(L-R): Phillip Hise, Rocky Buchanan and Wayne Peight, all of Spruce Pine, pose together by the train tracks. Hise is running for mayor and Buchanan and Peight are vying for town council seats.
Editor’s note: The following is the second part in a planned three-part series of free candidate profiles for local elections in November. Lynn Nelson Holler, Sharon McIntosh and Kim Hageman were profiled in the Aug. 2 edition of the News-Journal. The two Bakersville council candidates will follow at a later date.
Spruce Pine’s Phillip Hise, Wayne Peight and Rocky Buchanan have fresh ideas to bring to the local government and have filed for public office in the hopes of making them come to life.
Hise is running for mayor against Lynn Holler. Peight and Buchanan are aiming for seats on the town council along with challengers Sharon McIntosh and Kim Hageman.
Buchanan currently sits on the council and seeks re-election.
Hise, a lifelong Spruce Pine resident, brings plenty of experience. He previously served on the town council for 17 years, including two terms as mayor.
Hise was also the town’s public works director until retiring in 2022.
Hise said his main goals are to improve the town’s water and sewer systems by searching for funding sources to repair and upgrade them and upgrade the town’s infrastructure.
“My experience will help with being able to see the needs and make the necessary contacts,” he said.
Buchanan also seeks to continue his run of serving the town with the simple goal of “making Spruce Pine a better place.”
Buchanan, a lifelong Spruce Pine resident, is retired after nearly five decades with Baxter. He also serves on the High Country Council of Government and the Rural Transportation Advisory Council. He is also retired from the Spruce Pine Fire Department.
“My roots in Spruce Pine run deep,” he said. “I’m proud to call this place home.”
Peight, while a relative newcomer to local public office, boasts plenty of experience in construction and business.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, he has lived in Spruce Pine for more than a decade and has spent the past eight years owning and managing commercial construction businesses.
He has also spent time in Central America as a volunteer at orphanages and international aid bases. He’s fluent in Spanish and English and semi-fluent in German.
“I believe my background in business, plan reading and contract negotiation give me a solid skill set to bring the infrastructure in Spruce Pine to a sustainable level over a long period of time,” Peight said. “My family and I love this town and its people.”