Tim Raines announces resignation from town council

Retired Owen High School teacher and coach to move this summer

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
May 27, 2021

Retired Owen High School teacher and coach Tim Raines announced his resignation from the Black Mountain Town Council on May 27. Raines, who was appointed to fill a vacancies in his current seat in 2018, will step away from the board after its June 14 meeting. Photo by Fred McCormick

Black Mountain Town Councilmember Tim Raines will step down from his position after the board’s regular monthly meeting, Monday, June 14. 

Raines, a retired Owen High School teacher and coach who was appointed to fill a vacant seat on the board in 2018, is moving out of the area. 

“I’ve spoken with him the last few days, and he asked me to announce this today,” Harrold told the board during a May 27 special call meeting to discuss amendments to the town’s Land Use Code. 

Raines called his service on the board “an honor and a privilege” as he addressed his fellow council members. 

“My wife Renee and I are entering a new phase in our lives,” he said. “We’re looking forward to that, but Black Mountain will always be home and we’ll be back. This has been a wonderful experience, thank you.”

Raines, a native of Black Mountain, was a teacher at Owen High School for 25 years before retiring in 2017. He was the head coach of his alma mater’s girls basketball team and junior varsity football team during his career at the school. He returned to the football field and basketball court last season as an assistant coach in both sports. 

The town council will appoint a replacement to fill the seat for the remainder of the current term, which ends in 2022. A new policy adopted May 10 requires the town to request letters of interest from citizens wishing to fill the seat. Applicants must be 21 years old, a resident of Black Mountain and a registered and qualified voter. 

The applications will be reviewed by the town clerk and qualified applicants will be passed along to the town council for consideration. Once those entries have been reviewed, council members will nominate potential replacements using a ballot. The applicant who receives the most nominations will be selected to fill the vacancy. If no majority is reached, the board will choose between the two nominees receiving the most votes.