Nine candidates file for Black Mountain alderman race

Crowded field seeks three seats on the board

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
July 17, 2020

A crowded field of candidates seeking seats on the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen emerged as the filing deadline for Buncombe County municipal elections arrived at 12 p.m., July 17. 

Nine names are set to appear on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election, when residents of the town will decide which candidates will fill three seats on the governing board. 

Incumbents Larry Harris and Jennifer Willet will attempt to retain their positions on the five-person board this fall, while seven challengers vie to unseat them. Mayor pro tem Maggie Tuttle, who was reelected in 2015, will not seek another term. 

The field of challengers is composed of Doug Hay, Pam King, Archie Pertiller, Jr., Mike Sobol, Justyn Whitson, Matthew Turner and Tonia Holdderman. Seven of the candidates, including Willet, are mounting their first campaigns in Black Mountain while Sobol is attempting to resume a political career in the town that began in 17 years ago. 

Sobol was first elected as an alderman in 2003, and briefly appointed mayor in 2006 after William Kennedy passed away less than a year into his term. Sobol was re-elected as alderman in 2007 and again in 2011. He was elected mayor in 2013 and served one term before current mayor Don Collins unseated him in November of 2017. 

Hay and King declared their respective candidacies on the opening day of the filing period. Hay operates an online fitness and nutrition business, according to his campaign website.

King is the development coordinator for Helpmate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Pertiller is the co-owner and CEO of NCI Plus, a company that specializes in behavior management training for agencies that provide mental health services. 

Whitson owns and operates 1013 Consultants, a firm that offers services related to risk assessment for emergency management and crisis response. 

Turner is in retail management and is an assistant coach for the football team at Owen High School. He is actively involved in youth sports in the community. 

Holderman is the regional admissions director for the N.C. State Veterans Home in Black Mountain. 

Willet, who is the co-owner of local salon Bliss Beauty Bar, has been serving on the board since March. She was appointed to fill the seat left vacant when Carlos Showers passed away in January. 

Harris was appointed to a seat on the board in 2013. The certified public accountant and financial planner was elected to serve his current term in 2015.