County

County Commissioner, Haywood County

Vote for: 3
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 7
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A county commissioner is one of the members of the board that adopts the county budget, sets the property tax rate and oversees county government.

Candidates Compare by issue

David Burnette

Republican

CEO, Telco Community Credit Union

The gist

Supports finding a way to raise teacher pay
Supports keeping public safety at the top of the budget
Supports economic development after the Canton paper mill's closing
Supports protecting Haywood County's farms and farmers

More about David

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Supports finding a way to raise teacher pay
Funding the future: County commissioner candidates talk budget constraints
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Feb 28, 2026 · themountaineer.com
“I still believe that we need to look at a way to pay our teachers more,”
Supports keeping public safety at the top of the budget
Funding the future: County commissioner candidates talk budget constraints
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Feb 28, 2026 · themountaineer.com
“I do believe that public safety must be kept at the top of the top of the order,”
Supports economic development after the Canton paper mill's closing
Big field running in Haywood County commissioner GOP primary
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Dec 26, 2025 · themountaineer.com
“But with the Canton paper mill closing, I think economic development’s going to be big for the county”
Supports protecting Haywood County's farms and farmers
Big field running in Haywood County commissioner GOP primary
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Dec 26, 2025 · themountaineer.com
“He’s also focused on protecting Haywood County’s farms and farmers”

Jeff Stines

Republican

Retired Waynesville public works director

The gist

Supports frugal county budgets that fund needs, not wants
Supports giving every county department the tools it needs

More about Jeff

View sources (1)

Supports frugal county budgets that fund needs, not wants
Funding the future: County commissioner candidates talk budget constraints
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Feb 28, 2026 · themountaineer.com
“I feel that being frugal with budgets — buying what you need, instead of wants — you need to look at needs.”
Supports giving every county department the tools it needs
Funding the future: County commissioner candidates talk budget constraints
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Feb 28, 2026 · themountaineer.com
“Those needs include providing all the county’s departments with the necessary tools and funding to do their jobs”

Michael T. Sorrells

Democratic

The gist

No documented position found.

More about Michael

Carly Pugh

Democratic

School librarian

The gist

No documented position found.

More about Carly

Vicki Hyatt

Unaffiliated

Farmer; former newspaper editor

The gist

Proposes buying development rights to protect working farmland
Supports tighter county rules on data center placement
Supports more housing options for working families
Supports local businesses, entrepreneurs and good-paying jobs

More about Vicki

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Proposes buying development rights to protect working farmland
Vicki Hyatt for Haywood County Commissioner
Campaign website · Hyatt for Haywood · hyatt4haywood.com
“As development increases, we can protect working farmland by purchasing development rights”
Supports tighter county rules on data center placement
Data Centers
Campaign website · Hyatt for Haywood · hyatt4haywood.com
“Our county already regulates high-impact developments. It’s time to change our rules before it’s too late.”
Supports more housing options for working families
Vicki Hyatt for Haywood County Commissioner
Campaign website · Hyatt for Haywood · hyatt4haywood.com
“I have identified practical ways to create more housing options for working families, young adults, and first-time homebuyers.”
Supports local businesses, entrepreneurs and good-paying jobs
Vicki Hyatt for Haywood County Commissioner
Campaign website · Hyatt for Haywood · hyatt4haywood.com
“Supporting existing businesses, encouraging entrepreneurs, and attracting good-paying jobs can create more opportunities”

Blake T. Hart

Unaffiliated

Executive director, Haywood Christian Ministry

The gist

Proposes raising the county occupancy tax on tourist stays
Supports preserving farmland and keeping farming viable
Supports good-paying jobs and school-to-career pipelines

More about Blake

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Proposes raising the county occupancy tax on tourist stays
Tourism that Gives Back
Campaign website · Hart for Haywood · hartforhaywood.com
“Before we tax our neighbors, we should tax our tourists in line with the rest of our region”
Supports preserving farmland and keeping farming viable
Hart for Haywood County Commissioner
Campaign website · Hart for Haywood · hartforhaywood.com
“We need to both preserve farmland and ensure that farming is a viable economic option.”
Supports good-paying jobs and school-to-career pipelines
Hart for Haywood County Commissioner
Campaign website · Hart for Haywood · hartforhaywood.com
“We need commissioners who will work to attract good paying jobs, create school to career pipelines”

Tommy Long

RepublicanIncumbent

Farmer and electronic controller

The gist

Supports keeping the county's school funding formula
Opposes unfunded state mandates pushed onto counties
Supports planning county services for an aging population

More about Tommy

View sources (2)

Supports keeping the county's school funding formula
Funding the future: County commissioner candidates talk budget constraints
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Feb 28, 2026 · themountaineer.com
“We’ve got a funding formula that’s the envy of the state of North Carolina the way we fund our schools,”
Opposes unfunded state mandates pushed onto counties
Big field running in Haywood County commissioner GOP primary
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Dec 26, 2025 · themountaineer.com
“State mandates that they don’t send any money with — we fight that all the time behind the scenes.”
Supports planning county services for an aging population
Big field running in Haywood County commissioner GOP primary
News coverage · The Mountaineer · Dec 26, 2025 · themountaineer.com
“We have to take care of our elderly population, because we are an aging county,”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 8 issues covered in this race.