Black Mountain candidates field questions in public forum
Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Presents Public Inquiries to seven vying for four Elected offices
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 24, 2026
Seven candidates running for four elected positions in the Town of Black Mountain this fall are seated for a forum, Sept. 23, in the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. The event was presented by the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Fred McCormick
All seven candidates vying for four elected positions within the Town of Black Mountain were present, Sept. 23, when each responded to a series of questions submitted by the public.
The Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce presented the Town Council Candidate Forum, which was hosted in the Gale Jackson Theatre on the second floor of the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.
Current town council member Ryan Stone, running unopposed for the mayor’s seat in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 non-partisan municipal general election, joined current mayor Michael Sobol and challengers John Richardson, Brittany Williams and Michael Roberts, who are seeking two full terms on the five-person town council. Incumbent Larry Harris and challenger Cheryl Milton, competing for the two remaining years of the unexpired term formerly held by Pam King, were seated with the group.
Chamber Director Cheryl Hyde led the forum, introducing the panel and presenting questions submitted prior to the event. Each candidate was allowed 60 seconds of response time per question, as well as two minutes for introductory and closing remarks. Participants were directed to limit statements to the subject of the presented query, while the format allowed no rebuttals, follow-up discussions or conversations between candidates.
“Thank you in advance for helping us keep the evening respectful, informative and on-schedule,” Hyde said, before each member of the discussion panel offered opening statements.
Roberts, the owner of Epic Cycles, was randomly selected to begin the introductory segment.
“The reason I decided to run for town council is I have a firm belief in life that if you see something going wrong, and you can do something about it, you need to step in and offer some assistance…” he said. “With this town, when I started looking and listening to some of the things going on, it kind of tugged at my heart, because I saw a beautiful community that was falling apart.”
Michael Roberts, owner of Epic Cycles and one of four candidates vying for two seats on the Black Mountain Town Council, responds to a question during a Sept. 23 forum in the Gale Jackson Theatre. Photo by Fred McCormick
The current town council, he added, is struggling to appropriately prioritize issues.
“I feel like I can do something about it,” Roberts said.
Harris, appointed by the town council in May to fill a vacancy, highlighted his decade of service as an elected official and experience on various boards. He was urged to return to the council, following a loss to Sobol in the 2022 mayoral election, by other elected officials.
“I was encouraged to do so because of the experience I have, but also because I had worked with most every one of the council members,” he said. “In accepting the appointment, I thought, at the same time, it would be important to run for the remaining two years of the unexpired term.”
The retired certified public accountant and financial planner of more than 40 years listed six boards on which he previously served or is currently a member, as his allotted time expired.
Milton centered her decision to seek a seat on the town council around ongoing financial concerns related to the municipality, which was informed earlier this month it would be included on the Local Government Commission’s Unit Assistance List.
“My big thing is the financial crisis this town is in. If any of you are not aware, the state has come in and has control,” she said. “No, this didn’t just happen since Helene, this problem started prior to Helene, with unkept spending. In my mind it’s time to reel it back in.”
Richardson, owner of Black Mountain Brewing, the RailYard and formerly the Ale House, characterized himself as a “community builder.”
“I am scared we are missing an incredible opportunity,” he said. “If you hear me say anything tonight, this is about three things: leadership, accountability and transparency. For (my daughter’s) sake, I feel like we can do so much better.”
Stone expressed feelings of frustration with the current environment in the town.
“I feel it, too, sitting on the council,” he said. “We have a lot of big decisions and big challenges in front of us. I believe we are going to get through them, and I believe we are going to be better off because we’re going to do it together.”
Ryan Stone, who is running unopposed for the mayor’s seat in the Town of Black Mountain, participates in a Sept. 23 candidate forum hosted by the chamber of commerce. Photo by Fred McCormick
Stone, in his second tenure on the town council, is focused on facilitating cordial interactions between elected officials, town staff and the public.
“I am running to be your next mayor because I believe I can bring civility back to this board,” he said. “I want to create a safe space for council members to share ideas."
