Jackson County Democrats have chosen the candidate they think can beat Republican incumbent John Smith in November.

Sean Bridgers is a Western Carolina University graduate who built a career as a working actor after growing up in Sylva. Bridgers opposed the county’s withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system and criticized rapid budget growth, calling for transparency, deliberation and responsible fiscal management.

The November commission contest will unfold amid mounting debate over government growth and cultural division. In recent years, Jackson County’s operating budget expanded markedly, leading to higher property tax bills and sharper public scrutiny. Supporters of the increases cited inflation, staffing demands and expanded services. Critics argued spending had accelerated beyond necessity.

The decision to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system intensified those disputes. Advocates framed the move as asserting local authority over library policy. Opponents warned it could raise costs and weaken regional cooperation. Together, fiscal pressure and the library controversy highlighted broader tensions about governance, transparency and the county’s future trajectory.

Bridgers' opponent has come under scrutiny, like fellow Jackson County Commissioner Jenny Hooper, for failing to attend meetings of at least one advisory board he was appointed to — the Jackson County Public Library board. Smith also violated state law by failing to complete state-mandated ethics training within the statutory 12-month period after his election.

Francis Owens, Bridgers' Primary Election opponent, came away with 31% of the vote, not enough to top Bridgers' 69%. 

Check back with The Smoky Mountain News for full results and detailed analysis across Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties in our March 11 issue.

Steven Sutton, a Republican candidate for Jackson County Commission District 1, will face Democrat Casey Walawender in November after defeating Anthony Sequoyah in the Primary Eleciton. 

Casey Walawender will advance to November with a decisive win over three other Democratic candidates for Jackson County Commission's District 1.

More than a decade after Jackson County residents helped finance and shape what became one of the county’s most visible civic institutions, a longtime library advocate returned to the commissioners chamber Jan. 6 to issue a warning — decisions made now could quietly unravel what the community deliberately built together.

Jackson County’s various governing boards spent much of the year demonstrating that governing does not require attendance, consistency, basic curiosity about consequences, respect for the law or for the feelings of taxpayers, voters and young people. 

To the Editor:

For nearly 100 years, the Fontana Regional Library System has reflected the traditional mountain values of literacy, truth and community responsibility. These values guided our grandparents who built the first libraries in these mountains. They guided our parents who supported them. And they guide many of us today. Yet these long-held values are now at risk. 

After months of tension between Jackson County and the Fontana Regional Library system, commissioners appear to be charting a new course — one that could ultimately reverse their June decision to withdraw from the regional library partnership. 

At the very end of their Nov. 4 meeting, Jackson commissioners discussed three proposed amendments to the Fontana Regional Library interlocal agreement. 

To the Editor:

The decision facing Jackson County’s leaders is more than an administrative matter. It is a test of values. Will our commissioners uphold the long tradition of education, cooperation and integrity that has defined our community, or will they yield to a small, insistent minority determined to restrict access to educational information under the false banner of protecting children? 

Jackson County commissioners have approved a sweeping new conservation framework designed to balance growth with preservation across some of the most ecologically significant lands in Western North Carolina, located in the southern part of the county. 

Minutes from the Dec. 3, 2024, meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners show that newly elected Commissioner Jenny Lynn Hooper “stated her willingness to serve on the Tourism Development Authority, Transit Board and the Mountain Projects board.” Records from those three boards show she’s missed at least 13 of 16 meetings this year.