The application includes a questionnaire about the candidate’s qualifications, goals and their knowledge about the school system.

Board chairman Ken Henke said candidates must live in District I (Qualla, Barkers Creek, Dillsboro, South Sylva), and they should realize that the position is a large time commitment.

Henke said applications are available on the school system’s website, www.jcps.k12.nc.us, and also at the central office.

Applications are due at the central office by Friday, Sept. 28, at 4:30 p.m.

Board members will discuss applications in a special meeting at Blue Ridge School on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 5 p.m. before the regular meeting at 6 p.m.

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The Mustangs’ only touchdown came on a 25-yard interception return by Clay Buchanan.

SM is 0-3 on the season and has lost 15 straight games dating back to 2008.

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A complaint of disruptive conduct at Annie’s Food & Spirits led to gunfire and a police chase around 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29.

Sylva Police officers responded to a call from Annie’s, which is located on Steeple Drive just off U.S. 23/74, that two men were causing problems at the establishment.

Sgt. John Buchanan said the men, Jayer Salomon Romero and Jose Martinez, were asked to leave.

On his way out, Romero threatened several people at the bar with bodily injury. Romero and Martinez drove away, but they returned shortly and began circling the parking lot.

Buchanan said Romero fired six shots from a semi-automatic, .25 caliber handgun at five people in the parking lot. There were no injuries.

Officers pursued the men and detained them near the Sylva Moose Lodge before taking them into custody, Buchanan said.

Romero, 27, of Skyland Drive, Sylva, was charged with five counts of assault with a deadly weapon and three counts of communicating threats. He posted a $10,000 secure bond Aug. 30 and was released.

Martinez was released immediately and not charged, as there was no evidence that he’d been involved in the shooting, Buchanan said.

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A section of the Sylva Bypass has been named for a local legend

State and local officials gathered Wednesday at the Justice Center for a dedication ceremony for the Marcellus Buchanan III Highway, which is the section of U.S. 74 from Exit 81 to Exit 85.

Marcellus “Buck” Buchanan, who died in 2000, served as solicitor (district attorney) for the 30th Prosecutorial District from 1967 until 1987.

He was remembered at the event by his longtime co-worker and friend Marion Jones, state transportation board member Conrad Burrell, N.C. Sen. John Snow and N.C. Rep. Phil Haire as well as by his daughter, Chris Matheson, and son, Mark Buchanan, who each received miniature replicas of the highway signs that designate the section of highway in their father’s honor.

A complete report will be available in next week’s newspaper.

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Brooks said he is planning to move to Swain County.

The other four board members will appoint Brooks’ replacement, who must be a resident of District 1.

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Town Manager Adrienne Isenhower was planning to hire the new chief with the help of an outside panel, but Sylva board members tabled the process during their Aug. 19 meeting so they can determine how much influence the town board should have on the decision. They’ll open discussion again in September.

Board members discussed the fact that Isenhower enlisted the help of a panel of “experts,” including Western Carolina University representatives, to help her make a decision, but she hadn’t consulted Sylva town board members.

“If you’re going to involve an outside panel then you just might as well involve the board,” said board member Harold Hensley.

He said he had nothing against Isenhower hiring the police chief but didn’t think it was right for outside officials to have such a big part in the police chief decision. Isenhower informed Hensely and other board members about the panel through a recent e-mail.

“I didn’t think that the citizens of the town of Sylva would agree with that and I knew I didn’t,” Hensley said.

Isenhower said the reason she assembled an outside panel is because the police chief is an important position.

“I wanted to make sure I did the best job I could in hiring the police chief,” Isenhower said. “I talked to several other managers and police chiefs around the state, and this is the way most of them have done it.”

Having an outside panel keeps politics out of the decision, Isenhower said.

“If that’s not the way the board wants to go with it, then I can do it a different way,” Isenhower said.

Board member Stacy Knotts said she thought an outside panel was a good idea.

“I think it does make a very objective process,” Knotts said. “I don’t think the board should be involved with hiring specific employees of the town except for the manager position.”

Other board members weren’t completely opposed to an outside panel, but they agreed that communication should have been better in this situation.

“Had you expressed it and explained it, had I asked, then I think it might have eased some of the questions and the concerns,” Matheson said.

She said she hadn’t understood Isenhower’s reasoning for an outside panel.

“A communication glitch probably caused this situation,” Matheson said. “I would just like to know more about what’s going on, what you’re doing and the reasons why.”

Board member Danny Allen agreed.

“I think it caught me off guard when I heard about the committee,” Allen said.

