Woodfin – The Tribune sent questionnaires to all candidates running for the Town of Woodfin Board of Commissioners. The following are the replies we received and are in alphabetical order according to the last names. A picture is included if the candidate sent one.
Ellen Brown
Brown withdrew from the race, saying she was moving out of the district.
Jackie Bryson
How Long Have You Lived In Your Election District? Life-long resident.
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? I was born and raised in Woodfin. I have lived in two houses my entire life. I represent the Woodfin Water District on the Metropolitan Sewage Board of Directors where I serve as the secretary and treasurer. I enjoy this very much. I’m a member of New Bridge Church where I serve as the senior director. Married to Ed Bryson and mother of two children – Mike Pope and Cynthia Roberson-Russ. Grandmother of five. My son, Mike served as an alderman as well as his deceased father and my husband, Roy W. Pope of which the park behind the town hall is named.
Why Are You Running? I have an interest in my town and feel like I can represent the citizens of Woodfin.
What Do You See As The Most Important Issue Facing Your Office? Keeping the lines of communications open to our citizens. Giving our police officers our support and taking care of our employees, especially our sanitary workers.
If Elected, Is There Anything You Would Change About Recent Actions By The Current Board? No.
Would You Participate In A Public Debate For The Seat If One Was Held? Not sure at this time.
Is The Current Board Doing A Good Job Of Communicating With Its Constituents? I think so, we could do better and hope, in the future, we will improve in this area.
Any Other Comments You’d Like To Make? Not Answered.

Debbie Giezentanner
How Long Have You Lived In Your Election District? 2 years.
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? My family moved to the unincorporated Woodfin in 1968 after living in the Beaver Lake area. I built a home ion 1981 and raised my daughters in the Town of Woodfin.
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? I am a native of Buncombe County. With the exception of attending college and holding an entry-level job, I have chosen to live in this area my entire life. I love the mountains and the culture of our area. My family, Patton’s and Giezentanner’s, are from this area. I am blessed to have two wonderful daughters with wonderful son in-laws and three precious grandchildren. I retired from my position as a Nursing Home Administrator in June 2019 and have served the citizens of the Town of Woodfin as an Alderman/Commissioner for four terms.
Why Are You Running? I am running for another term for the position of commissioner because I would like the opportunity to finish some of the larger town projects that are incomplete at this time. Since my retirement, I have been very active in working towards the completion of the Silverline Park, the Whitewater Wave Riverside Park and the Greenways we are building with Buncombe County. There is still work to be done on these projects and I am committed to ensuring that they are completed and that adequate funding is available.
What Do You See As The Most Important Issue Facing Your Office? Right now I feel the most important issue facing all the Town Commissioners is the negative climate regarding development in the town. Citizens of Woodfin want to be sure that the Town Commissioners are not going to allow developers to take advantage of the natural resources available. They want the small town, close community feel to continue and for Woodfin to not become a place where developers can make decisions which will hurt the environment or their neighborhoods. Miscommunications regarding The Bluffs have given the public a feeling that Town Commissioners have said YES to everything that has been asked by The Bluffs. In truth, a permit has not been approved nor has a finalized plan for the development been formally submitted. It is my opinion that each member of our board is now and has always been committed to maintaining the specialness of Woodfin which includes not allowing developers to take advantage. We all live in Woodfin.
If Elected, Is There Anything You Would Change About Recent Actions By The Current Board? If I could change recent actions, I would change the fact that our minutes did not reflect the adoption of the Comprehensive Land Plan. Although we have had this plan since 2008 or 2009, the formal minutes do not document the adoption of the plan. This omission has caused several recent problems but Town Attorneys are working with the planning and zoning members and the commissioners to resolve any issues. If elected, I will continue to support the need for height requirements to be reviewed by the Fire Marshall AND to be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Board. I will continue to support the revision and updating of all the zoning districts in our community.
Would You Participate In A Public Debate For The Seat If One Was Held? Yes – I am open to participating in a public debate.
Is The Current Board Doing A Good Job Of Communicating With Its Constituents? I think that the current Board is trying to communicate with constituents but is very restricted by potential legal threats on several sides. Town commissioners must maintain a balance of support for both sides of an issue – for citizens, for property owners and for people who are investing in our community. Commissioners cannot make comments which will have negative consequences for either side.
Public meetings have regulations regarding who can speak and who must only listen. Public comment means only the public can make comments—commissioners are not allowed to speak out on topics in meetings even when they wish they could explain their side. The mayor sends out a quarterly newsletter to all citizens in Woodfin in hopes of updating and giving details on issues of concern. I believe that it would be helpful for the board to develop an additional communication tool whereby more citizens could request basic information on topics where they have concerns.
Any Other Comments You’d Like To Make? I would like to thank the citizens of Woodfin for allowing me to serve this community —We do live in a very special place!

