News

Fletcher Town Council to appoint new board member

By Lightning Reports, Published: January 22, 2022

FLETCHER — The Town of Fletcher Town Council will vote on an appointment to replace newly elected mayor Preston Blakely on Monday at Fletcher Town Hall in a special called meeting.

After members of the public demanded more transparency, the Town Council invited people living in District 2 to apply for the appointment. At the deadline Wednesday the town had received five applications. When two additional applications were discovered in the mailbox Thursday afternoon, the council agreed to consider those too because it was unclear when the applications had been deposited. 

Applicants are:

• Johnathan Keith Reed. A Fletcher resident for 15 years, Reed is a business owner in the construction industry who has served on the Fletcher Planning Board since 2018. Reed’s application states that he has managed over 100 HOA properties and that he wants to have a great community to raise a family in.
• D. Annette Crump Bowser. An account manager with MCM brands, Bowser has lived in Fletcher for 20 years. She said she wants to make Fletcher “the best place to live” and credits her familiarity with the town’s history as contributing to her vision of how to move forward.
• William Lee Bowser. A health, safety and environment specialist with Flint Group, Bowser has lived in Fletcher for six years. He has previously served on the town council in Troutman. Bowser said he wants to help Fletcher prosper, grow and evolve while keeping with traditional values and family needs and credits his qualifications to his experience with analytical approaches with municipal works, budgeting, environmental needs, parks, development of neighborhoods and land, good communication and resolution skills.
• Jeff Groh. A business owner who has lived in Fletcher for five years, Groh said he is interested in serving because it is his civic duty, he has been fortunate in his life and it is time to give back, and he wants to ensure that Fletcher continues to be governed with common sense as our population grows. Groh credits his integrity, honesty, work ethic, and professionalism as assets he will bring to council Noting his faith and belief in God as the basis for his moral foundation, he believes in absolute rights and wrongs, and rejects moral relativism he believes is “celebrated in today’s culture.” Groh is the regional captain and on the state leadership team with the Convention of States Project, a national, non-partisan organization focused on using Article V of the US Constitution to restrain federal overreach.
• Shawn K. Thompson. A manufacturing manager with Flint group, Thompson has lived in Fletcher for 45 years. Thompson wants to serve because he has lived in Fletcher all his life, never plans to leave, and has a vested interest in the future of the town. Thompson notes that he would like to shape the future of Fletcher and intends to do what he can to keep Fletcher from turning into Asheville.
• Bryan Edward Slusser. A general manager with Slope Solutions, Slusser has been a Fletcher resident for more than 20 years. Slusser said he would like to serve on council because it has always been his ambition to help the community however he could and wants to serve the people of Fletcher and the larger community. Slusser states that he brings a wealth of knowledge and a deep desire to do more, noting he is a family man who wants to share his experience wherever it is useful. Slusser had planned to run for District 2 previously, but saw the popularity of the new mayor as a hurdle. Now that the position is open he wants to try and be the best voice for the district.
• Dan Murphy. A hydrogeologist with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, Murphy has been a Fletcher resident for 25 years. Murphy wants to serve on council because he considers Fletcher to be an exceptional city and having lived and raised his children here would like to devote his time and ability to the council and citizens of Fletcher. Murphy credits his length of residency, volunteer history with the town and education background as providing consistency and experience to the council.

* * * * *

EDITOR'S NOTE: Candidate profiles were submitted by John Brandon Olsen, who ran unsuccessfully for the District 1 council seat in November.