He added that he thought some of the members of the panel might not be completely objective because of influence from town board members.

“That’s my reservation as far as the process, just the outside conflict,” Allen said.

Board member Ray Lewis agreed that more communication was needed but said he didn’t think an outside panel should have a say in a Sylva decision.

Sylva Mayor Maurice Moody said they need to give Isenhower guidance on how to proceed – with or without the panel.

“I feel perfectly comfortable with her making the selection by herself,” said  Moody.

Moody said that after Sylva went to the council manager form of government in 2001, the town charter was amended to give the town manager hiring powers.

“It was the intent of the Legislature and the (town board) at that time that the hiring of the staff belonged to the manager rather than the (town board),” Moody said.

If the board is involved, Matheson said, they need to make sure to comply with all open meeting laws. She also said she thought they should think about choosing one board town member to sit in on police chief interviews.

If the whole board conducted interviews, that would count as an open meeting, town attorney Eric Ridenour said. They’d have to announce the meeting but go into closed session for its duration, he said.

“To me it seems like we’re hearing different things from each board member,” Allen said. “Maybe this is something that we can all take a little time and think about.”

Board members might not make a decision by the next meeting, but they say they will likely discuss the hiring process at that time. Sylva’s next board meeting is slated for Thursday, Sept. 2, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall.

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“That’s a big thing for our town,” Riddle said later that week. “I do need to be sure that we make the right decision concerning the property.”

AWM’s board has proposed buying the property from the town through a request made by AWM director Emma Wertenberger at the July 12 Dillsboro board meeting. That discussion was also tabled.

“We’re very disappointed and a little confused,” Wertenberger said later.
At the previous meeting, board members had sounded optimistic about the project and said they had no other plans for that area, Wertenberger said.

To sell or lease the property to the AWM board are the two possible paths the board could follow, according to town clerk Kelly McKee.

“They feel like they want more time to look at the options and see what we can or can’t do to the property,” McKee said.

Mayor Mike Fitzgerald told The Herald later that week that the board won’t stop looking at options for the building and the property.

“The table was so they wouldn’t be distracted every month with having to vote,” Fitzgerald said.

He said the board wants time and space to be able to discuss the lease and AWM’s possible purchase of the land.

“I think everyone expected things to just fall into place,” Fitzgerald said of the August meeting. “My board is a deliberate board. They want time to think things through.”

Fitzgerald said board members want to make sure that what they decide regarding a sale or lease to the AWM board is legal.

“It may not be six months,” Fitzgerald said of the board’s decision to postpone action. “They don’t want this to drag on any longer than anyone else does.”

Fitzgerald also said he wants to protect taxpayers from any more loss of money due to the project.

Wertenberger said the restoration and upkeep of the park had been “very costly” for the town, but the structures are a different matter.

“I think that needs to be clarified, that the restoration of the historical structures has cost the town of Dillsboro very little,” Wertenberger said, adding that it had been paid for through matching grants, private donations and other sources, but not by Dillsboro taxpayers.

Wertenberger said the recent board action puts the AWM at a disadvantage in applying for grant applications for next year.

Now, the future of the AWM is unclear. If Wertenberger is correct about the museum’s benefits to the town, Dillsboro’s economic future is uncertain as well.

“Dillsboro’s only source of income is through tourism,” Wertenberger said, adding that the loss of the train could be abated by the presence of the AWM.

“Adding a tourism draw, an actual site you could visit, would help pick up some of that slack,” Wertenberger said. “You’d have to drive right through the middle of Dillsboro to get to the farmstead.”

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Smoky Mountain rising senior Jackson Simmons has committed to play college basketball for the University of North Carolina.

Simmons informed the Herald of his decision Tuesday morning shortly after he had spoken by phone with UNC Coach Roy Williams.

“It’s always sort of been in the back of my mind,” Simmons said of playing for the Tar Heels. “I’ve always admired watching Carolina play and watching their style.”

The 6-8 Simmons was already highly recruited, drawing inquiries from what he said were too many colleges to count. However, his outstanding play this summer for Team Loaded, a Virginia-based AAU squad, helped draw interest from many larger schools, such as last year’s national runner-up Butler.

“It was enjoyable,” he said of the summer’s AAU play. “You know your hard work has finally paid off. That motivates you to continue to build as a player and as a person.”

Carolina was among the schools that began to show more interest over the summer.

“Coach Williams called in July, and we went down for a visit about two weeks ago,” Simmons said. “He told me about his proposal, and he wanted me to be a Tar Heel.”

