News

It'll be the Thomas H. Thompson emergency services headquarters

By Bill Moss, Published: August 15, 2018

The new emergency management headquarters will be named in honor of Tommy Thompson, who will retire in December after serving Henderson County for 40 years as clerk of Superior Court and county commissioner.

The Board of Commissioners made the decision at the end of its regular agenda on Wednesday, surprising Thompson, who wiped a tear from his eye and composed himself before saying thank you.

“I’ve never been at a loss for words,” he said. “I wasn’t planning on talking about my years of service until December.” He looked at the back of the room, where his wife, Sherry, had suddenly appeared, and thanked her for her support. She “takes a lot of the brunt” of his public service, he said.
Commission Chair Michael Edney, introducing the board vote to name the facility for Thomas H. “Tommy” Thompson, noted that he had been “a thorn in everybody’s side” in his aggressive support for the new $15 million emergency services complex, which combines the ambulance service, rescue squad and emergency management office in one location at the old Balfour School property on Asheville Highway.
“I’ve been after this board, wanted it done,” Thompson said. He has been asking if the project would be done by October. County officials say it will. Thompson, who announced his retirement, in October 2017 after serving as Clerk of Superior Court for 32 years and as a county commissioner for two terms.