The Spruce Pine ladies running for office are (L-R) Sharon McIntosh, Lynn Nelson Holler and Kim Hageman. (Submitted)
A trio of local women— Lynn Nelson Holler, Sharon McIntosh and Kim Hageman— have grand visions for the future of Spruce Pine and have thus filed to run for public office in the next election.
The three filed right away when registration for the election opened this past month. Holler will run for Spruce Pine mayor while McIntosh and Hageman will be on the ballot for seats on the town council.
The trio cited their main goals as solving local economic and housing stagnation, water and sewer issues, overhauling ordinances, and opening Spruce Pine up for business.
Holler holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia and has worked in the banking industry for 15 years and has experience as a manager. Her children are at Appalachian State University.
Holler is an active member of St. Lucien Catholic Church of Spruce Pine and she’s been on the forefront of the creation of local events including Light Up Spruce Pine during the Christmas season.
In addition to donating money, she’s served as a weekly volunteer at Hospice and Palliative Care of the Blue Ridge Thrift Store.
Holler said she has the energy to complement fresh new views she would bring to the mayor position.
McIntosh was born in Burnsville and spent a portion of her life between there and in central Florida.
She was living in Green Mountain, raising her daughter as a single mom when Tipton Hill School was shut down. She and her daughter moved but made their way back home to Spruce Pine in 2020.
McIntosh has widely varied work experience. She once worked at the Burnsville Army Store and has had stops in the tourism industry and has dabbled in journalism.
She has also had a stint as an on-air radio personality and worked in the television industry. She has remained active in her church and has worked in administration of a larger mega-church.
Since returning to the mountains, McIntosh helped establish the Friends of the Spruce Pine Library, is a member of the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Pine Grove United Methodist Church. Her daughter is at Mayland Community College with the goal of working as a park ranger after graduation.
Hageman and her family own Poppy’s Wildcraft, LLC in downtown Spruce Pine (209 Locust St., Spruce Pine). She also runs Wild Beaver Retreat in Bakersville.
She has attained multiple certifications and two-year degrees ranging from business and accounting to religious studies and floral design.
She said being a local business owner gives her a unique stake in helping the local economy.
Hageman has worked in accounting, advertising, medical and real estate fields throughout her life and has run an event planning business for almost 40 years. She and her husband have been married for three decades and she has two adult children. She is active in the annual Grandfather Mountain Highland Games where she and her husband enjoy convening the Kennedy Clan tent. Hageman also plays the bass guitar and loves working on her farm and spending time with her rescue dog, Tucker.