Early voting in the Franklin town election begins tomorrow (Oct. 14). Early voting continues through Oct. 30 and will be held Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Macon County Community Building. On Friday, Oct. 22 the Leaf Lookers Gemboree will be taking place at the community building, but voters can bypass the event’s entrance line and go in.
Tuesday, Nov. 2, will be Municipal Election Day with voting at Franklin Town Hall from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. The last day to request an absentee ballot by mail will be 5 p.m. Oct. 26.
Sample ballots are available. For more information, call the Board of Elections at 828-349-2034 or visit the website at maconnc.org/board-of-elections.
Vice Mayor Jack Horton is running unopposed in the mayor’s race. Incumbent Mayor Bob Scott announced in July that he would not run for re-election. Scott, who has served as mayor since 2013, said he is leaving the town in good hands with Horton and new Town Manager Amie Owens.
Three council seats are up for grabs. Council member Dinah Mashburn is not running for re-election. Incumbent David Culpepper is serving his first term on the council and is running to retain his seat. The third seat was held by Vice Mayor Barbara McRae who died in March. In addition to Culpepper, candidates running for town council are Stacy Guffey, JimBo Ledford, Rita Salain and Frances Seay.
With Horton vacating his seat on the council, the newly elected council will appoint someone to replace him once he takes office as mayor.
The five candidates running for council agree on many issues facing the town – economics (jobs and growth), social (housing, education) and the role our natural resources and outdoor recreation play in the local economy. All the candidates mentioned the need for better sidewalks as a way to make the town more walkable, improve overall livability and bring more people into town.
The Franklin Press asked the candidates to identify the top issues facing the town and how to address those. Additional information from the candidate interviews will be provided in upcoming issues of the paper.
David Culpepper
Culpepper wants to more clearly define the advantages of living in town and making sure residents get the most from their town taxes.
“We need to find out what we want to do as a town that differentiates us from maybe living just outside the town,” he said. “What do we get for our in-town taxes?” he asked. Related to that, he said as property values continue to increase the town will have to decide whether to adjust the millage rate to keep property taxes at a similar level or use the extra tax revenue to provide more services. “People who live in town don’t see enough return on their city taxes,” he said.
As a council member, Culpepper said he is proud of what the town has done and the steps it is taking to move forward. “The town is doing a pretty good job – the wheels are not falling off the wagon by any means.”
But he says there is still work to do. One of those is sidewalk improvements. “Walkability is huge in my book,” he said. “If you pay in-town taxes you ought to be able to smell a sidewalk outside your front door.”
He would also like to see the town and county working together to create more connections on the Greenway. He said the Greenway is not underused, but it is an under-funded asset. He is pleased to see the progress the town is making with the Whitmire property by making it so more people can use it with additions such as the disc golf course and the proposed skate park.
When running for his first term, creating opportunities for outdoor recreation was an emphasis for Culpepper, and continues to be.
With Franklin having multiple waterways and being surrounded by the mountains, he says we live in a “bowl of beauty,” but it needs to be more easily accessible.
He believes the town has a role in educating people about what they can do with their downtown businesses and properties. He said the town paid someone to help the town develop a comprehensive plan that outlines guidelines for managing and guiding growth. “If we pay somebody to do it, we need to pay attention.” He wants to see the town do more to try to help local businesses thrive. “It shouldn’t be ‘no’, it should be ‘how.” We should actually try to help them.”
He realizes there is some concern that more attention is given to attracting tourists or retirees than serving the residents that live here. “My vision is if you make a town a great place to live, you’re not going to stop the tourists or the older folks from coming.”
Stacy Guffey
Guffey said the town must be prepared for growth. “I think there will be a lot of growth pressure.” When talking about economic development, he wants to make sure it’s not just about advertising for more people to come here, that it also takes into consideration the people who live here.
“The growth is going to come. The people that live here, we all have to be honest about it and for some people that’s a little scary.” He said that is true for people who have lived here for generations as well as people who have moved here to get away from more populated areas. “How do we make sure the growth benefits the space and the people here the most without drastically changing most of our lifestyle.”
Like Culpepper, he would like to see the town do more to help small businesses. “We should pay as much attention to small, local businesses as we do the chains. People have more interest in what we have that is unique,” he said. “Are there things we could do better to help people start a small business?”
“We have to look at it from the real economics behind it,” he said, noting that supporting local businesses boosts the overall local economy because most of the money spent at those businesses remains here rather than going to larger corporations outside the area. He would like to explore ways to incentivize people to do more business with local businesses.
