Mayor Abby Norton, League of Women Voters to host Hot Springs candidate forum

Norris Gentry, Madison County Commissioner, poses for a portrait outside of the Madison County Courthouse on February 23, 2022. Maya Carter/Asheville Citizen Times

By Johnny Casey, Asheville Citizen Times, October 14, 2023

HOT SPRINGS – Hot Springs voters who are unsure about who they want to vote for in the Nov. 7 municipal elections will have a chance to hear from the candidates in person later this month.

Hot Springs Mayor Abby Norton is coordinating a candidate forum, which will take place Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. at the Hot Springs Community Center.

Norris Gentry will moderate the forum.

According to Norton, Cheryl Williams, a board director at League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County, as well as an additional League of Women’s Voters member will assist with the forum.

“The League of Women’s Voters would hold a forum before each election, but they disbanded last year, so I’m arranging to have one,” Norton said.

According to the League of Women Voters Asheville-Buncombe County website, Williams joined the Madison County member at large LWV group in 2017 and transferred to LWV-Asheville Buncombe when the Madison group disbanded in summer 2022.

Before retirement, she was an analyst with the Government Accountability Office, where she reviewed programs ranging from wildlife management on federal land to emerging infections and pandemic public health planning, among other things, the website said.

According to Norton, the forum is typically a low-key event. But with six candidates vying for three spots in the Nov. 7 election ‒ a number that Board of Elections Director Jacob Ray said “surprised” him ‒ Norton said she felt it would be a crucial resource for voters this year.
“It really hasn’t been a big deal in the past, but we have so many people running for alderman this year that I thought it would be beneficial for voters,” Norton said. “We will follow the league rules and regulations.”

The six candidates listed on the N.C. State Board of Elections’ website are Dan Myers, Robin Smith and Wendy Stancil, as well as incumbent board members Vaughn Barnett, Jeanne Gentry and Jimmy Moore, who said in a Facebook post in August that he would be dropping out of the race to attend to a family issue, though his name would still be on the ballot.

“First off, I just want to thank every single person with all my heart that has voted and supported me for the past 4 terms as hot springs alderman,” Moore said in the post. “It’s been a honor. But a family illness has come about and I need to put all of my time and focus on that. My name will still be on the ballot come November, but I’m officially dropping out of the race. I hope you all understand that family has and always will come totally first to me and supporting them in a time of need. I loved working with the board I’m with now and hope you all will give them your total support in re electing them come November.”

Moore told The News-Record he will be participating in the forum.

The News-Record interviewed the candidates in August, and asked the candidates about their views on what they felt were the most important issues facing the county, as well as why they chose to run for political office.

The election will be a nonpartisan election, as the town of Hot Springs will conduct its election under the “Nonpartisan Plurality” method provided in General Statute 163-279(a1).

Per General Statute 163-302, Hot Springs does not provide absentee voting.

Norton will run unopposed in the mayoral election.

The Hot Springs Community Center is located at 43 N. Andrews Ave.

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