Williams, who grew up in Black Mountain as the daughter of the town’s former recreation director before joining the department as an employee from 2014 to 2018, is the wife of a firefighter.
“The reason I decided to run for town council is because I, like other candidates, can not sit back and watch is happening continue to happen,” she said. “It doesn’t serve our town, and it doesn’t serve the individuals who live here. We are better than what is happening right now.”
The municipality, she added, is facing “significant issues.”
“Financial, infrastructure, customer service and permitting,” Williams said. “I want to bring a type of leadership to this town that is thoughtful, respectful and brings kindness back.”
Sobol, who has lived in his native town for 76 years and served as an elected official for 16 years, expressed a fondness for Black Mountain.
“I can’t think of any place else I’d rather be. I like to visit other cities, but this is where my heart is,” he said. “As a matter of fact, in this building is where my uncle Charles Lindsay used to be the town manager. My brother, Tom Sobol, was the mayor here before he went to the county commission.”
As the term of his second tenure as mayor is set to expire, Sobol is attempting to have a voice on the town council while continuing to “ask the tough questions.”
“The main reason I want to run for the board and not be mayor again is because you don’t have a vote as mayor…” he said. “We need to re-do (town) hall. We have gotten rid of some of the toxic fumes that were in (town) hall, with some of the people there, but we still have more to do.”
Michael Sobol, the current mayor of Black Mountain who is running for one of two terms on the town council, addresses an audience, Sept. 23, as the chamber of commerce hosts a candidate forum. Photo by Fred McCormick
Ten questions were presented to the candidates, with topics ranging from infrastructure demands, budgeting considerations, positions on the town’s use of automated license plate readers (ALPR) and opinions regarding mounting public concerns with code enforcement.
All seven participants shared concerns with the town’s current use of Flock Safety cameras.
“My own personal opinion is I believe the Flock cameras, without specific regulation on how that video is accessed and for what purpose, pose a real threat to the privacy of individuals,” Stone said. “As such, it is going to be on our agenda in the October meeting at town hall, and I ask you to come provide public comment for that. At this point, I am in favor of removing the Flock cameras until we get more guidance from the federal government as to what is admissible.”
Clear regulations on the use of the technology is necessary, according to Williams.
“Until we fully understand this technology, what it does and what it can do, and have a policy in place that is strict on its usage, I feel it is not something we should have in our town,” she said. “We have enough police officers who are patrolling to keep us safe.”
Sobol characterized the ALPR equipment as unnecessary, while Roberts explained how his opinions on the surveillance technology have evolved.
“When they came in, I tried to see the good in them. I think it is a good idea that has actually turned bad,” Roberts said.
Milton questioned the budgetary impacts of the cameras and related subscriptions, while considering reports of misuse in municipalities around the country. Harris reserves final judgment regarding the plate readers pending more information.
“Safety is pretty important…” he said. “We do need to protect the privacy of our citizens. It is just as important as law enforcement, but we have to balance the two.”
Richardson advocated for accountability and transparency about the current use of the cameras, as well as an accounting of the impact on the town’s budget.
“We have an amazing police force that does a great job, and in terms of strengthening our community, that’s one of the things I look to do as a member of town council,” Richardson said. “But right now, like most of us up here, I’m against them until we know what kind of accountability and transparency there is regarding Flock cameras.”
A call from citizens to review the status of documentation and enforcement practices of the planning department was directed as a question for the consideration of all candidates, who offered varied opinions.
Town Councilmember Larry Harris, one of two candidates contending for the remaining two years of an unexpired term, addresses the public in a Sept. 23 forum presented by the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce. Photo by Fred McCormick
Those actions are the job of the town manager, according to Harris.
“A competent town manager is the boss of the planning director; the planning director is the boss of the building inspector,” he said. “A competent town manager watches over the planning director and the actions of the building inspector. When they’re being misused and enforcement is coming down in an unfair way, it’s the responsibility of the town manager to control any erroneous judgments and hold staff accountable.”
A review of the town’s planning department is “absolutely necessary,” according to Roberts, who believes people in the community have been treated unfairly by town officials.