Tied to helping businesses grow is the need for workers and affordable housing and rental units for workers. “Housing is a huge issue,” he said. “How are we going to fill the labor shortage?”
Guffey said as high-speed internet becomes more readily available, people working at high-paying jobs can live here and work remotely. Others may be interested in starting their own business.
Balancing growth with keeping that small-town feel is key in revitalizing downtown. Guffey bought the building where the Scottish Tartans Museum is located on Main Street and renovated it to include his office and apartments on the upper floor.
He said Franklin can offer the kind of environment younger generations are looking for, and the outdoor recreational opportunities help create a better, healthier lifestyle. “This is still a great place to raise a family,” he said. “It’s a peaceful place to live, a beautiful place to live.”
JimBo Ledford
Ledford says trade education is vital to creating a work force. “We need to get the trades back in the schools immediately,” he said. “It is more of a global issue than people are acknowledging.” Ledford completed a trade program and owns a plumbing business. “There are jobs for people to do with their hands and their minds.”
As other candidates pointed out, housing and work opportunities go hand-in-hand. He said the town does not have enough housing, especially in the rental market, making it difficult for people to find affordable housing. He said maybe the town could look at some non-traditional housing options. “There is a problem, but there are solutions,” he said.
Ledford, who operates a local event venue, says there is an overall lack of entertainment and a lack of use of the area’s natural resources. “I think there are ways to take advantage of our natural resources.” He liked the idea of a river arts district that was suggested a few years ago. “I think you can protect the river while at the same time take advantage of what is here.” He likes seeing the changes coming to the Whitmire property and would like to see a multi-use park there.
Some of his other suggestions include giving downtown a facelift, roof-top dining, apartments in the upper floors of the buildings downtown, finishing the Greenway, and cleaning up along the river.
He thinks the town does a good job of promoting what is here, but when you consider all the people coming to Western North Carolina to visit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, he believes there is an opportunity to bring more people to Franklin and Macon County.
With that being said, he thinks the primary focus should be the residents with tourists taking second priority. “We can take the tourists’ money and train our people.”
Ledford said something must be done about the services lost at Angel Medical Center. “Those needs are not being met,” he said, mentioning specifically the loss of the labor and delivery department.
Rita Salain
Salain wants to help continue sustainable development and create a business culture that recognizes the important role of small businesses in the community. She would like to see the town create a cohesive, straight-forward plan that looks at ways to develop downtown, especially Main Street, which she sees as the heart of Franklin, and more business opportunities. She said the town needs to be strategic about what jobs are brought in and help people find the resources to go to school or get the training they need to fill those jobs.
“Franklin is rich in people resources and natural resources,” she said. “Protecting the environment and taking full advantage of the beauty and history of our area is a positive, smart growth strategy.”
Part of that strategy is cleaning up the town, improving livability and making town more walkable with better sidewalks. She said a healthy environment is tied to a healthy economy. She is glad to see the town moving forward with hiring a code enforcement officer. “Litter is almost out of control, there are too many abandoned cars,” she said. “We need to think about this as a major effort to make our town healthier and better.”
She sees the Nikwasi Mound as a good example of organizations working together and sharing resources. “I believe the Cherokee Corridor is going to be a big thing,” she said. “A lot of people are interested in that part of our heritage.”
In looking at our natural resources, she said the town and organizations could look at what is already available and build on that such as doing something along the river, doing more to promote Franklin as a designated AT community, or some type of outdoor sporting event, and the Greenway is a major way for people to see the town and river.
Frances Seay
“Economic issues are huge,” Seay said. She would like to see the town explore investing in small businesses or industries that offer openings at multiple hiring levels. “Good jobs that you can provide for a family.” She’s also interested in finding businesses that can fill the existing empty storefronts.
She wants to learn more about how to keep local businesses viable. “Tourism is an industry, we have to realize that, but it can’t be the only industry. Sometimes tourism only benefits a few people.” She suggested an expo to showcase other businesses in town so they can share with people the types of goods or services they offer.
She is also concerned about crime and safety, especially for children and elderly people. She wants to make sure people on the Greenway, at the dog park or the skate park when it’s built feel like they are safe. Related to that are some of the rundown properties in town. She said people will not want to live in town if there are dilapidated houses and the sidewalks are unsafe to walk on. She mentioned an elderly lady who had a difficult time getting to her mailbox because the sidewalk at her house is in poor condition.
Another priority for her are social issues such as homelessness, housing and struggling single-parent families. As a teacher, she understands education can help address many of those issues. “Education has to be a focus for everyone,” she said.