Doug Hay embraces a new kind of race in bid for alderman
Black Mountain candidate seeks opportunity to ‘do the work’
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 17, 2020
Doug Hay is one of six candidates running for three seats on the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen this November. Photo by Fred McCormick
With early voting for the Tuesday, Nov. 3 election continuing until Saturday, Oct. 31, The Valley Echo is publishing a series of profiles on candidates in the race for three seats on the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen. Profiles of all six candidates will be published weekly through the end of October.
When Black Mountain alderman candidate Doug Hay completed his first marathon more than a decade ago, running became a major part of his life. Nearly seven years ago, when he moved to the Swannanoa Valley, he naturally gravitated to the trails.
It was here, as he trained for ultramarathons and explored the town he spent many summers in as a child, where he began considering an entirely different kind of run — one he hopes will finish with a seat on the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen.
Hay was no stranger to Black Mountain when he moved here with his family from Washington D.C. in early 2014. The son of a Presbyterian minister, born in Wilmington, he lived in several places as a child before graduating from Appalachian State University. One thing that was always consistent was his regular trips to visit family in the Swannanoa Valley.
“It’s been a part of my life since I was born,” he said. “Because we moved so much, when someone asks me where I’m from, I’m not always sure what to say. But, the one place I’ve been connected to my entire life is Black Mountain.”
Hay wasted little time getting to know his town, running the residential streets and mountain trails. A prolific writer and running coach, he is a partner in the No Meat Athlete blog and owner and operator of his own blog and podcast, Rock Creek Runner. Both platforms focus on endurance athletes who choose a plant-based diet.
“I’m very proud of my work, and running is a big part of my life; it gives me meaning and purpose. Every run isn’t just about getting in a workout, it’s about having an experience,” he said. “When we moved here, every run was a new adventure in a different area of town. It really helped me get to know the people here.”
Running in a new direction
Running for public office was not something Hay thought he would find himself doing, but his interest in civic engagement led him to the campaign trail.
“I paid close attention to the decisions that were being made on the local level,” he said. “When the board of aldermen decided to extend their terms by an extra year, that was the first red flag that came up for me. It didn’t sit right with me.”
Aldermen voted in 2018 to pass a resolution petitioning the N.C. General Assembly to change the Black Mountain cycle for local elections from odd to even years. The move was in response to a similar decision by the City of Asheville and the Assembly passed Senate Bill 138, changing the election cycle for Black Mountain and Biltmore Forest. The decision moved 2019 elections to 2020 and 2021 elections to 2022, giving current elected officials an extra year in office.
“It wasn’t about changing the cycle from odd to even year, I understand why that happened,” Hay said. “It was the extra year that concerned me.”
As Hay familiarized himself with the process of local government, he began to feel that he could bring something new to the board.
“At first I just watched as a citizen to be more involved and engaged,” he said. “Then I had this feeling that there was a lot that I could contribute to the conversation. Not necessarily things I would do differently, but ways I could offer a new approach or maybe a different way of looking at issues coming before the board.”
When he would discuss local concerns with members of the community, many of them encouraged him to seek a seat on the board. With his wife expecting the couple’s second child this year, he was initially hesitant. However, the opportunity to reshape the majority of the board in the 2020 election compelled him to file for the Nov. 3 election.
“This is a significant moment in Black Mountain’s history, and I think I can contribute something to the board,” Hay said.
Identifying the issues
As he prepared to launch his campaign, Hay identified four priorities for the community. He focused on intentional development as a strategy for growing and improving the community, while maintaining its small town charm; improved green spaces, greenways and shared community spaces; supporting a thriving, walkable downtown with locally owned businesses that cater to the tourist and local communities and improving public involvement in local government.
“Even as a citizen who was trying to be more involved, I felt there was a clear disconnect between the board and the community, in how they were communicating with each other,” he said. “Whether that was accurate or just perceived by members of the community, it felt like it was hard to get a board member’s ear to talk about things. I knew if I served on the board that would be something I’d want to change.”
