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Land of Sky council honors local government leaders

By Lightning Reports, Published: December 8, 2020

Henderson County Commissioner Bill Lapsley, Fletcher Town Manager Mark Biberdorf, Transylvania County Manager Jaime Laughter and former state Rep. Chuck McGrady were honored last week for their service during the Land of Sky Regional Council’s annual awards program.

Land of Sky Regional Council Board Chair and Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk and Executive Director Nathan Ramsey presented the Robert G. Parrish Sr. Intergovernmental Relations Award, the Charles H. Campbell Regional Leadership Award and the Robert E. Shepherd Excellence in Local Government Award. The regional council also presented five Extraordinary Public Leadership Awards and two Extraordinary Legislative Service Awards.

Given in honor of the late council chairman and first Mayor of Fletcher, the Robert G. Parrish Sr. Intergovernmental Relations Award is presented at the discretion of the Council’s Executive Committee to an elected or appointed official who has made significant contributions to improving intergovernmental relations. This year the award was presented to Lapsley for his contributions to Henderson County, the Land of Sky Region and the state of North Carolina. Lapsley is chair of the French Broad MPO and was just elected chair of the Henderson County Board of Commissioners on Monday night.

The Charles H. Campbell Regional Leadership Award was named for four-time Land of Sky chairman and long-time Brevard Mayor who himself received a national award for regional leadership in 1977. The award was dedicated in 1983 to annually honor an outstanding contributor to the betterment of Western North Carolina and the Land of Sky Region. The Council’s Executive Committee awards it to a Land of Sky council member who has made a major long-term contribution to the council and its governance. This year the award was presented to Biberdorf for his dedication and leadership to Land of Sky Regional Council and Western North Carolina.

The Robert E. Shepherd Excellence in Local Government Excellence Award is presented at the council’s discretion to a local government professional who has shown great leadership in improving governance and service delivery, especially in the areas of regional cooperation and collaboration. The award was presented to Laughter, who was Mills River's town manager before taking the top post in Transylvania County, for her dedication and service to greatly enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Transylvania County.

The council also honored the public health directors of Madison, Buncombe, Transylvania and Henderson counties for their unwavering dedication to citizens during the many challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. The recipients included Steve Smith, Henderson County's public health director.

Former state Sen. Terry Van Duyn and McGrady were awarded the Extraordinary Legislative Service Award in appreciation for their devotion, commitment and exemplary service as members of the North Carolina General Assembly. Van Duyn represented Senate District 49 from 2014-2020. McGrady represented House District 117 from 2011-2020.