Black Mountain Citizen Academy takes residents back to school

Six sessions offer inside look at roles and functions of town government

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
August 11, 2022

Town Clerk Savannah Parrish hands Public Works Director Jamey Matthews a binder for the Black Mountain Citizen Academy, which will return Sept. 19. The six-week course teaches residents about the role of local government. Photo by Fred McCormick

In the months before a global pandemic compelled millions of people to isolate themselves in their homes, more than a dozen Black Mountain residents were completing a course that helped frame their understanding of the many functions of local government. 

When the Black Mountain Citizen Academy returns from a two-year hiatus, beginning Monday, Sept. 19, a new class of civic-minded townspeople will learn a lot more about how their tax money is used. 

Launched in 2018, the free six-week program introduces participants to the various town departments that provide services to residents, through a series of evening sessions. The 15-20 attendees, who must apply before the Monday, Aug. 29 deadline, will be welcomed by the mayor and town council before opening the course with an overview of the town government and administration, led by Town Manager Josh Harrold, Town Clerk Savannah Parrish and Finance Director Tammy Holland. 

Subsequent classes will focus on Planning and Community Development, Stormwater, the Black Mountain Police Department, Public Works, the Black Mountain Fire Department while a graduation ceremony recognizing the participants will take place in October. Meals from local businesses will be provided for each session. 

Those who complete the class will leave with a deeper understanding of the inner workings of local government, according to the town clerk.

“Black Mountain is a unique place with a lot of really passionate citizens who want to understand things like zoning regulations and a wide range of other topics,” said Parrish, organizer and host of the Citizen Academy. “These things can be hard to understand, and people often wonder why the town may not do something they really believe should be done. The benefit of a course like this, is that it gives residents direct contact with town staff and department heads and allows them to get to the heart of not only what we’re doing, but also how we can be hemmed in by N.C. General Statute.”

Throughout her career as a certified public accountant, Susan Leive audited several municipalities before moving to Black Mountain in 2008, but she wanted to learn more.

“I really didn’t know or understand how a town was governed, what was happening in each department or how all of that was influenced by state laws,” said Leive, who graduated from the inaugural Citizen Academy in 2018. “I thought it would be interesting to find out about all of those things, because I was retired, had some free time and wanted to become more involved in the community.”

While she was unsure of what to expect when she signed up, the experience not only helped her understand how the town operates, it also gave her a new respect for its employees.

“As a citizen, I felt more responsibility, and I felt more like part of the team that is our community,” Leive said. “I’ve become much less hesitant about calling the town and making them aware of issues they may not know about. They work hard to keep the town running, and once you realize exactly how much they do, you really start to understand how they might not know about a missing street sign that you see everyday.”

Learning to navigate the bureaucracy of local government is one of several ways citizens can benefit from the academy, according to Parrish. 

“Knowing the role of each department will help people understand who to contact about their concerns,” the town clerk said. “They’re much more likely to reach out once they become comfortable with the town staff and structure.”

The Oct. 17 session of the Black Mountain Citizen Academy will take participants inside the town’s fire department. Photo by Fred McCormick

Frank Cappelli, like his Citizen Academy classmate Leive, became interested in “how stuff gets done” shortly after moving his family to Black Mountain, he said. 

“I wanted to get involved in the community, and I wanted to figure out the proper ways to do that,” he said. “Once I found out about the class, it seemed like something I should do.”

Cappelli entered the class believing he had a solid understanding of the town government’s role, but quickly discovered he had a lot more to learn. 

“I come from an accounting background and I really appreciated how the finance director walked us through how the town is financed,” he said. “That’s not something that a lot of residents understand, so I was very interested in learning about the town's approach to budgeting and planning.”

Each session, Cappelli continued, offered additional insight into the reality of small town government. 

“You really get to see how these departments have to work within the constraints of the funding that’s available to them,” he said. “For example, when you look inside the police department you find a department that’s not only focused on law enforcement, but also constantly looking for creative ways to be good stewards of taxpayer money. That’s something the public doesn’t always think about in a town this size.”

Cappelli and Leive are among at least seven graduates of the academy who went on to serve on one or more of the town’s citizen advisory boards. Leive’s time on the historic preservation commission ended in July, but future travel plans prevented her from applying for a second term.

“I enjoyed my time on the HPC, and I’m not sure if serving on that board is something I would have done if it wasn’t for my experience in the Citizen Academy,” she said. “I applied for the seat almost immediately after I finished the class. It’s a quasi-judicial board, which is something I learned about in the academy, and we did important work, like re-writing some of the regulations in the downtown historic district, during my time there.”

Leive’s experience in the Citizen Academy and HPC make it likely she will volunteer for an advisory board in the future, she added.

“I’m sure something will come up in the community that will rile me up, and I’ll want to get on a board so I can have a voice in it,” she said. “And, now I feel confident enough to serve the town in that way.”

Cappelli served previously on the HPC and began his first term on the recreation commission in July. The positions require a small time commitment, but play a significant role in the town.

“If you want to have a say in the way things are done, then you should definitely get involved in the process,” he said. “If nobody is involved, then a lot of us probably won’t like the decisions that are made.

“You can’t enact change by going on social media and writing comments,” Cappelli continued. “While we all might want certain things to change immediately, based on our own personal preferences, there is a lot more that goes into the decisions that are made. You have to have some sort of grace about what our people in town do, and what they’re up against.”

To apply for the 2022 Black Mountain Citizen Academy visit townofblackmountain.org.