Murphy – The Republican Party primary for Cherokee County commissioner on March 3 includes contested ballots for three seats, and eight candidates made their pitches to fill those seats Thursday night during a political forum at the Cherokee County Courthouse.
The forum was sponsored by the Cherokee County Republican Party, Cherokee Scout and Local TV4. Scout Publisher David Brown was the moderator.
Here’s the breakdown:
- District 1: Incumbent Cal Stiles, a retired business owner, is defending his seat against retired schools superintendent Jeana Conley and former Andrews alderman/former county commissioner/business owner Steve Jordan. The winner of that race will go on to face Democrat Rex Cable, who is running unopposed in the primary, in the Nov. 3 general election.
- District 3: With Commissioner Ben Adams off the ballot, school board Chair Steve Coleman is running against Mark Stalcup in the primary. The winner of that race will go on to face Democrat Judith Bodley, who is running unopposed in the primary, in the Nov. 3 general election.
- District 4: Incumbent Dan Eichenbaum, a surgical ophthalmologist with an MD, is defending his seat against Four Square Community Action Executive Director Sue Lynn Ledford and retail executive Barry Killian. Another candidate who is on the ballot, Tom O’Leske, has dropped out and is backing Killian.
The questions asked that are included in this story are:
- Animals: Animal control and the county’s relationship with the Valley River Humane Society, which provides shelter capacity for the county for an annual fee of $250,000.
- Petition: A county petition asking for the U.S. Forest Service to turn over land to develop into a state park.
- Schools: A proposed pre-kindergarten-through-eighth grade consolidated school in the Murphy region.
- Industry: The growth of high-impact technology industries in the county.
Here are some of what the candidates said, in the same order as their introductions at the forum.
Cal Stiles
Stiles said he has 40 years of experience”conservative business experience,” adding that the county with its $60 million budget should be run like a business.
Animals: “We don’t want to get into the animal control business,” he said, adding that neither the shelter nor the county can make it on their own in housing homeless dogs and cats.
A solution for the shelter being over capacity was having the shelter subsidize animal care for individuals who are waiting for a space at the shelter for their surrendered pets.
“We could have given them $250,000 and gone home. We went the extra mile,” he said.
Petition: Stiles said the Forest Service and Tennessee Valley Authority own around 40% of the county and that annual “payment in lieu of taxes,” or PILT, don’t make up for what the county could receive in property taxes if the land was privately owned.
Schools: Stiles said he opposed a high school consolidation plan four years ago because the county needs three high schools and because the $50 million grant only covered half the cost to build a new campus. He said the community needs to be involved “because taxpayers pay the bills.
“We still don’t have a cost on the plan,” he said. “We’re putting the cart before the horse.”
Industry: Stiles said the board spent a lot of time, effort and money to come up with protections.
“The problem is that we have a ripple effect and that commissioners “have to protect the pocket book.”
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump likely supersedes any local ordinances, Stiles said. He hopes these industries are taxed appropriately.
Steve Jordan
Jordan said he has 21 years of experience on the Andrews Board of Alderman and one four-year term on the board of commissioners.
Animals: Jordan said there are problems with stray animals that need to be addressed.
Petition: Jordan said a state park would be a “great thing” but called for preservation of the lake as it is.
Schools: Jordan said “kids are most important,” wants to keep a three-high-school system, with no new taxes – “we pay too much now,” he said.
Industry: Jordan said the plants cause noise and power outages. “We need to watch, watch, watch and save the power we got for the citizens,” he said.
Jeana Conley
Conley described herself as an educator.
Referring to the county board of commissioners, she said, “I think we can do better” and vowed to promote long-range planning.
Animals: Conley said the shelter provides a vital service for the county and would be a good test case to work on a problem and not “vilify each other at every turn.
Petition: Conley said the board needs to do a better job letting people know what it is working on. An earlier version of the petition called for privatization of Hiwassee Lakeshore property, and Conley said she understands why that might be advantageous, but the count needs to find a way to tax properties.
“I don’t agree with commercial development,” she said. She called for community meetings to discuss plans for a state park.
Schools: Conley said the plan would put more than 1,200 students on the same campus. “I want to see how that will improve learning,” she said, adding traffic and lunchtime service as logistical problems. “It may save money.”
