Bakersville residents have four options for the two available seats on the Bakersville Town Council this coming Tuesday.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 4. The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. that day. Bakersville Mayor Charles Vines is also up for re-election; however, he is running unopposed.
The Mitchell News-Journal asked the Bakersville Town Council candidates to fill out a short questionnaire to help voters get to know them better. Staff members flipped a coin to determine whose answers to print first — heads for alphabetical order; tails for reverse-alphabetical order. Heads won, and the questionnaires are printed in alphabetical order below.
Be sure to read to the end to give those at the end of the alphabet a fair shot.
Gary Hyatt
What made you decide to run for this office? I have worked in Bakersville since 1978. My wife Nicki and I have lived in the town of Bakersville since 2012. I want to assist the people of Bakersville by being a voice for residents and businesses. They deserve access to quality water and other utilities at the best rates possible.
Safe streets and fire protection continue to be a priority. Protecting Bakersville resources — resources such as Cane Creek and the Bakersville Creekwalk should be protected from flooding.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Bakersville in the next couple of years? Hurricane Helene did major damage to Bakersville. It will take years to repair and mitigate the damage.
Streets, sidewalks, water, sewer and internet service must be repaired and made more resistant to floods.
Our Bakersville Volunteer Fire Department has been a leader during and after the storm. They deserve our full support.
According to Department of Transportation traffic counts, 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles pass through Bakersville daily. We need businesses that encourage those driving through to stop and visit the town.
What are some issues that Bakersville faces that are different from what Mitchell County or Spruce Pine is dealing with? Bakersville needs restaurants, stores and other businesses to serve the town and surrounding area. A large part of the town is in the floodway, and much of the town is on steep land. This restricts future development.
Our tax base is very small compared to Spruce Pine and Mitchell County. We have to be frugal with the taxpayers’ funds and look for funding from grants to make major town improvements.
What is your personal and professional background, and how has it prepared you for local government? Currently, I’m serving on the town council. I have served as County Extension director, taught school, and worked on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I have worked with local, state and federal government in all three of these jobs. My work with the county on flood recovery in 1998 and this past year allowed me to gain insights on disaster recovery.
I have in the past worked with the water and sewer systems and currently I volunteer as a backup water operator.
Andy Palmer
What made you decide to run for this office? About nine months ago, I helped initiate getting a team of volunteers from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) to write a town plain with input from the residents, research on our financial state as a town, demographic statistics, local business structure, etc. This plan is pretty comprehensive, and my hope is that by joining the town council, I’ll be able to get some things done that being on the board will facilitate.
The plan deals with everything from economic development to future flood mitigation to reimagining green spaces and public areas — while totally embracing the town’s feel, character and desires of the local community.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Bakersville in the next couple of years? Finances and the ability to attract residents and business. Since we’re the county seat and have a flood plain running right through town, our tax base is around one-third of the total property within the town boundaries.
The county doesn’t pay any taxes, and the town has been given a huge amount of land that’s been designated as a ‘flood plain,’ which becomes public space and can’t be commercialized.
Our population has also decreased from 455 to 390 over the past few years. We need a way to encourage people to live in our beautiful town as well as spend money with our local businesses.
What are some issues that Bakersville faces that are different from what Mitchell County or Spruce Pine is dealing with? Spruce Pine is able to sell alcohol due to a referendum they had years ago. Because of the size of our town and the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners’ unwillingness to put the issue of alcohol sales up for a county-wide vote, the town of Bakersville has never had the chance to allow businesses to sell beer and wine here.
I feel that if that were a possibility, this would allow the town another stream of revenue as well as help restaurants see this area as a good place to set up a business.
We are also much smaller in size than Spruce Pine and because of the issues of us being the county seat as well as having a flood zone cutting through town, as mentioned above, our population and finances are extremely small and limited. The mayor and board have had to be extremely efficient and frugal over the past 34 years, which I hope to continue.
What is your personal and professional background, and how has it prepared you for local government? I’m a local business owner and am deeply involved with a local nonprofit, the Bakersville Beautification Association. Our non-profit initiated the AIA request and is currently working with the town board as well as many other organizations, businesses and people to apply for town grants to help with infrastructure, flood mitigation, road and sidewalk repair, Creekwalk repairs and upgrades, and many many other things based on the AIA plan initiative. I was also previously on the town board a few years back — so I know what’s required and what the responsibilities are.
Matthew Staton
What made you decide to run for this office? When my wife and I moved to town five years ago, I was asked by some of the residents saying “you should run for town council.” And I thought to myself, I could do that — I love this town and the people in it. So I was elected to my first term. Now, I feel like I need to finish what I started, especially with the storm rebuild.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Bakersville in the next couple of years? This is a vital time in the history of Bakersville. It’s going to take some time to rebuild, and to make sure we have the proper flood mitigation to be better prepared for the next disaster.
What are some issues that Bakersville faces that are different from what Mitchell County or Spruce Pine is dealing with? Money is the biggest — we have a very small tax base. And of the residents we do have most are older and on a fixed income. So, trying to balance everything out is key.
What is your personal and professional background, and how has it prepared you for local government? 2026 will be my 15th year in the Bakersville volunteer fire department. That not only serves the town but the communities outside of town. I have been a ranking officer for 10 years now and am currently the chief.
I also work in town at Woody Tire & Automotive and have for 20-plus years now. I get to meet all kinds of people at work or at a call with the fire department or just around town.
Perry Wilson
What made you decide to run for this office?
I believe that all incumbents and/or people who have been appointed to office should have competition. Also, I believe I have career experience in management, general construction, real estate development, storm water management, and infrastructure that will be an asset to the Council and town citizens.
What do you think are the most important issues facing Bakersville in the next couple of years?
The Bakersville Beautification Association, of which I am a member, has been active in working with a division of the American Institute of Architects to formulate a recovery and revitalization plan for the town. We need to focus on that plan.
We also need to find ways to expand our borders so that our businesses and housing inventory can grow. The new tax revenues that this expansion generates will help alleviate the serious tax burden on our existing citizens.
What are some issues that Bakersville faces that are different from what Mitchell County or Spruce Pine is dealing with?
In my mind, the three entities are in the same boat. The biggest difference is that Bakersville has an extreme shortage of revenue generating, developable land.
There is no room for the three entities to compete with each other — serious cooperation and collaboration should be the order of the day
What is your personal and professional background, and how has it prepared you for local government?
I think that all of our citizens, regardless of who they are, what they believe in, where they are from, or how much money they have, deserve equal consideration and attention from our Council.
I am a people person. I alluded to my professional background above, and in addition to that, I have unbounded energy, optimism and a belief that our town is a great place to live.