For a town that may only have 300 voters show up to the polls, the mayoral race in Maggie Valley has garnered plenty of interest this election year.

The five newcomers running for the Bryson City Board of Aldermen and mayor have made it clear they want to see some new faces on the board and some much-needed change to the town.

Regardless of who emerges victorious from Sylva’s mayoral election, the town will have an experienced face at the center of the table. All three candidates for the seat currently serve as aldermen and hope to guide the town toward a better future as its next mayor.

With two of the three Sylva board members up for re-election jumping into the mayoral race, Sylva is guaranteed to get at least two new faces on the board after the November elections. The three open seats attracted a field of five candidates spanning an age range from 28 to 78.

Town elections aren’t always competitive affairs. For some municipalities, it’s a challenge just to get enough people to run to fill the empty seats — and that’s what happened to Webster and Forest Hills this go-around. Both towns will sport ballots with one candidate fewer than the number of seats available.

The Canton Board of Aldermen has made major headway in the last two years by putting policies in place that will hopefully set the stage for a more prosperous future, which is why the incumbents up for election this year are scratching their heads wondering why they don’t have the support from everyone on the board.

What to spend money on and what to pass up? The Waynesville town board faces this question month in and month out. Seemingly small budget decisions can have some of the biggest impacts on residents’ daily lives.

Small towns all over the region are in the midst of municipal elections and a majority of them are contested races. New candidates and incumbents have plenty of issues to discuss as they try to manage shrinking budgets, improve aging infrastructure and position themselves for positive future growth. As early voting starts Thursday, Oct. 22, residents are urged to inform themselves about the issues and vote for the candidates they think will do what is in the best interest of the taxpayers.

Clyde may be a tiny little two-stoplight town, but at a recent candidate forum, the panel of contenders for seats in the upcoming town board elections was full of ideas on how to grow the town while maintaining its close-knit heritage.

The town of Canton elected a whole new board two years ago when all four aldermen decided not to run for another term.