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Murphy – Two Cherokee County commissioners resigned Monday evening following the first board of commissioners meeting after a bruising March 3 primary that they lost.
District 1 Commissioner Cal Stiles and District 4 Commissioner Dan Eichenbaum resigned at the end of the meeting following a closed session that led to county attorney Darryl Brown being let go.
“Commissioner Cal Stiles and Dr. Dan Eichenbaum resigned from office, immediately following adjournment of tonight’s meeting,” Maria Hass, clerk to the board, said in an email.
“Both resignations are effective immediately.”
In a followup email, Hass said, “The Board of Commissioners after returning to open session, terminated the county attorney, effective immediately.”
The commissioners’ resignations was not due to Brown’s termination, although it could be said that developments over the past year led to all three leaving county government.
Eichenbaum was the board’s representative overseeing the Cherokee County Department of Social Services, where lawsuits cost the county millions of dollars and increased property taxes through 2030.
Eichenbaum also penned a widely criticized “petition of grievances” in early 2025 that called for, among other things, privatization of Nantahala National Forest territory. Amid public outcry, Eichenbaum later doubled down. describing his vision for a luxury hotel on the shores of Hiwassee Lake.
Stiles – along with the entire board – signed the petition, which was withdrawn in January following a petition against it with more than 2,000 signatures.
During a candidates forum before the March primary, Eichenbaum and Stiles admitted they allowed a moratorium on high-impact industries in the county to expire, saying they were advised by Brown that defending against violations by billion-dollar corporations would cost more than the county would collect.
Brown was quoted as advising the board that the “juice wasn’t worth the squeeze.”
That left Cherokee County without a defense against encroachment by data centers and crypto mines, among other things, putting massive demands on the county’s infrastructure.
Resignation letters
In his resignation letter, Eichenbaum said he was resigning “following the results of the March 3, 2026, primary election.”
“It has been an honor to serve the people of Cherokee County for the past 11 years,” he wrote. “I am grateful for the trust and support shown to me during my time in office. I remain proud of my achievements and of having helped guide our county through difficult times. I deeply appreciate the opportunity to have contributed to our community.”
In his resignation letter, Stiles expressed “my deepest appreciation to the citizens of Cherokee County for the trust and confidence you placed in me to serve as your County Commissioner for District 1 over the past 13½ years. Serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
“After much thought and reflection, I believe the time has come for me to step aside so that new leadership can continue moving the county forward. This was not an easy decision, but I believe it is in the best interest of Cherokee County.
“I leave this office with a grateful heart, proud of the work we’ve done together, and confident that Cherokee County’s best days are still ahead. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of Cherokee County,” Stiles wrote.
Next steps
Board Chair Alan Bryant, just one year into his first term in office and two months as chairman, said a special called meeting will be necessary to declare the board vacancies. That happened Tuesday morning, when the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners called an emergency meeting for 9 a.m. today at the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. downtown, to declare the two vacancies and discuss legal services.
According to state law, because Stiles and Eichenbaum are Republicans, the Cherokee County Republican Party Executive Committee will have 30 days from Monday evening to recommend replacements. Over the next month, the board of commissioners’ remaining three members will appoint the recommended candidates or, absent recommendations, will appoint replacements of their own.
The Cherokee County GOP Executive Committee has experience in the role. It picked Mark Stiles to the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners in December 2024, to fill the District 2 vacancy left by Justin Hyde as well as Chris Wood to be Cherokee County sheriff following Dustin Smith’s resignation in early February.
If the GOP committee follows previous procedures, it will call for applicants to fill the vacancies. Applicants are required to live in the districts they represent.
There are two likely applicants.
Four Square Community Action Inc. CEO Sue Lynn Ledford won the District 4 Republican primary in a four-person race, out-producing Eichenbaum by a better than 2-1 margin. Eichenbaum came in a distant third, beating a fourth candidate who dropped out of the race but still appeared on the ballot.
With no challenge in the general election Tuesday, Nov. 3, Ledford is the presumed winner for the District 4 seat.
In District 1, retired schools superintendent Jeana Conley won against Stiles in the Republican primary by a 2-1 margin in a three-person race. She faces Democrat Rex Cable in the general election.
Monday’s aftermath
Bryant said he thought early exits by Cal Stiles and Eichenbaum might be possible.
“I can’t blame them,” Bryant said Tuesday morning. “It’s hard.”
Following the election results, both wanted to give constituents what they wanted, he said.
As for the county attorney, Bryant said Brown felt like he completed his obligations and duties.
“He felt like he didn’t have anything else to give,” Bryant said. “He wanted to ease on out, and we made it possible.”
Brown did not respond to a request for comment before the Cherokee Scout’s deadline.
Bryant predicts a “rough next 30 days” finding two new commissioners and a county attorney, with budget deliberations for the county’s spending plan and priorities coming over the next two months.