News

GOP scored top-to-bottom sweep in last week's election

By BILL MOSS and AMY MCCRAW, Published: November 11, 2024

Republican candidates dominated the Nov. 5 election across Henderson County, sweeping four seats on the newly partisan School Board election, holding congressional and state legislative seats, picking up the only judgeship in the county not held by Republican and ensuring that the Board of Commissioners remains all-Republican.

The only bright spot for the Democratic Party came in the city of Hendersonville, where voters elected two Democrats to the City Council in the non-partisan contest. Countywide, Nov. 5 produced a strong straight-party outcome for the Republicans.

If the GOP-led Legislature’s move last year to switch the School Board election from nonpartisan to partisan was intended to ensure Republican success, it worked. The four Republican nominees who emerged from the March 4 primary won handily. The departure next month of School Board member Stacey Caskey, who did not run for re-election, leaves Henderson County with zero Democrats in a countywide elected office.

Amy Lynn Holt, a former School Board chair who ran for a county commission seat rather than re-election two years ago, led the closely bunched pack with 15.4 percent of the vote followed by incumbents Kathy G. Revis (15 percent) and Robert M. Bridges (14.5 percent). Newcomer Beth Campbell joins the board after winning 14.3 percent.

The Republicans’ decisive win came despite a strong and well-financed challenge by Democrat Mary Ellen Kustin, who finished fifth with 11 percent of the vote, 8,516 votes fewer than Campbell’s 35,922. Other Democrats were Lesley Carey, Rhonda Mountain and Josh Williams.

Board of Commissioners

Sheila Franklin, the longtime Fletcher Town Council member who ousted incumbent County Commissioner Daniel Andreotta in the March 5 primary, won 60 percent of the vote to defeat Democrat Erik Weber, who pivoted his billboard message after Helene to encourage residents and tout resiliency.

Jay Egolf, the current School Board chair who ran unopposed Tuesday after defeating incumbent David Hill in the District 5 Republican primary, also will be sworn in to office at the board's Dec. 2 organizational meeting. County commission candidates run from a district but are elected countywide.

A retired middle school career-tech teacher, Franklin campaigned against Andreotta on growth management, saying the current board needed to listen to neighbors’ concerns, carefully assess the impact of large developments and prevent development in the floodplain.

Franklin and Weber occupied much same lane when it came to development, saying that neighbors have rights, too, when zoning applicants ask for higher density permits. Franklin also signaled a willingness to engage with cities on development decisions.

"I would like to work more closely with the municipalities/communities in regards to continued growth," she said in the Lightning’s campaign survey.

Gillett wins judicial seat

Republican Monica Jean Gillett unseated incumbent District Court Judge Lora T. Baker, turning back Baker's attempt to achieve a rare victory as an unaffiliated candidate. Gillette won 60 percent of the vote in the solidly red Henderson-Polk-Transylvania judicial district.

Appointed to the District Court bench in December 2023 by Gov. Roy Cooper, Baker, 41, collected enough signatures to earn a spot on the ballot and based her campaign on a pledge of "no politics out of the courtroom."

Gillett, 46, was a prosecutor in District 42 in 2007 before opening her own firm in private practice in 2009. A board-certified family law specialist, certified parenting coordinator and former guardian ad litem, Gillett earned an associate’s degree from Blue Ridge Community College, bachelor’s degree from UNCA and law degree from Campbell Law School. She has sons ages 25, 13 and 11.

"I have been a part of the system my entire life," she said in a response to the Lightning's election survey. "I was born to teenage parents and raised by my grandparents. I have been exposed to domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health issues. I navigated the system as a single mother with no education. I overcame all these obstacles by the grace of God and believe that everything I endured was for a reason. My experiences will allow me to fairly and justly preside over cases and people for whom I have great understanding and appreciation."

Congress, Legislature

Three candidates who won their first term in office in 2022 can shed their freshman badge after winning re-election last week.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, who defeated gaffe-prone incumbent Madison Cawthorn in the 2022 Republican primary for the 11^th Congressional District, easily won re-election on Tuesday with 57 percent of the vote over Democrat Caleb Rudow, who left a state House seat to run for Congress.

Tim Moffitt, who moved up from the state House to the Senate when Edwards ran for Congress, earned a second term in the state Senate Tuesday, winning 64 percent of the vote to turn back a challenge from Democrat challenger Chris Walters.

Moffitt on Tuesday thanked voters for participating in the election regardless of the candidate they supported.
“It’s a testament to our resilience and pride as a community — Helene be damned — that we won’t let anything keep us down,” he said. “I’ve never been more proud of being from Henderson County and our North Carolina mountains.”

State Rep. Jennifer Capps Balkcom, who moved into Moffitt’s House seat in 2022, won a second term Tuesday by defeating Democratic challenger Steve Martinez with 58 percent of the vote. Constituent service and farmland preservation will be important in her second term, Balkcom said.
“My first priority will always be the citizens of Henderson County and I will continue to provide our folks with the best constituent service that I can," she said. "As far as policy goes, farmland preservation is very important to me. I know first-hand how important family farms are to our food production and our food security.”

State Rep. Jake Johnson earned a fourth term Tuesday by defeating Democrat Michelle Antalec with 64 percent of the vote.

Johnson on Tuesday night thanked his family, friends and supporters across the district for their encouragement and dedication.
“We are ready to hit the ground running and get back to work serving everyone across District 113,” he said. “We will be focused on the recovery effort in Western North Carolina and rebuilding our economy.”

Municipal elections

In non-partisan city races:

• Hendersonville: Incumbents Jennifer Hensley and Lyndsey Simpson won re-election to four-year terms over challenger DJ Harrington while Gina Baxter topped Colby Coren and Lynne Williams to win election to the seat made vacant by the resignation of Jerry Smith in 2023. Baxter’s term expires in 2026.
• Laurel Park: Mayor Carey O’Cain and council members George W. Banta and Travis Bonnema won re-election without opposition.
• Mills River: Voters elected two new members, Jeff Moore and Brian Kimball, to the town council, with 23.6 and 22.9 percent of the vote respectively, over Tiffany Councill, Jim Foster and incumbent Jeff Young. Mayor pro tem Randy Austin did not seek re-election.
• Flat Rock: Vice Mayor Anne Coletta became the first female mayor of the village, winning without opposition after the retirement of Nick Weedman. Tom Carpenter and Cheryl Stuller won re-election without opposition.
• Fletcher: Keith Reed and Jim Player won re-election without opposition to the District 2 and District 3 seats, respectively, on the Fletcher Town Council.
• Saluda: Melanie Talbot edged Kevin D. Burnett by 21 votes, 265 to 244, to win re-election to her seat on the Saluda City Commission.