“There are businesses in town that want to expand to do different things, but their permits are turned away or they’re ignored,” he said. “Somebody speaks out, next thing you know there is someone on their doorstep shutting them down.”
Richardson, who was engaged in a public dispute with the planning and development department before his businesses filed two separate lawsuits against the municipality, reiterated his belief that the building code was being weaponized by officials within the office.
Black Mountain business owner John Richardson, one of four local residents running for two seats on the town council, responds to a question from the public, Sept. 23, during a candidate forum. Photo by Fred McCormick
“It’s so egregious that we have to have somebody come in to right the wrongs,” he said. “Nobody wants to have a safe deck more than I do. Nobody wants their building to be safe more than the people who own the businesses. We need building inspectors who work with the code to make businesses successful, not to use as a weapon.”
Stone supports welcoming an outside entity to review the practices of departments and budgeting for the purpose of an objective assessment.
“In regards to suspending projects under the planning department, I’m not in favor of that,” he said. “Can we improve in that department? Simply, yes, and it starts with being responsible to folks and exercising discretion when we can, but still enforcing codes to make sure we’re safe.”
Local business owners have expressed fear of the code enforcement officials, according to Williams.
“I’m not for suspending enforcement, but I do believe at this point in time, with the employees that are there, we may need additional oversight…” she said. “There is a lack of trust with those individuals.”
The state of the department represents a “continuing problem,” according to Sobol, who added it has been ongoing throughout his current term as mayor.
“Each year it just gets worse and worse, and it continues to…” he said. “It is up to the town board, and the board should’ve directed the previous town manager to deal with this, but they did not. So, this board can do it now, or choose to wait until the new board comes on.”
Candidates were asked how they would navigate the financial challenges facing the municipality, which entered its current fiscal year with a $2 million shortfall in its general fund and an approximately $900,000 deficit in the water fund
Cheryl Milton, a Black Mountain native campaigning for an unexpired term on the town council, articulates her assessment, Sept. 23, as the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce hosts a candidate forum. Photo by Fred McCormick
“Our older and younger populations have purchased houses, which are, in fact, the largest investments in their lives,” Milton said. “As you continue to say, ‘we have to have this or that,’ we have to raise taxes. Once you start doing that, you have a lot of people, over 50 and younger ones with families, who can’t keep up with the tax rate and have to move out.”
Mitigating that burden on citizens would require “hard choices,” she said in response to a separate question regarding prioritizing budget expenditures.
“From 2020 to 2026, under our former town manager, our employee base grew 25%. If you have an employee making over $52,000 per year, that one employee costs the town over $110,000 each year,” she said. “In my mind, you look at the employees we have, and if some need to be reduced. Do I like letting people go? No, and I don’t think anyone does if they’re the right kind of person. But, hard decisions need to be made.”
A review of the town’s financial audit by the LGC revealed a “very weak” former financial officer, according to Harris.
“You can simply look at the audit report and see that. It is written in it, and that’s why were placed on assistance,” he said. “Our town manager has done a good job as finance officer. We will get there, and we were there before this terrible last four years. One of the most important things, besides infrastructure, is paying our employees competitively so we can retain them… If we don’t have employees, we don’t have a town.”
Hard-working families and residents are already being impacted by increasing property tax rates, according to Williams, who also pointed to rising service fees.
Brittany Williams, who worked for the Town of Black Mountain from 2014 to 2018, is one of four contenders for two seats on the town council. She joined the remainder of the candidates, Sept. 23, for a public forum presented by the chamber of commerce. Photo by Fred McCormick
“You have to look at how that adds up and impacts them,” she said. “What services are we actually providing that constitute these fees? I also agree with Ryan that we need to look at these entities, locally, who are not tax-paying, but do put a burden on our services, roads and infrastructure.”
The assessments offered by all of the candidates were correct, according to Stone, who noted the town would need to “live within our means.”
“As far as how you do that, you are constrained by your revenue sources,” he said. “One of the challenges we face is that we have a lot of non-taxable property owners around us that we are still required to provide core services to.”
