Macon Republican Primary candidates address issues ahead of election day
Seven Republicans are vying for three spots on November’s General Election ballot.
File photo
Many counties around Western North Carolina are working to address a host of similar issues — rapidly growing populations, a housing stock that can’t keep up, aging infrastructure and struggles filling staffing vacancies. Macon County boasts the second-lowest property tax rate in the state, but with capital projects on the horizon and pay raises demanded for several county departments, tough choices will need to be made by whoever is elected to the board in November.
This year, three seats are up for grabs in Macon County.
With commissioners Gary Shields and Danny Antoine not seeking reelection, two seats are open in the second district, which includes Franklin and the surrounding area. Democrats Terry Bell and Janet Jacobs Greene are not facing primary challengers and will automatically advance to the November Ballot. On the Republican side, Nick Lofthouse, David Culpepper, Dylan Castle and Kellie Burns are vying for two spots in the General Election. Danny Reitmeier will appear on the Republican primary ballot but told The Smoky Mountain News he has withdrawn from the race.
Commissioner John Shearl is seeking a second term representing District 1, which encompasses Highlands, Flats, Sugarfork and Elijay. Challenging Shearl in the Republican primary are Don Willis and Joey Wilson. The winner of that race will go on to face Democrat Russ Lunn in the General Election.
Voters who pull a Republican Primary ballot will be able to vote for candidates in both districts.
Shearl, a local business owner and former firefighter, won the Republican Primary in 2022 over Willis, amassing about 59% of the vote, and beat unaffiliated candidate Jerry Moore with almost two-thirds of the vote in that General Election. Willis has worked as a firefighter and spent the bulk of his career at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office, where he retired as the lieutenant over investigations. Wilson works in the construction industry, largely in the world of utilities.
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Kellie Burns is the manager and vice president at a local branch of a bank who also coordinates events to benefit local nonprofits and helps with tourism and development in the county. Castle is a pastor and business owner whose campaign has been firmly rooted in his religious beliefs. Culpepper is a business owner who just wrapped up his second term as a Franklin Town Council member, deciding to run for commissioner over a third term on that board. Lofthouse is a captain over crime prevention at MCSO and owns a small printing business.
At a Feb. 7 candidate forum hosted by the Macon County Republicans and posted to YouTube by Macon Media, the candidates weighed in on a series of issues the county is facing or will likely face soon.
To begin the forum, moderator Keith Blaine, who until recently served as the Jackson County GOP chair, asked a series of yes-or-no questions with candidates raising their hands to indicate where they stood.
The first question gauged who was in favor of the quarter-cent sales tax increase that will be on November’s ballot. Shearl and Willis indicated they were against the tax increase while everyone else raised their hand. Next, it was asked whether candidates would look at lowering property taxes if the budget was balanced. Shearl, Willis, Burns and Culpepper were in favor while Wilson, Castle and Lofthouse kept their hands down. All candidates agreed on supporting term limits for commissioners. When asked whether all county committee meetings — not just commissioner meetings — should be live-streamed, Shearl, Culpepper and Castle raised their hands while Willis, Wilson, Burns and Lofthouse kept theirs down.
After the “lightning round” was the question-and-answer phase. Here’s what the candidates had to say.
District 1
When asked how candidates would handle funds requested by a department that fall outside the approved budget, Willis said that departments, like households, need to live within their budget, but he added that sometimes tough circumstances warrant tough decisions and each request should be weighed on its merit. Wilson and Shearl agreed that while some requests can’t get the green light, there is a contingency built into the budget, a “rainy-day fund.” Wilson added that he would like to look for other sources of revenue. Shearl, as he did throughout the day, talked about his tenure on the board.
“This county has been [sic] ran outside that budget for decades, and I have fought every step of the way to live inside that budget,” Shearl said.
The discussion shifted to the importance of having “multigenerational roots” in Macon versus the importance of relevant skills and experience. Shearl opined that government should be run like any other business, bringing a scrutinous eye to expenditures and making that the most important thing. Willis said it’s key in any job, including commissioner, that someone is qualified for the role. Wilson, who noted his family has been in Macon County for six generations, going on seven, said skills are what’s most important, especially the ability to use foresight to make reasonable decisions.
“You don’t run a successful project if you can’t see three, four, six, eight, 10 months down the road. On a government level, we need to be looking 20 years down the line for Macon County. You can’t go election cycle to election cycle,” Wilson said.
Regarding Macon County’s growing population, one question asked what should be done to make sure housing stock and jobs can be made available to support the growth. Shearl said he’s glad people are coming to Macon County, since the largest economic driver is tourism, but he also lamented the lack of once-reliable manufacturing jobs. Wilson struggled to discuss a government solution but noted that he understands the problem well; given his experience in the construction industry, he said he knows how much the cost of building has gone up. Willis offered an answer similar to Wilson’s, adding also that he would like to find a way to incentivize short-term rental owners to consider long-term tenants.
The next question was where candidates draw the line between “informal collaboration” with other commissioners versus a public’s right to open, transparent meetings. Open meeting laws are defined by state statute, and local governments operate largely in accordance with precedent established by appellate courts. Wilson admitted he isn’t intimately familiar with those laws but said any time taxpayer money is involved, residents should know how decisions are made. Shearl and Willis both noted that there are exceptions such as personnel matters and land transactions involving the county that must discussed during a closed session. Shearl added that he often talks about things one-on-one with other commissioners as he considers how Macon County should move into the future, but that he abides by the sunshine laws, which dictate that any time three members of a five-person board meet up, it’s a quorum and is therefore public and needs to be properly noticed. Willis said he would make every effort to be as transparent as possible within the confines of statute.