“How does that look?” Conley said. “I want to see the data before I approved the plan.”
Industry: Conley said the county has missed out on charging impact fees that have netted other counties millions of dollars.
Sue Lynn Ledford
Ledford, a nurse by profession, said she led the state’s largest county health department in Wake County as well as state agencies.
Animals: Ledford said, the problem with that relationship is a lack of planning. Animal control is the county’s responsibility and obligation, and she vowed to work diligently with the sheriff’s office, health department and the humane society to develop a long-term solution.
Petition: Ledford said lakeside parks have benefited neighboring counties and could do so in Cherokee County, as well.
Schools: Ledford said there have been no meaningful conversations between the commissioners and school board and that decisions seem “predetermined” without an opportunity for public feedback.
Industry: Ledford said the county lacks a plan and impact assessment.
“You can’t just wait until something plops down in the middle,” she said. What is the county’s economic development plan? Schools plan? Public safety plan? Ledford said.
Barry Killian
Killian said he is good at finding dollars people think can’t be found and the county lacks a strategic plan, adding that he spent his career developing strategic plans.
Animals: Killian said a timeline needs to be developed to solve the issues and, once that is done, stick to it.
Petition: Killian said the county received $320,000 in payments from the federal government last year and worried the county would lose that if the property was privatized.
He said the petition was done without transparency and said he would keep regular office hours.
Schools: Killian said the school district is responsible for the plan and not the board of commissioners. He said the commissioners were “circumventing the elected school board” and that schools is the biggest issue the county faces.
Industry: Killian said the county needs to find out the real demands of these industries on power, water and infrastructure, and develop a strategic plan to deal with it.
Dan Eichenbaum
Eichenbaum said his focus has been education and to “keep government off our land and out of our lives.”
Animals: Eichenbaum said he worked privately with humane society officials to address problems. A measure he helped develop was making it easier for prospective adopters to see the available animals.
“We don’t have the money for our own facility,” he said, pointing out that the county pays less than a quarter of the shelter’s $1.1 million operating cost.
Petition: Eichenbaum referred to an earlier version that called for lakeshore property to be privatized.
Eichenbaum wrote the initial petition and later argued that the land was taken by the federal government beyond its needs and should be returned to the families.
He said the county has been trying to get a state park for eight years.
Schools: Eichenbaum said there had been many “meaningful discussions” between both boards but that the school board lacks a comprehensive plan for the consolidation include cost estimates.
“So far, we have not had a plan,” he said.
Industry: Eichenbaum said the board tried to write an ordinance that would protect the county but was advised by its lawyer that enforcement would be difficult and costly.
Mark Stalcup
Stalcup said he has no agenda but to serve the public.
Animals: Stalcup said the shelter does a great job and without it, the county would be in a “world of hurt.” He said the county needs to plan ahead.
Petition: Stalcup said a park in Unaka is a long drive and that the county should wait to see what the forest service actually makes available.
Schools: Stalcup said Clay County is a good example of cooperation between its elected boards and has secured three school construction grants from the state as a result.
Cherokee County has lost $100 million in grants in the past four years, he said, urging both boards to work together.
Industry: Stalcup said he was shocked when he saw developments at a generative AI plant in Marble and is concerned about environmental impacts.
“We have to deal with this with ordinances in place, whether enforceable or not,” he said adding that without an ordinance, the county becomes attractive to that industry.
Steve Coleman
Coleman arrived late to the forum after he presided as chair of a Cherokee County Board of Education meeting earlier that night. He was not at the forum in time to answer the question about animals.
Petition: Coleman said he didn’t agree with the original petition but does agree with a state park, which he said could be a “an economic boon” for the county although the forest service was unable to run a campground viably.
Schools: Coleman said he has worked diligently for four years on a consolidation plan.
The pre-K-eighth grade plan was approved on a unanimous vote by the school board before it was sent to the commissioners for their consideration.
The school system has put out a request for qualifications for services to get real cost estimates, and will hold town halls once those numbers are available.
Industry: Coleman said if the county can’t keep those industries out, it needs to get some benefit.
Details: Watch the forum via a link to Local TV4 on the Cherokee Scout’s Facebook page.