Michael Sobol wants to trade ‘bully pulpit’ for voting seat
Black Mountain mayor seeks term on town council in effort to resolve lingering issues in local government
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
October 9, 2026
Mayor Michael Sobol is one of four candidates vying for two, four-year terms on the Black Mountain Town Council in the Nov. 3 election. Photo by Fred McCormick
This profile is one of a series examining the priorities of candidates running for office in the Town of Black Mountain this fall. In-person early voting for the Buncombe County General Election will be open Oct. 15 - 31, with election day held, Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Michael Sobol does not have to be asked his opinions on matters of local government in his hometown. He offers them freely and consistently, at least once a month, from his mayoral seat in the center of Black Mountain’s governing body.
As the longtime political fixture in local government approaches the end of his second separate tenure in his current position, he is campaigning to become a voting member of the board on which he last served in 2013. The mayor is one of four candidates running for two full terms on the Black Mountain Town Council, when voters head to the polls, Tuesday, Nov. 3, to choose municipal representatives.
“I’m tired of having that bully pulpit,” said Sobol, who served on the town council from 2003 through his first election as mayor in 2013. He was re-elected again in 2022, following an unsuccessful campaign for mayor in 2017. “I have been the most disrespected mayor in the history of Black Mountain. The board has fought me, the previous town manager fought me, and for about a year-and-a-half, if I wanted public information, whether it was about water, public works or the fire department, I had to submit a Freedom of Information request.”
With nearly two decades in local politics, Sobol understands many consider him brash, and sometimes abrasive. Yet, from his perspective, frustration with inaction from town officials has been the catalyst and driving force behind his career in public service.
“In 1994, another local resident and I came up with a plan for a greenway trail system in town. It wasn’t getting anywhere, so I decided I needed to run for the board to try to get it going,” said Sobol, who holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. “But, these last four years have been unlike anything I have ever experienced in town government. It has caused sleepless nights and total frustration from unmet expectations and disrespect from staff and other board members.”
His current term has included public disagreements with town employees and fellow elected officials on subjects ranging from reopening the municipal golf course to questioning budget requests from the fire department, as the council contended with a general fund shortfall of approximately $2 million. The frequency and ineffectiveness of public debates, which he believes are necessary due to an unwillingness to consider his perspective, caused him to doubt his willingness to seek another elected term.
“But, there was a point where it looked like there was light at the end of the tunnel,” Sobol said. “I think we can do better with a new board, and things are already improving.”
Unfinished business
Sobol was elected to his current position as mayor in 2022, earning 61% percent of the vote, with 2,513 ballots cast in his favor. He campaigned on a platform of “holding town staff accountable,” but struggled to gain the support of the council.
“With a seat on the town council, I only have to find two other people to get things done,” he said. “Whereas being the mayor, I have to find three people to hear me out, and that is something the council was never willing to do.”
The mayor maintained a contentious relationship with the previous town manager, who announced his resignation last December, and the former assistant town manager, who left in March. The assistant manager position was eliminated last summer, due to budgetary considerations in the current fiscal year.
Beginning last spring, two town council members resigned within approximately two months of each other, before the fire chief announced, Oct. 6, he was stepping down to accept the same position with the Town of Weaverville.
Sobol welcomes changes in the government, which he has scrutinized closely since taking office in 2022.
“This board never questioned anything the previous town manager did, which was something I was doing from the beginning. The town hall was closed to the public after COVID, and I could never get anybody to question that,” he said. “Questioning and challenging why departments need extra money is what we are supposed to do. But, somehow, we developed a culture where the town manager was giving every department everything they wanted, and the board went along with it.”
His vocal responses are a reaction to that perceived dynamic, according to the mayor.
“I’ve watched Black Mountain slide. It has slowly devolved, and no matter how much I try I can never get the board to drink from the same cup,” he said. “It’s my firm belief that’s how things got to where they are.”
Characterizing government spending as vastly outpacing population growth, Sobol contends increases in the number of town employees and rapidly rising costs of operations are key factors in the town’s current financial challenges. The municipality was recently added to the Local Government Commission Unit Assistance List, based on audited financial statements from the 2025 fiscal year.
“We have to cut the budget some. That means in certain areas we have too many personnel,” he said. “The finances kind of scare me, if I’m being honest. We really need to figure out how to get some of our spending under control.”
His consistent advocacy to reopen the golf course, according to Sobol, expressed an urgency to address what he considers an unnecessary loss of income from an asset that requires maintenance and staff.
