Candidates for Mayor and Town Council Debate at Altered Frequencies

A forum for candidates running for Mayor and Town Council in Franklin was held on Saturday, November 2nd at Altered Frequencies on Carolina Mountain Drive.

The only candidates to attend were Bob Scott, running for re-election as Mayor, and Peter Mosco, running for a seat on the Town Council. 

The election is tomorrow and the polls are open from 6:30am to 7:30pm at the town hall located at 95 East Main Street in Franklin, NC in the lower level of the building.

A full list of candidates who filed to run for office is posted below.


Mayoral Candidates 

Bob Scott participated
Barbara McRae sent written answers to questions

Town Council Candidates

Peter Mosco participated
Joe Collins (incumbent)  did not participate
Brandon McMahan (incumbent) sent written answers to questions
Daniel Coates did not participate
Kevin Klatt did not participate
Jack Horton did not participate
Mike Lewis did not participate
TJ Wright did not participate
Dinah Mashburn (running unopposed) did not participate


Media Roll Call

Macon Media and a reporter for WNCC-FM/WFSC-AM were the only media outlets in attendance. The Franklin Press, The Smoky Mountain News, and The Macon County News and Shopping Guide did not send reporters to cover the forum. A full video of the forum is embedded below for those who were unable to attend.


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Full Video of Debate





Photos




















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Published at 12:15pm on Monday, November 4, 2019

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Town Council Hears Proposal to Deed Nikwasi Mound to the Nikwasi Initiative

Councilman Barbara McRae, Vice-Mayor, presented a proposal that the Town of Franklin deed the Nikwasi Indian Mound over to the Nikwasi Initiative, a non-profit that she co-chairs. A copy of her statement has been posted below.

Macon MEdia could not find a website for the Nikwasi Initiative, but has found a lot about on various websites devoted to Cherokee Tourism, including Visit Cherokee. [LINK] 

Here is an excerpt:

The Nikwasi Initiative oversees the Cherokee Cultural Corridor project, a heritage tourism initiative to preserve and showcase historical sites crucial to the US and EBCI. (Preliminary map above.) Conceptualized to be a regional economic driver, the Corridor is about 60 miles long and extends from Cherokee along Highway 28 along the Little Tennessee River to Franklin and continues along Highway 441 to the Georgia border. Sites include Anglo-Cherokee War Battlefields, Cowee, Lauada Cemetery/Fontana Lake, and Cherokee - Qualla Boundary Gateway, among others. Signage in Cherokee and English will inform visitors about the region’s past and present. One of the goals is to publish a brochure to guide visitors along the corridor.

The Town of Franklin, Macon County, and EBCI have all contributed start-up funds for NI. There are many other funders to the Corridor project, including the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, the Cherokee Preservation Foundation, and the Cannon Foundation.

Editors Note: Macon Media has not been invited to cover any of the meetings or events of this organization.


A video of that segment of the March 2019 town council meeting will be added below once it finishes processing.



If the video refuses to load, watch the video on Youtube. [LINK]

DAY SPONSOR

Carrion Tree Service is underwriting Macon Media for today. they are a fully licensed and insured tree service, specializing in dangerous tree removal, view clearing, pruning, and crane services with a 24 Hour emergency response.

Their phone number is 371-4718.

They can handle all your tree removal needs in good or bad weather.


We Are All People of the Mountains
Creating a partnership around Nikwasi Mound
by Vice-Mayor Barbara McRae

Nikwasi Initiative Statement on Mound by Bobby Coggins on Scribd

Previous Meetings Dealing with Ownership of the Nikwasi Mound

10-07-2014 Aldermen pass resolution reaffirming ownership of Nikwasi, willing to work with tribe on maintenance [LINK]

08-14-2013 ECBI Chief Hicks Speaks to County Commissioners [LINK TO FULL MEETING]



03-03-2014 Nikwasi Mound Presentation at the March 2014 Franklin Aldermen Meeting






CROWDFUNDING OR DAY SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES


If you receive value from what Macon Media provides to the community, please consider becoming a supporter and contribute at least a dollar a month. Those who support Macon Media with at least a dollar a month receive early access to video of some events and meetings before they are made public on the website. Videos and news involving public safety are not subject to early access.

Patreon Subscriber History May 2014 to Present




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Published at 9:30pm on Monday, March 4, 2019
Edited at 4:13am on 03-05-2019 to add information about the Nikwasi Initiative

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Franklin Aldermen 12-02-2013

Town of Franklin Board of Aldermen 

Meeting Agenda

Monday December 2, 2013 -7:00 p.m. 

