This photo was taken at Waterrock Knob, which is located on the border of both Haywood and Jackson counties. How lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place.

One of the best parts of this campaign has been the conversations I’m having all over Haywood County. I’m hearing what people are worried about, but I’m also hearing a lot of good ideas and ongoing projects that make me proud.

I’ve always believed that some of our best answers come from bringing the right people together, asking good questions and then doing the work to turn ideas into something practical.

This week, I want to share an idea for doing just that with one of the biggest opportunities — and challenges — facing Haywood County: what comes next for the Canton mill site and the jobs our community needs.

I also want to share a little about what I’m learning from the other side of this experience: what it’s like to run for county commissioner as an unaffiliated candidate.

There are certainly some challenges, but I’m still convinced there’s value in doing this campaign the way I started it — by listening to people, bringing people together and keeping my notebook handy.

Building Better Jobs for Haywood

This has been a standing offer from Two Banks Development, LLC since purchasing the Canton mill site. Let’s take them up on it and develop well-researched ideas that can benefit the property owner, our community and Haywood County’s future.

“Economic development” is often a campaign topic for county commissioner candidates. My take on the issue likely differs from many.

Over the past three decades, I’ve seen few manufacturing companies offering high-wage jobs move to Haywood County. Much of the steady growth we have seen has come from small business owners and entrepreneurs, and that’s where I’ve shined the spotlight during my campaign.

In my action-oriented campaign, I have been tapping the expertise of numerous experts, including Haywood County Chamber of Commerce President David Francis, who is also a county liaison working with Two Banks Development, LLC.

This grassroots approach to challenges has worked with two of the top priorities identified through focus groups and conversations with the 2,000 citizens who helped me get on the ballot as an unaffiliated commissioner candidate: the lack of affordable housing and preserving Haywood’s rural character.

Two different groups, each with between 10 and 17 members, have developed solid paths forward that are already in the works. These efforts are citizen-led and have not involved government funding.

It’s time to use this working-group approach to tackle a third major issue — one that could help determine the future of our county: the ripple effects and opportunities that come with redeveloping the Canton mill site.

I envision this third working group including several subcommittees focused on industries that complement our existing strengths. I already have buy-in from several people who work in or have retired from the timber industry, so that will be one area of focus. But the possibilities are much broader.

There’s a place for good ideas and plenty of work to do refining them. These groups will be guided by facts, realistic possibilities and clear goals for moving the best ideas forward.

My hope is to develop strong proposals with significant job-creation potential that can help replace the roughly 900 jobs lost when the mill closed.

If you have expertise, connections or ideas and would like to be part of this effort, email me at hyatt4haywood@gmail.com or learn more at hyatt4haywood.com.

The Challenges of Running Unaffiliated

I philosophically object to campaign signs that multiply like weeds before elections. I’ve ordered only 20 large signs and am placing them along some of the most traveled roads I can find. If you have a highly visible location near one of our towns, let me know. I also have a limited number of smaller signs for neighborhoods. If you know of a high-traffic location near your home and would like a sign, send me an email.

As I crisscross the county, I’m often asked how the campaign is going. It’s hard to answer without polling, which I definitely will not be doing.

Political experts are quick to point out the challenges facing candidates who aren’t affiliated with an organized party. Chris Cooper, WCU’s political expert on elections, has talked about just how difficult that path can be.

It’s easy to understand why. Even though unaffiliated voters make up the largest voting bloc, unaffiliated candidates often don’t have the built-in network of supporters that comes with a political party — people ready to donate, knock on doors, work phone banks, help at early voting sites or host meet-and-greets.

That means I have to do things a little differently. And in many ways, that fits the kind of campaign I wanted to run in the first place: grassroots, person-to-person and focused on listening to people across Haywood County.

In checking the sample ballot, I learned about another challenge for unaffiliated candidates: we are listed at the very bottom of the commissioner candidate list.

I hope voters will read the entire list before choosing their top three candidates out of the seven running.

We can accept Venmo and Paypal donations on my website or you can mail a check to Hyatt4Haywood 116 Sunburst Drive, Waynesville, NC 28786.



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As always, your donations are greatly appreciated.

Come Talk With Me

If you’re able to stop by my booth at the Haywood County Fair, Sept. 24–27, I’d love to chat.

I’m also working to have a presence at the two early voting sites in Waynesville and Canton beginning Oct. 15.

If you have questions, I’d love to answer them. But mostly, I’m interested in hearing your concerns and ideas as part of my grassroots campaign.

Rest assured, I’ll have my notebook in hand!

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Hyatt4Haywood

116 Sunburst Drive,

Waynesville, NC 28786