“We lost money at the golf course. Imagine that,” the mayor said. “It is a revenue stream that made around $125,000, the year prior to Helene. That course suffered minimal damage, still had to be maintained, and if we had opened it up sooner, with all the other courses down in the area, there is no telling how much money it could have made. That was an opportunity for the town.”
Michael Sobol speaks to potential voters, Sept. 24, as the chamber of commerce hosted a Black Mountain Town Council candidate forum. Photo by Fred McCormick
Listening goes a long way
Accessibility to local government is important in a town the size of Black Mountain, according to the mayor.
“Just being able to go into town hall and talk to someone isn’t, by itself, necessarily going to fix a problem,” Sobol said. “But, at least they feel they have been heard.”
The professionalism and service of current staff, he continued, represents a significant step toward improving the relationship between the local government and its citizens.
“Our town clerk, Wesley Barker, and Greta Gibson (customer service and revenue supervisor for the water billing department) are great at addressing requests from citizens,” Sobol said. “If you walk into town hall, which you can do now, the job they have done creating a friendly and welcoming environment is commendable.”
While campaigning for a seat on the town council, Sobol believes there is still work to be done.
“We need to remove the toxic culture from town hall, and then fix it,” he said. “We have removed a lot of it, but there is a way to go before it becomes the warm, friendly environment it was for years and years.”
If elected, Sobol plans to advocate for a “responsive town.”
“We’re well on our way, because of (interim Town Manager Richard Hicks),” he said. “We’re not quite there yet, but we are getting close.”
Reestablishing mutual respect between the town and citizens will require widespread commitment from elected officials and employees, according to the mayor.
“In my opinion, we were never really fully engaged under the last administration,” he said. “We need to welcome input from the citizens, not act like their opinions don’t matter. We need our citizens involved in our decision-making.”
Leadership with a clean slate
Three things are the subject of Sobol’s focus, as he campaigns to hold a vote on the town’s governing body. Finding a cost-effective solution to repairing the public safety building, hiring a permanent town manager with leadership skills and a willingness to listen and rebuilding the workplace culture are among his top concerns.
“The public safety building is our biggest issue right now, by far,” he said. “We need a gameplan for what we can achieve, and how. Hopefully, before the election, we’ll get a structural engineer to look at it and get an estimate of the cost to fix it. Get that done and get the fire and police departments back in there.”
If the structure, which was deemed unsafe earlier this year, based upon a professional facility assessment, can be stabilized, Sobol supports upgrading the interior space.
Identifying and hiring a strong town manager is another top priority for the candidate.
“A lot of the work required for finding a good town manager is being done now,” Sobol said. “Getting rid of people and replacing them with employees who improve the culture in town hall. That way, when we advertise for a new town manager in December, we’ve already cleaned house. Hopefully, we will replace people who have caused problems with people who can communicate, think and make sound decisions.”
While the term “transparency” has become overused in political discourse, he added, it is an aspirational one for the town.
“In our case, we haven’t had it,” he said. “It should be easier for the public to come in and get information from the town. People who simply want to understand how a decision was made have been left confused and often unsatisfied, or even frustrated.”
Calling balls and strikes
Despite an acrimonious relationship with the previous town administration, Sobol believes he can provide valuable insight into the search for a permanent manager.
“Whether the town council has agreed with me in the past or not, it is important to remember that the nature of the relationship between a town manager and the town council is that we ask questions and the manager listens and responds to them,” he said. “It is our job to represent the people, so we have to hire a town manager who respects that. It’s not complicated.”
That approach, according to the mayor, will increase the frequency of public discussions between elected officials.
“That creates a situation where we are all part of the solution, whatever the question or concern is,” Sobol said. “No one person knows everything in this town. We have to work together as a team, and I have always been part of a team. That has been one of the most frustrating things about these past few years.”
The example set by the current interim manager can provide the board, which began the process of searching for a permanent administrator early this year, a template for potential candidates.
“Richard has been really good at calling balls and strikes, regardless of who the batter is, which I think is something you really need in a town manager,” Sobol said. “Having someone like that here has been a big benefit for this town, and I’m hoping it’s something we can build on.”
As he prepares to vacate his seat as mayor, the town council candidate believes his record in government office speaks for itself.
“I can think and make decisions,” Sobol said. “Some people may think that’s arrogant, and I’m sorry. But, I can also call balls and strikes, and that is something I’ve been doing for a long time.”