Beech Mountain Town Council Election

Eight Candidates Vie for Three Open Seats

Story by Corinne Saunders

Eight candidates are in the running for three open seats on the Beech Mountain Town Council. All three incumbents—Gil Adams, Peter K. Chamberlin and Randy Corn—have filed for re-election. David Conrad, Cindy Keller, Rick Miller, Paul Piquet and Barry Schorr are also running.

The Beech Mountain Town Council is comprised of five voting members, and the mayor and vice mayor are selected from and by the members. The two candidates receiving the most votes in this election will serve four-year terms and the recipient of the third highest number of votes will serve a two-year term.

Voting on Tuesday, November 3, takes place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Beech Mountain Volunteer Fire Department, located at 1007 Beech Mountain Parkway, in Beech Mountain. Early voting this week and next takes place at the Watauga County Board of Elections, located at 842 West King Street in Boone and at the Watauga County Agricultural Conference Center, located at 252 Poplar Grove Road in Boone.

High Country Press asked each of the candidates to state their reason for running and their top three issues.

Incumbent candidate Adams said, “I am seeking re-election because I work and live in the Town of Beech Mountain. I would like to remain a part of this board working to see that the town continues to provide the services while at the same time keeping the fees and taxes fair to all of the citizens.” His top three issues are (1) “to see our community continue to grow and not become stagnant while ensuring that the appeal of Beech Mountain remains alive,” (2) “the aging infrastructure from the original developers continues to need upgrading” and (3) to “provide a water and sewer rate structure that is equitable for all users.”

Incumbent candidate Chamberlin replied that he is running because “our love of Beech Mountain and choice to live here drives us to see improvements. [We want] to live, work and play in a first-class community that maintains itself and its property values. We have a new team at the top and I want to effectively continue the turn-around we have successfully started in the past year. We now have the right amount of staff and functions to make changes that make us operate more efficiently. I want to make sure we keep on track, develop the strategic plan that brings our infrastructure up to date.” His top three issues are (1) “infrastructure,” (2) “effective use of resources” and (3) “keep balance and working relationships between the entities,” stating entities as the Town of Beech Mountain, Beech Mountain Resorts, Beech Mountain Club and the local business community.

Candidate Conrad said he is running because, “I opened my tax bill last fall, in the middle of a severe recession, and my taxes had gone up by 16.36 percent. I was shocked.” His top three issues concerning the town are (1) “no vision by the town councilmen,” (2) “fiscal irresponsibility by the town councilmen” and (3) a “hostile attitude by the town councilmen towards business.”

Incumbent candidate Corn said, “I am running because the job of improving the town to make it a more attractive place to live and visit is not done. While the most recent council, of which I have been a part, has made some significant improvements in town beautification and improvements in infrastructure, the job is not done. Some would return to the practices of the past where problems are ignored. This is not the lowest cost long- term option. Deferring maintenance until the problem is so bad that equipment and infrastructure have to be replaced costs more in the long term, leaves the town looking shabby, puts citizen’s and visitor’s health and well being at risk and puts the town in the position of breaking environmental laws.”

His top three issues are (1) “the town water and sewer infrastructure,” (2) “we have not been investing sufficiently in our roads to maintain even the status quo, much less create improvements. The roads are in a poor state of repair and will continue to deteriorate unless we increase our maintenance budget and investment.” Thirdly, he stated, “The town’s economy is entirely based on tourism. To attract visitors, the town must look better and have a more pleasant environment than that at the vistiors’ homes.”

Candidate Keller is running because, “As someone who operates a small business and is a homeowner on Beech, I’d like to participate and help our town’s growth and future.” Her top three issues are (1) “trying to make our present government more efficient and effective on the same or [a] lesser budget,” (2) “[repairing] roads and [updating] somewhat antiquated infrastructure” and (3) “not enough participation by our citizens towards a collective effort.”

Candidate Miller is running because, “My wife and I have called Beech Mountain home for the last 27 years. This is our home, our community and our town. What happens within it matters to us. I have served on the town council in the past when the town started paving many of the major town streets. I have a desire to serve again in the capacity of town council because I see things going in a direction that is not to the benefit of the town as a whole.” His top three issues are (1) “aged infrastructure,” (2) “general spending” and (3) “utility rates.”

Candidate Piquet stated that he is running because, “I’ve been here 16 years [and] served on council four years, from 2004 to 2007. I’ve dedicated myself to the town and making Beech Mountain a better place.” Piquet said he has served eight years on the board of adjustment and is the current chair of the board of adjustment. “One challenge is to repair and rebuild the water and sewer infrastructure,” he said when asked his top three issues.

Candidate Schorr is “a New Yorker by birth and a Beech Mountain resident by choice,” he said. “Most of the candidates running for this office are either on the current town council or have served on previous town councils. As the needs of our community are many, I believe that perhaps a new set of skills and ideas are required. My past professional experiences provide me with an array of tools that I hope can be used in making Beech Mountain the best it can be.” His top three issues are (1) “taxes,” (2) “infrastructure” and (3) “services,” but added that although “these issues are of critical importance, but the issue is much more fundamental. How we attack these problems is the key...It all boils down to planning and direction. A good plan would set a vision of where we are going as a community, establish goals, develop schedules and benchmarks, help identify and prioritize problems, provide possible solutions and hopefully avert many crises.”