“What we know, you should know,” Willis said.
Blaine asked whether candidates would be in favor of a hiring freeze on “nonessential vacancies” to free up money for raises going to “high-performing” employees. Candidates agreed that quality employees need to be paid what they’re worth and that without competitive wages, such talent will be lost. However, Shearl made it clear that he’s against an “across-the-board” pay scale like the county has now, something Willis agreed with. Wilson suggested seeking out new revenue sources to bolster merit-based pay raises.
Macon County currently has a fund balance over $60 million. The state recommends local governments maintain about 20% of annual operating expenses; Macon County sits at almost 100%. Candidates were asked whether that extra money should stay put, offset property taxes or go toward needs in the county. Willis and Wilson said they would like to see that money put into capital improvement projects and deferred maintenance. Shearl didn’t say exactly what he’d want to do with the money, but he was clear that he didn’t want to see taxpayers shoving more money at a government that has those kinds of reserves.
“I am totally against a government entity taking any more of your money when we’ve got plenty of your money already,” he said.
The last question asked what role the board should play through funding or policy to ensure pay for school bus drivers — who are hard to find statewide — is competitive. Shearl didn’t answer the question directly and discussed the current board’s commitment to schools, saying it has “given the school system about as much money as we can.” Willis said he wanted to study the issue more before voicing a strong opinion on the matter. Wilson, again saying he’d seek outside revenue sources, made it clear that bus drivers need a pay raise.
“If we can’t get our kids to school, what are we doing here?” he said.
District 2
On departments requesting funds outside the budget cycle, Castle said that the board should always consider where to “draw the line” to avoid the slippery slope of granting every request; however, he added that sometimes unforeseen issues must be addressed. Culpepper said that budgets, “painstakingly set,” should be followed as closely as possible with exceptions, noting that when he was a Franklin Town Council member there were times where funding opportunities came as matching grants, making it advantageous to use some taxpayer dollars to best stretch their dollar. Lofthouse said he understands budget cycles from his time at the sheriff’s office and understands that while not every request can be granted, kicking the can down the road when things may be more expensive in the future doesn’t do any good. Burns said that as a banker, she’s well acquainted with budgets, and that budgets are meant to be strictly adhered to. She recommended a “philanthropist initiative,” a way to find money through a foundation that collects donations for extra costs.
“Every time you readjust your budget, you don’t really have a budget. You just have a checkbook for anybody to take money out of,” Burns said.
Like the District 1 candidates, the District 2 candidates all thought skills are more important to consider than just how deep a candidate’s Macon County roots go. However, they also agreed that there is something to be said for someone who knows Macon County’s geography, people and needs in a way that only a local can. While Castle moved to the area as a child, attended college in Florida and then came back, he talked with an immigrant’s love for Macon County.
“I can tell you one thing. I have a heart for the people here,” he said.
When it comes to population growth, candidates discussed the fact that about half of Macon County is National Forest land, meaning there are both limited sites for development and less of a property tax base. While the federal government provides Payments in Lieu of Taxes, that amount never rivals what could be collected if that land were used to build the tax base. Burns and Castle mentioned that many workers in Macon County now have remote jobs, which can offer high pay. Their philosophy is that more remote workers means more tax dollars. Culpepper wanted to consider how to increase the stock of mid-range houses, which will then free up more affordable housing for those who need it.
Addressing transparency and open meeting laws, the candidates agreed that while there are closed sessions for a reason, they want to focus on being as transparent as possible. Castle and Lofthouse both said they would want to see the county have a more streamlined, reliable means to communicate directly with residents and business owners. Lofthouse recalled when harsh weather hit late last month, he “had to check eight to 10 social media places” to figure out whether schools, the courthouse, county transit and the like were open and running on schedule.
“One of the things the county fails at is we need one place for that information to come through,” Lofthouse said.
When asked about freezing hiring for vacancies to free up funding for merit-based raises, Lofthouse mentioned that the recommendations coming out of the last pay scale study commissioned several years ago were only partially implemented. He said that if they are going to “waste more money” on such studies that won’t be used anyway, then that money should just go to the employees, adding that freezing hiring isn’t a good long-term move. Burns thought employees could be encouraged to find waste in county government as an incentive to earn raises. Culpepper said that he wants to see particular attention paid to the “foot soldiers” who do the county’s work on the ground — the likes of janitors, jailers and teacher’s assistants — since they often are neglected when it comes to salary discussions. Castle said he thinks freezing hiring seems risky and that pay issues should be addressed, but he also noted that he’s concerned many county employees are also being pushed to do more, to wear “multiple hats.”
Regarding the “school bus driver crisis,” candidates noted how difficult — and how important — the job is. Castle thought a good starting place on this issue is maintaining a good relationship with Macon County Schools and the school board, considering they will best know what is working and what isn’t. Culpepper said that while the state lottery system was supposed to be the golden ticket for state schools and was initially supposed to provide 32% of revenue to schools, that amount has now been cut down to 16%. He ultimately recommended that local leaders push state representatives and senators to address the issue at their level.
On Macon County’s large fund balance, most candidates wanted to look at projects those funds could go toward, projects that will cost more money down the road with rising construction costs, with Burns specifically mentioning a new jail. Lofthouse said that while he thinks that’s a good idea, maintaining a healthy fund balance is an important sign to potential lenders that they are fiscally responsible. Culpepper said that if the money is spent, it’s important to not do things quickly and irresponsibly just because the money is there.
“It needs to be spent methodically to make the entire county a better place to live, work and play,” he said.
