Tonia Holderman emphasizes public safety in Black Mountain
Alderman candidate seeks to make positive impact through service to the town
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 25, 2020
Tonia Holderman is one of six candidates running for a seat on the Black Mountain Board of Aldermen in the Nov. 3 election. 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.
It didn’t take Tonia Holderman long to feel at home in Black Mountain when she moved with her husband from Swannanoa in 2004. She was touched by the warmth and hospitality of her new neighbors and eager to explore the town and interact with the people. The more she learned about the community the more she was compelled to serve it.
In her endeavor to do so, Holderman devoted much of her time to volunteer work and supporting local civic and community organizations, and as the Nov. 3 election approaches, she hopes to continue making a “positive impact” as a Black Mountain alderman.
Holderman, the regional admissions director for the N.C. State Veterans Homes, served on the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for five years, including a term as president from 2017 - 2019. Prior to that she served on the board of the Buncombe County Council on Aging and held a seat on the Mayor’s Committee for Veterans Affairs in Asheville. Holderman is currently a member of Kiwanis Club and has previously participated in fundraising efforts for the WNC Alzheimers Association and the American Cancer Society.
“I view volunteer work as a responsibility, and especially when you live in a community as special as ours,” Holderman said. “Businesses and nonprofits can only do so much, so it always takes a team of volunteers to make the biggest difference.”
Holderman planned to continue finding ways to support community organizations in 2020, but had no intention of running for an alderman seat until the months leading up to the July filing deadline.
Support for first responders
“As the wife of a law enforcement officer who worked in the field for 27 years, I have seen the sacrifices he’s made and the positive things he and his fellow officers have been able to do. So, I was concerned by the growing sense of negativity, not necessarily on a local level, but nationwide,” said Holderman, whose husband Phil is a deputy for the Buncombe County Sheriff’s office. “That kind of lit a fire inside of me. I knew that a lot of people were letting the actions of some law enforcement officers reflect negatively on so many of the good men and women in that field.”
Calls to defund police departments across the country intensified following the May death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, where four police officers are facing related charges ranging from second-degree murder to aiding and abetting manslaughter. Holderman, however, isn’t convinced that less funding is a suitable solution in Black Mountain.
“I think the national conversation made me think about what the long- and short-term impact of that could be here in our community,” she said. “I’m not against change, and I believe if there is a better way to do something then I’m all about it. But, I also get concerned when people advocate for change if that change is potentially negative or has adverse effects.”
Holderman favors what she believes is a more measured approach to addressing potential issues related to public safety.
“A lot of times people form opinions based on feelings or assumptions, but I think you have to take the time to investigate all aspects of things,” she said. “If you want to make changes to anyone’s profession, you have to first know if that change is going to help or hurt.”
Community safety is top priority
Holderman describes the work by Black Mountain’s fire and police departments as “phenomenal,” and believes those efforts are critical in keeping the community safe.
“Both departments regularly interact with the community and put a lot of effort into building relationships with the people they serve,” she said. “I think it’s also important to point out that not only do our public safety employees keep the citizens safe, but they also do the same for the large number of visitors to our town.”
It is important that local leaders maintain an adequate level of staffing and equipment to meet the demand of an increasing number of calls for service, Holderman continued.
“When you consider the needs of our first responders you have to look at the whole picture,” she said. “While our first responders often receive support from outside agencies, we cannot always be dependent on the county or other organizations in emergency situations.”
Holderman believes the town should explore ways to provide additional funding for the fire department.
“There are many people who want to live and work here,” she said. “We have to find a way to pay our firefighters, and other town employees a competitive wage.”
A delicate balance between development and environment
Public safety extends beyond the services of first responders, according to Holderman.
“One of the things that I was immediately impressed with when I moved to Black Mountain was the accessibility,” she said. “Coming from a more rural setting, it was nice to be able to walk all the way into town on sidewalks. At that time, we were living closer to downtown and the area where our home is now doesn’t have the same infrastructure.”
Once completed, the greenway system will play a key role in connecting the town through walkable trails, but sidewalks are still needed in some growing communities throughout the town, according to Holderman.
“Not having sidewalks in those areas limits your ability to walk safely,” she said. “One thing everyone knows about this town is that a lot of residents enjoy spending time outdoors, so I believe that creating more access for them would go a long way toward public safety.”
Addressing those needs and supporting the completion of the current greenway expansion are particularly timely issues, Holderman added, as development is bringing more traffic into the neighborhoods of Black Mountain.
“I live right beside a new development, and when that project came about I started to really try to understand more about the town’s infrastructure systems,” she said. “It’s no secret we’re growing, and more and more people are impacted by that. My experience with that process has been an eye-opener, and it’s important to me that we have good policy in place for developments that take into consideration its impact on our environment.”
Balancing development and the natural environment, however, isn’t an easy task, according to Holderman.
“People are going to continue coming to this community and I don’t believe in keeping people out,” she said. “So I’m not against development, but we have to do it in such a way that it doesn’t have negative impacts now or in the future.”
Stormwater management is a “hot button topic” in the community for good reason, Holderman added.
“Nearly everyone who lives near a development in town can see the mud coming down the hills and roads when it rains,” she said. “It can be a difficult process to watch. So I am very interested in looking more closely at our current policies and seeing what we can do to address this issue, because it’s important.”
Enriching the community
Quality of life can be a relative term, but Holderman believes that many people in Black Mountain share a common appreciation for one unique aspect of the town.
“I believe this place is inspiring,” she said. “I have always been a crafter and over the years I have met so many creative people. That is one of many unique things about our community, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we attract so many talented artists and craftspeople, and have done so for many years.”
Preserving that quality is something that Holderman views as vital to community enrichment.
“I believe it’s important that we should work to keep our community a place that supports creativity,” she said.
Local businesses are a shining example of how fostering innovation benefits residents and visitors.
“I know from my time on the board of the chamber that we have a unique and thriving business community in Black Mountain,” Holderman said. “The creativity and dedication of our local business owners is a big part of what not only makes the town a great place to live, but also a popular destination for tourists.”
Seasonal visitors play a “vital role” in the local economy, Holderman said, and the small town charm is a driving force behind the chamber of commerce’s marketing efforts.
“There is so much to see and do right here,” she said. “I travel with my husband to visit small towns all over the state, and I always visit the local chambers. That’s given me a deep appreciation for our local chamber of commerce, because not everyone is capable of doing what they do. So when I drive through our town and see that it’s busy, that makes me feel good because I know that gives our local businesses an opportunity to thrive.”
As more residents and visitors continue to come to Black Mountain, voters have expressed a desire to maintain its small town integrity, according to Holderman.
“We have a good thing going here and I feel blessed to be a part of this community,” she said. “Whatever I can do, big or small, I just want the opportunity to give back to this town that has given so much to me.”