News

Egolf unseats Hill

By Amy McCraw, Published: March 6, 2024

School Board chairman Jay Egolf will be moving to the Henderson County Board of Commissioners after unofficial election results on Tuesday night showed he defeated incumbent David Hill in the Republican primary for the District 5 seat on the board.

With all 35 precincts reporting on Tuesday night, unofficial results showed Egolf winning 57.74 percent of the vote — 11,035 to Hill’s 8,077 votes or 42.26 percent. Egolf will not face a challenge in the November general election.

Egolf, 53, graduated from Hendersonville High School in 1989 and from UNC at Chapel Hill in 1994. He is president of Egolf Motors in Brevard. A School Board member since 2018 and the current chair, he was the top vote-getter when he won re-election in 2022. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children.
Hill, 57, describes himself as a Christian conservative candidate for re-election to a second term on the Board of Commissioners. He graduated from East Henderson High School and Wingate College. A professional land surveyor since 1997, he founded Hill & Associates Surveyors in 1999. He and his wife, Lisa, have twin daughters. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with family and their two dogs, being active in his church and fishing.
During the campaign, both Hill and Egolf answered questions from the Lightning about why they wanted to serve on the board, their commitment to land and farmland conservation, the county’s 2045 land-use plan, the board’s recent decision to ease development restrictions in the floodplain, plans for expansion of the county’s jail and courthouse and plans for a new sportsplex.
Egolf said he ran for a seat on the board because Henderson County is at a crossroads.
“With respect to growth, my opponent supports a denser Etowah and prefers little to no zoning. He voted to fill in the floodplains and defund the Flat Rock Playhouse. My support on these Henderson County issues is very different than my opponent’s,” Egolf said. He said his record and experience on the school board gave him the skills necessary to build relationships with officials while representing a very diverse group of people.
Hill said he wanted to continue the work he started when he was first elected in 2020.
“Since 2020, it has been my honor to serve the citizens of Henderson County, guided by my faith, by the Constitution and by my strong belief in conservative principles” he said. “However, the work is not done. I am running for re-election to ensure Henderson County has a thriving, conservative future ahead.” He said he wanted Henderson County to have a consistent, conservative future. The future includes properly addressing and directing growth, promoting individual freedoms and liberties, and supporting EMS, fire departments, law enforcement, farmers and agriculture businesses, he said.
Hill, who has argued for less restrictive zoning throughout his four-year term, defended his views in a video posted on his campaign website.
“Recently, my opponent stated that limited government is a mistaken philosophy,” he said. “I cannot disagree with that more. Limited government is a core conservative principle. … These past 3½ years I've been consistent in my votes. My votes have been guided by my core principles and my faith and I've always tried to err on the side of freedom.”
Egolf on his website argued that Henderson County needs to manage growth with smart planning and judicious zoning.
“Henderson County will continue growing. Without smart planning by the Board of Commissioners, population sprawl will raise our taxes to pay for services and destroy the agricultural and natural heritage we love so much,” according to the website. “My opponent believes in no zoning guidelines or restrictions on development. I believe that all landowners (including neighbors) have rights.”
Egolf cited development proposals that homeowners have fought in recent years, including an asphalt plant in East Flat Rock, a proposed gun range in Saluda, a large development at Etowah Valley golf club and storage units in Crab Creek.
“Community members have spent countless hours and their hard-earned savings to protect their landscape and lifestyle,” he said on the website. “We need smart planning that places growth where infrastructure is present, taxpayers’ property values won't be hurt, and the lifestyle of the community won’t be harmed.”
Both Hill and Egolf said in interviews with the Lightning during the campaign that they supported farmland preservation.
“I strongly support the preservation of farmland in Henderson County. Henderson County farms feed Henderson County citizens and support the Henderson County economy, Hill said, noting that his support for farmers was rooted in his upbringing on a family farm. The county is currently looking at a farmland preservation program, he said. “I have had conversations with many farmers to gain insight on their desired program. The program is for our farmers and should be tailored to the agricultural community of Henderson County. I also support private avenues to farmland preservation and land conservation,” he said.
Egolf said county residents gave commissioners needed feedback calling for more land conservation in the 2045 comprehensive land-use plan.
“Great feedback was given on the comp plan. We weakened the comp plan and now there is a gap between the input given and the actual land-use plan,” Egolf said. “Why is this? I would agree with public input and support strengthening the land-use plan. Yes, we are years behind on this aspect of farmland preservation.” Egolf said he was interested in innovative ideas, including a bond referendum to fund farmland preservation. “Let the voters decide,” he said.
Egolf said he would have voted no when commissioners in October voted to ease restrictions on building in the floodway.
“When you fill in the floodplain, it acts as a dam and makes flooding even worse upstream. With the recent rainfall and flooding, this was obviously a bad vote. Bottom line, this was an easy one,” Egolf said.
Hill defended his vote in favor of easing the floodway building restrictions, saying misinformation was spread about the text amendment.
“Let me clarify. There is no increase in the amount of fill allowed by right. It was and is 20 percent total. The amendment allows citizens to seek redress from their government and will help when a culvert or bridge is damaged,” he said. “A landowner could petition to replace the damaged infrastructure with a larger culvert or higher bridge. This change might require some fill in a floodway, but would improve the flow of waters and reduce flooding. My experience as a surveyor allows me to see instances where this is needed.”
Commissioners voted to move ahead on a major jail expansion/renovation but have not yet decided on a courthouse expansion/renovation projected to cost at least $124 million.
Hill said the courthouse project is needed. But he said he believes the cost could be reduced.
“As commissioners, we are stewards of the taxpayers’ money and must spend that money conservatively. I support investigating a renovation of the existing 1995 Courthouse and building a new office building for some county departments,” he said. “Departments that support the courts, such as the Clerk of Superior Court, would remain in the renovated courthouse. A renovation would utilize the existing structure, save the county significant costs, and provide for necessary upgrades and expansions.”
Egolf said commissioners need to look at all options for the project. “County commissioners need to be fiscally responsible with taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “I think more homework needs to be done on this issue. There are other options? Have we fully examined them?”
Egolf said he supported the $2 million in American Rescue Plan money commissioners appropriated for a new sportsplex.
“It should be centrally located and I’d love to be a part of finding possible locations,” he said. “I also know the School Board is looking for a partnership on land it already owns. If this partnership was with the Board of Commissioners, for example, full-length soccer fields could be built there allowing other sports access to the sportsplex.” He said he would like public input on additional sports fields.
Hill said he also supported the use of ARP funds for a sportsplex and also thought the facility should be centrally located.
“Parks and recreation facilities are vital to our county and provide many benefits to citizens. The sportsplex should be a place where people of all ages and abilities can participate in sports and healthy activities,” he said. “The sportsplex could contain soccer fields, tennis and pickleball courts, a walking path and baseball/softball fields. I believe the sportsplex will bring social and economic benefits to the county.”