Don Hensley
Did not return a questionnaire.
Jim McAllister
How Long Have You Lived In Your Election District? 2.5 years
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? Growing up in Alabama, our family loaded up the station wagon to escape the heat, driving up on the Blue Ridge Parkway to camp alongside the cold streams where it was always cool. I never forgot that and when business brought me to Asheville numerous times, I explored the area and decided that the mountains were the perfect retirement place for me. I worked in sales management for over 35 years for technology companies focused on the banking industry. That work taught me many excellent skills that I believe will be useful in serving on the commission.
Why Are You Running? To protect the town’s many open, undeveloped spaces and to bring transparency to business dealing of the Town of Woodfin. Residents need better oversight of their tax dollars and I’m willing to do that. Looking through the records, I just don’t see commissioners asking enough questions about the budget, law enforcement and development proposals.
What Do You See As The Most Important Issue Facing Your Office? The lack of a comprehensive land-use plan, including a “steep slope ordinance” to protect our hillsides, ridge tops and the river. That will be priority #1 for me if elected.
If Elected, Is There Anything You Would Change About Recent Actions By The Current Board? Increase transparency in all business dealings and reach out to residents for input and collaboration. The Town has a number of lawyers on retainer and I want to find out if that is really necessary.
Would You Participate In A Public Debate For The Seat If One Was Held? Absolutely!
Is The Current Board Doing A Good Job Of Communicating With Its Constituents? Inadequate – the new town administrator has made excellent strides in this direction simply with the implementation of an awesome web site and the hiring of a “go getter” town clerk, but a much better job can be done.
Any Other Comments You’d Like To Make? Voter turnout for Woodfin Municipal Elections has been paltry – less than 300 people, so this election is critical for the residents of Woodfin to decide if they want “more of the same or change”. I represent change, like cleaning up Weaverville Road and trying to solve traffic and parking issues on Riverside Drive. If those issues are important, then make me one of your three choices on November 2. www.jim4woodfin.com
Linwood Nichols
How Long Have You Lived In Your Election District? Over a decade.
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? I’m head of security at Thermo Fisher Scientific, an army veteran, 27, and a fan of Marx.
Why Are You Running? I ran last year to engage more closely with local politics and to bring a new perspective to the town council. This year I run for the same, but also to change the direction the town has been heading in regards to development.
What Do You See As The Most Important Issue Facing Your Office? The largest current issue would be the bluffs/the laws that have allowed this controversy to happen.
If Elected, Is There Anything You Would Change About Recent Actions By The Current Board? Yes, though I recognize they are attempting to fix their mistakes, it seems that an oversight in 2009 was a major cause, and only now is it being rectified. So the major thing I would change is the rate at which possible issues are addressed.
Would You Participate In A Public Debate For The Seat If One Was Held? Yes
Is The Current Board Doing A Good Job Of Communicating With Its Constituents? Depends on who you ask, but there is room for improvement here in my opinion.
Any Other Comments You’d Like To Make? Not Answered.

Hazel Thornton
How Long Have You Lived In Your Election District? 2 years.
Tell Readers A Little About Yourself? I am a regular at Woodfin public meetings and I have been an outspoken advocate for Open Government policies in Woodfin ever since I was shocked that a Mountain Village development was approved for 11 acres at 300 Baird Cove Road– pretty much in my back yard. A 100+ townhome development at that location is to the detriment of public safety and healthy environment protocols. This was in 2019, and at that time, basic information such as town meetings, agendas, and meeting minutes were not consistently posted to the Town of Woodfin website. Since then, this type of information, and much more, is readily available on the Woodfin website, thanks to newer members of the Woodfin staff.
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING? Smart Growth, Open Government. I am running to find ways of offsetting zoning errors which were made in our past, and to work to prevent Woodfin from falling victim to predatory developers in the future. I am also appalled by the 90-plus acre “Bluffs” development for the same reasons as 300 Baird Cove Road. I want to bring common sense into play.
What Do You See As The Most Important Issue Facing Your Office? Not Answered.
If Elected, Is There Anything You Would Change About Recent Actions By The Current Board? No.
Would You Participate In A Public Debate For The Seat If One Was Held? Yes.
Is The Current Board Doing A Good Job Of Communicating With Its Constituents? Not Answered.
Any Other Comments You’d Like To Make? Answer retracted at request of candidate.