’s why it’s been featured on PBS and publications all over,” Brown said. “I can’t say that it’s necessary to expand it right now. I don’t know that. I know that it’s had a very positive impact on our town, and I know in talking with Chief Hatton that it’s become an indispensable part of the police department. So I hope it continues.”
Matthews said growth could make sense if done right.
“I feel like there’s a way we can integrate some of that community care into some of the issues we’re having with the increased homeless population in the area, so that we are able to help them in a better way,” he said.
The long N.C. 107 rebuild is reshaping the town’s commercial spine. Brown talked about the upside and what could follow construction, mentioning remarks made by Mayor Johnny Phillips during the candidate forum in August.
“I think Mayor Phillips is right — this is an opportunity to kind of reinvent our town along that corridor,” he said. “I think once the project is done, it’s going to be an improvement, and so I hope folks will look at it as an opportunity, rather than pain in the rear. I’ve had several constituents tell me what they like to see, and that’s some new restaurants, maybe some new retail, opportunities for employment, for folks to have good quality jobs.”
Matthews focused on who benefits from what gets built.
“Are they going to be places that the community is going to be able to go and shop? Or is it going to be very specific businesses driven toward a certain kind of people; people with money, people who can afford to go and shop at Gucci or Dolce & Gabbana,” he said. “I definitely don’t want to see those popping up,” he said.
One of the most distinct differences between the two candidates is their stance on the Pride parade. Brown cited cost and community division as reasons to deny the permit.
“From what I have heard from most people our community, they don’t want to see the Pride parade happen,” he said. “Granted, there are a good number of folks in our town who do want that, so unfortunately it’s become a divisive issue, but I just don’t think it’s a prudent thing to have in our town.”
Matthews pointed to the bottom line from his vantage point in the local business community.
“It boosted local economy like crazy just with that event alone,” he said. “There were so many shops that would host little after-party things or get-togethers. It brought people from all over, not just Western North Carolina, but from other states.”
Early voting in the 2025 municipal elections begins Oct. 16. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