1. Oath of Office for Mayor and Aldermen- Macon County Clerk of Court Vic Perry
2. Call to Order- Mayor Bob Scott
3. Appointment of Mayor Pro Tempore
4. Approval of the November 4, 2013 board minutes.
5. Public session
6. New business
   • Message from Mayor Bob Scott.
   • Application to amend text only of the Unified Development Ordinance for Outdoor Display of Goods- Land Use Administrator Derek Roland.
   • Application to amend text only of the Unified Development Ordinance for the Board of Adjustment- Land Use Administrator Derek Roland.
   • Approval of the 2014 Town Board Regular Meeting Schedule- Town Manager Warren Cabe.
   • Approval of the 2014 Town of Franklin Holiday Schedule- Town Manager Warren Cabe.
   • Discussion on Committee Appointments- Mayor Bob Scott
   • Update on Land Trust for the Little Tennessee- Town Manager Warren Cabe.
   • Update on North Carolina Department of Transportation Prioritization Projects- Town Manager Warren Cabe.
   • Resolution Authorizing the Town Clerk to Investigate the Sufficiency of a Voluntary Annexation Petition- Land Use Administrator Derek Roland.
   • Special Use Application for Wireless Telecommunications Tower Improvements at 90 Cunningham Road- Land Use Administrator Derek Roland
   • Discussion on 2014 Town Board Retreat- Town Manager Warren Cabe.
7. Announcements
   • Winter Wonderland will be December 6 and December 13, 2013 from 5:00 -8:00 p.m.
   • Town Employee Luncheon will be December 20, 2013 at 12:00 p.m. at Fat Buddies.
   • Town Offices will be closed December 24, 25, and 26, 2013 for Christmas.
8. Adjourn

Here is the video, press kit and some photos from last night's meeting of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen:


Video of the December 2, 2013 meeting of the Franklin Town Board of Aldermen. Includes the swearing in of new Mayor Bob Scott, as well as new Aldermen Barbara McRae and Patti Halyburton Abel. Alderman Billy Mashburn is sworn in for another term.

Vic Perry, Clerk of Court for Macon County, swears in Bob Scott as the new Mayor of the Town of Franklin while Nancy Scott holds the Bible.

Vic Perry, Clerk of Court for Macon County, swears in Barbara McRae as a new Alderman for the Town of Franklin.

Vic Perry, Clerk of Court for Macon County, swears in Patti Halyburton Abel as a new Alderman for the Town of Franklin while her daughter Rylie and husband Donnie holds the Bible.

Vic Perry, Clerk of Court for Macon County, swears in Billy Mashburn for another term as Alderman while Dinah, his wife, holds the Bible.

The swearing in ceremonies in the town hall were subject to intense scrutiny by an army of photographers.

The Press Kit for this meeting is embedded below for your convenience and in the interest of promoting transparency in local government. Please feel free to download it.

Franklin Aldermen Press Kit 12-02-2013 by Thunder Pig

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2013 Election Results Infographic: The Pie Chart Edition

Those of you who know me know how much I love the opportunity to express data in visual formats, like charts and maps and so on. So, here are a series of graphs showing the results of Tuesday's election in visual terms.

Most of the pie charts should be self-explanatory, but I added a brief description below most of them anyway.

Mayor Results




Vote split between the different Aldermen. People could vote for a maximum of three candidates in this race.


Voter Turnout expressed as a percentage.


Voter participation in the Aldermen races. There are 2618 registered voters and there was a maximum number of 7854 possible votes in those races, so if someone only voted for one or two Aldermen, there other votes still counted as not participating in the election.

Voter participation in the Mayoral race. I counted the three write ins as not participating because the votes were not cast for a declared candidate.

Votes by method of voting in the Mayoral race:

Votes by method of voting in the Aldermen races (in order of finish):

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2013 Election Results in Franklin, NC

The last three hours have been hectic, so please forgive me for not updating the blog until now.

FINAL VOTE TALLY

MAYOR

Bob Scott -- 493 -- 72.82%
Sissy Pattillo- 181 -- 26.74%

ALDERMAN (Top three are seated)

Barbara McRae -------- 373 -- 19.88%
Patti Halyburton Abel -- 337 -- 17.96%
Billy Mashburn -------- 292 -- 15.57%

Video of Bob Scott at The Rathskeller:

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