The proposal is that for now Simmons is committing as an invited walk-on with the chance to receive a scholarship down the road.

“I’m going as an invited walk-on and let the scholarship work its way out with no worries about that,” Simmons said. “Coach Williams guaranteed me I’d be on the varsity from day one. He said with hard work and getting better every day that a scholarship would be possible.”

Simmons said that he and Williams were both “ecstatic” when he told the Hall of Fame coach, who was raised in Asheville, of his plans.

“He was very excited and energetic,” Simmons said. “He told me what a great decision it was, and I agreed with him. He said I have a chance to make a great impact on the team.”

During his recent visit to Chapel Hill, Simmons was able to watch the Tar Heels practice. College basketball teams don’t normally begin practice until Oct. 15, but UNC had some early sessions to prepare for a pair of exhibition games in the Bahamas.

“I was able to watch them practice twice on Sunday,” he said. “We toured the campus and facilities. It’s a beautiful campus, and it felt right. Talking to the players was pretty sweet. I got to meet all the players and coaches and everyone else inside the Carolina basketball program.”

Also on hand were such former Carolina greats as Tyler Hansbrough, Raymond Felton, Sean May and Jawad Williams. All were members of the 2005 or 2009 national championship teams coached by Roy Williams.
Simmons said he wasn’t allowed to talk to the former Tar Heels because doing so would have been a violation of NCAA rules.

UNC is the nation’s second-winningest college basketball program of all time. However, the Tar Heels fell on hard times last year and missed the NCAA Tournament. Simmons said he’ll do everyone in his power to make sure UNC remains among the country’s elite teams.

“I’ll just work hard and try to improve every day,” he said. “I’ll try to lead by example and bring a winner’s mentality.”

Simmons has virtually been raised in a gym with both of his parents having played for Western Carolina.
His mother, Cindi, has been coach of the women’s basketball teams at Smoky Mountain (and Sylva-Webster before consolidation with Cullowhee) since the 1983-84 season. She led the Lady Mustangs to the state 2-A championship in 2007. His father, Si, is SM’s former men’s basketball coach and athletic director. Simmons said being brought up around basketball has made him a better player.

“It helps me because I know the value of hard work,” he said. “The motivation and love for the game are key things that people notice in me and I thrive off of.”

It’s believed that Simmons will be the first Jackson County player to play on an Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball team since Ed Sutton, a UNC football standout, lettered in basketball for the Tar Heels in the 1954-55 season.

“I’m just happy that it worked out this way,” Simmons said. “Jackson County has always been my home and always will be. Everything I do is for this community. I don’t want to let people here down.”

He added, “I’m excited about this opportunity and being able to go to a great program. I’m excited about getting to know Coach Williams and to see him come up here and watch some of our games this season.”

The Mustangs reached the Western 2-A Regional finals last year, which was one step shy of playing in the state championship game. Simmons averaged 19.5 points and 12.5 rebounds for that squad. For his career, he has 1,232 points and 955 rebounds.

“We have to win conference first, and we have to take everything one step at a time and one game at a time,” Simmons said of the upcoming season. “Ultimately, we want to be in Chapel Hill the second week in March playing for a state championship.”

The state 2-A championship game alternates each year between Chapel Hill and Raleigh. With it being at UNC’s Smith Center this year, Simmons hopes to follow the path of his mother’s team and star player. Point guard Cetera DeGraffenreid was committed to Carolina when the Lady Mustangs won the 2007 state crown in Chapel Hill. Simmons, then an eighth-grader, was a manager for that team.

“I had tennis shoes on, but I didn’t have a uniform on,” he said. “Hopefully, we can close it out like that group did.”
Simmons plans to major in mass communications with hopes of becoming a sports broadcaster.

“He’s worked for this opportunity for a long time,” SM Coach Jimmy Cleaveland said. “I’m just so proud of him and excited for him and for his family.”

Cleaveland said Simmons brings his skill level along with a great work ethic and a high basketball IQ to the court.

“He’s a leader,” Simmons said. “He leads on and off the floor. As for his skill level, he’s just gotten better and better year after year. People have a hard time defending him. He plays so hard on offense, defense and rebounding. He’s got the whole package and he’ll just get even better. I’m sure they’ve got a plan for him. He will work and do whatever it takes. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be watching Jackson Simmons on TV.”

Cleaveland said the postseason experience gained last year should help the Mustangs in the upcoming campaign.
“The kids got great experience with their run last year,” he said. “There’s only one more game to play next year. Those kids, especially Jackson Simmons, have talked about that since the end of last season.”

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