Differentiating between the needs and wants of departments within the town has been critical throughout Sobol’s time as an elected official, he responded.
“As we grew, we could provide a little extra, but that is what we need to keep in mind,” Sobol said. “We will continue to provide all the needs, but it might not be all the wants people are asking for. That’s a tough question we have to deal with, and I’ve been raked over the coals because I question whether or not something is a need or want.”
Each candidate was allowed two minutes to present a statement to close the forum, which was attended by approximately 70 people and streamed live on the Black Mountain Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
Sobol stated his top priority was addressing ongoing issues with the public safety building, following the relocation, last March, of the town’s fire and police departments.
“I have proposed, many times, that we need to use the bay, where the (BMFD) museum is, turn it into a dormitory so we can bring the firefighters back in there. Rent a trailer with bathroom facilities, and they can move back into that building within two weeks,” he said. “We don’t need a triple-wide up there. We have to start watching our dollars.”
Approximately 70 people attended a candidate forum, Sept. 23, presented by the chamber of commerce and hosted in the Gale Jackson Theatre in the Black Mountain Center for the Arts. Photo by Fred McCormick
He contended many of the reported issues in the building have been “overemphasized.”
“The public has not been told, exactly, that there are problems with that building, but it’s not going to fall down,” Sobol said. “Some people disagree with the way I speak and challenge people, but I can guarantee you one thing. I will continue to question, challenge and fight for the citizens of this town, which is my town, too.”
Williams reiterated her love for the town she grew up in, while focusing on the “serious issues” it faces.
“We have a lot of hard decisions that are going to have to be made,” she said. “We need leaders on the town council who are respectful, thoughtful and can think in a manner that is proactive, instead of being continually reactive, like we have been.”
Correcting the current course will take time, she continued.
“I want to bring a steadiness, and I want you to know I will ask the questions and do the homework necessary,” Williams said. “I’m not going to vote on something I do not understand, or that isn’t given to me in a clear manner. If I don’t understand it, there will others who also don’t.”
It has been a privilege to serve his hometown, according to Stone, who returned to the town council in 2023 with a goal to leave things better than he found them.
“I can’t necessarily say I’ve done that during these last few years on the council, but I have experience, knowledge and a personality that will help foster a conversation for the new folks on the board to take their vision, implement it and create a Black Mountain we’re proud of,” he said. “Because, at the end of the day, this is our home. It is worth fighting for, and all of you are worth fighting for.”
The overall quality of candidates running for positions within the town government represents an exciting opportunity, according to Richardson.
“I don’t think I love this town any more than anyone in this room loves this town. We all want to see this town thrive and do better,” he said. “Elections have consequences, and this is a critical election. As a small business owner, one of the things I’m able to do is take decisive actions and make changes, immediately. That’s something that can be harder to do for a municipality, but it should not take long to deal with some of the issues we have not dealt with over the past several years.”
Including citizens in the governing process is crucial, according to Milton.
“I might or might not get elected; if I don’t, my life goes on,” she said. “But, my life will go on in a way I will continue to move forward with looking at different things I think citizens need to know about. I’m an open book.”
Harris offered a reminder of his history of public service, which he called a “badge of honor.”
“I appreciate knowing current council members Lytle, Pertiller and Berry have offered their public support for my candidacy, as have former council members Doug Hay, Bill Christy and Maggie Tuttle. I appreciate their support very much,” he said. “I’m also appreciative Brittany Williams has offered her support for my candidacy and election, and I wholeheartedly support her in her effort for election.”
Many candidates expressed similar concerns in the forum, he continued.
“But, of foremost importance is a culture of respect, from council to staff, staff to council and staff and council to the community around us,” Harris said. “We have lots of big decisions to make, like the public safety building.”
Roberts became worried about the future of the town when he began watching and attending local government meetings. He has been asked multiple times if he is certain of his decision to seek a seat.
“The more I looked and more time I spent, the more scared I got,” he said. “I’m a business owner and manager and I fix things. I might not have all the answers, but I’m also not so proud to think I have all the answers… My job is to take your opinions, combine them with my opinions and ideas, and make this town better.”