News

Year in Review: Voters re-elect Volk

Mayor Barbara Volk welcomed the crowd at the N.C. Apple Festival.

By Bill Moss, Published: January 2, 2014

Among the pursuits that produced more bark than bite in 2013 were Henderson County's regulation review task force and its effort to start a new ABC store.

The ABC boards of Hendersonville, Laurel Park and Fletcher all objected to the idea of competing stores under a county ABC board and demurred as strongly when county officials suggested that they merge boards.

"The position of this board is that the Hendersonville ABC board finds that different governance would have no benefit in service to the residents of the city or the county, or any financial benefits to the city system, or to public schools, or to the public library, because I don't think you're going to be able to make the profit you think you are," Hendersonville ABC Board chairman Charlie Byrd told the county ABC board in January. Eight months later, the county ABC members agreed. After a consultant said a new ABC store would not be profitable, board members said they saw no need to continue their work. "We're supposed to oversee an ABC store," said George Erwin. "We don't have an ABC store. I recommend that we disband."
The regulation review committee made a handful of recommendations but nothing as dramatic as commissioners seemed to imagine. Made up of 12 men and one woman, the Regulation Review Advisory Committee was appointed to identify county regulations that impede business growth or job creation. Among the complaints the panel heard several times was that the Board of Commissioners too often overrode Planning Board recommendations on commercial rezoning, including one that would have allowed a new Dollar General store in Horse Shoe.
Among the items not yet acted on was the committee's recommendation that the county allow the serving of beer and wine in the Historic Courthouse.

Voters re-elect Volk

The year in politics featured a robust election campaign in Hendersonville, the retirement of veteran council members in Flat Rock and Mills River and the unexpected change in the mayor's office in Mills River.
Councilman Jerry Smith makes a point during a forum.After toying with the idea of running for mayor, longtime civic activist and HonorAir founder Jeff Miller entered the council race instead and instantly became a heavy favorite to win a seat. The 2010 Republican candidate for Congress and co-inventor of the effort to fly veterans to the National WWII Memorial raised almost $17,000 and cruised to the top spot in the Nov. 5 election City Council election. Re-elected to a second term was Jerry Smith, a Hendersonville High School civics teacher and mock trial adviser.
Mayor Barbara Volk ran for re-election on the achievements of her "quiet leadership," although in a couple of debates she proved she could land a punch. Volk won 59 percent of the vote to turn back the challenge from Councilman Ron Stephens. After city voters rejected a $6 million bond issue to develop Berkeley Park, Volk and Smith said they hoped to complete improvements in smaller bites.
As the year ended, the new pro-business council majority was already flexing its muscle. It shot down a development recommendation from the Planning Board that required sidewalks through parking lots. They're not needed, no one uses them and they cost too much, council members said.
In Flat Rock, new Village Council members Anne Coletta, Albert Gooch and Sheryl Jamerson replaced retiring members Dave Bucher, Jim Wert and Ron Davis. Lois Pryor, a founder of the town of Mills River, retired from the board and was replaced by Billy Johnston.
And in a surprise, Mills River Town Council members chose Larry Freeman as the new mayor, replacing Roger Snyder, who had been the only mayor the 10-year-old town had ever had.
In Fletcher and Laurel Park, incumbent council members were re-elected. Fletcher mayor Bill Moore took 76 percent of the vote to defeat perennial candidate Dennis Justice to win re-election.

The arts

In the arts, Hendersonville inaugurated a big success and commissioned a costly dud.
The city's new Rhythm & Brews concert series was a success.Before the first chord was struck, people wondered whether the new Rhythm & Brews concert series would work. After all, this was the city of Hendersonville, a town that had only recently sanctioned beer at sidewalk cafes. Organizers were rowing against a strong community tradition, which had steadfastly forbade beer at the Apple Festival or any other public outdoor congregation.
When the band started playing at the first Rhythm & Brews show in May, it was clear that the zeitgeist had changed. Beer on the street was not only OK. It was good.
The monthly concert series grew week after week and as summer drew to an end a downtown advisory committee was exploring ways to make more space.
As for the City Council's plunge into public art, the copper-topped pile of rocks known as the mountain fountain drew ample appraisal. The Hendersonville Lightning reported in August that the cost had soared to $184,000, more than double the amount budgeted. The fountain was part of the last phase of Main Street makeovers, which also included new lighted welcome signs at Seventh Avenue and Main Street.