Hay felt a sense of validation about his decision to seek an alderman seat when former mayor, Don Collins, resigned in August and the board appointed current mayor Larry Harris to finish the final two years of the term. The seat formerly occupied by Harris, who was at the time running for reelection, was filled by Archie Pertiller, Jr., another candidate in the race.
“A lot of people were frustrated with the rapid, pre-planned appointments,” he said. “Hopefully appointments won’t happen in our next cycle, but they will happen in the future. Let’s not wait until one comes back on the table before we outline a consistent process, let’s get that on the table now.”
Aldermen discussed the town charter, which dictates the board “shall” appoint a replacement in the event of a vacancy but does not outline a specific process for doing so, in the board’s September regular meeting. In March, the board appointed Jennifer Willet following a period in which they accepted forms of interest from residents seeking to fill a vacant seat. In contrast, Pertiller was appointed within minutes of the resignation of Collins and confirmation of Harris as new mayor.
“The fact that there were two distinct processes is a problem in itself,” Hay said. “I think the community should’ve had a chance to weigh in. These are elected positions, and even if the community isn’t doing the electing, they should have a voice in the process.”
A limit to the length of appointments is something else that should be considered, he added.
“That’s important to address,” he said. “Not just because I think it’s the right thing to do, but the ambiguity that is there doesn’t feel democratic at all. It should be made clear that appointed officials are up for election in the next election.”
Getting to work
Hay embraced the work of researching and carefully identifying priorities.
“Development is huge,” he said. “Black Mountain is growing and everyone knows it’s growing. From what I’ve seen, the board hasn’t been as proactive as it could be about how to handle that growth. I use the word ‘intentional’ with development a lot, because I’m not trying to stop the growth, it’s about using that inevitable growth to improve the quality of life for our residents.”
Future developers, Hay believes, should have increased responsibility to address stormwater and other infrastructure.
“I think there is a real opportunity for the town to embrace the growth as an avenue for improvement,” he said. “If we can be really intentional about what we’re approving, and make sure areas are ready for transformation, we can seize that opportunity.”
Hay would also like to see leadership lend additional support to the thriving downtown business district.
“There is no denying that downtown Black Mountain is a gem for Western North Carolina,” he said. “People who visit Asheville but come to Black Mountain are often surprised by everything we have to offer here. I want to support growth downtown and see people come here and take day trips to Asheville instead of the other way around.”
Less reliance on seasonal traffic and increased year-round local patronage of the businesses downtown is part of his long-term goal.
“We can borrow a chapter from our neighboring towns: Marion, Morganton, Hendersonville and Boone are all part of something called Main Street America,” he said. “It’s a national organization that provides a framework for small towns to grow and develop their downtowns. If you become part of this network you have access to grant opportunities and a variety of resources.”
Main Street America is a program of the National Main Street Center that focuses on economic vitality, design, promotion and organization for participating municipalities across the country.
“This isn’t a radical idea,” he said. “I have spoken to more than a few people who are very open to exploring this. It’s an opportunity that many cities and towns around the country are taking advantage of., and I believe it’s something our town should at least look into.”
Green is good
Hay’s passion for running makes him one of many local residents who regularly utilize the town’s greenways, parks and other outdoor amenities. He applauds the efforts of previous boards to support those recreational opportunities.
“This priority absolutely has to do with my experiences and perspective as someone who will spend every moment outside that I can,” he said. “When I look at Black Mountain, I see all these parks and a recreation and parks department, and that’s pretty amazing for a town our size. I think that’s a big part of what’s so attractive about our town.”
Features like Lake Tomahawk, Veterans Park and Town Square are “major assets” to the community, according to Hay, who would like to continue to prioritize them.
“I don’t want to make any sweeping changes to our recreation department or propose a new park or anything like that,” he said. “I think we would benefit from a community center, but what something like that would look like, I’m not exactly sure. I do want us to continue to enhance what we have.”
Hay describes his campaign as a “crash course on a lot of local issues.”
“I made a goal early on to have at least one conversation with someone who knew more about something than I did every day,” he said. “That meant reaching out to everyone from local business owners to sitting aldermen to town staff to neighboring communities. That’s helped me learn more about the town and its needs, and it has helped me firm up my priorities and positions that I believe will benefit this town.”