It is a new era of leadership for the Town of Woodfin, the 8,000-person town just north of Asheville.
Last night, Woodfin swore in a new mayor, Jim McAllister, along with three new council members: Johanna Young, Betsy Ervin and Ken Kahn.
McAllister is the first new mayor to serve in two decades. He takes office after former Mayor Jerry VeHaun retired at age 80.
At his swearing in, McAllister promised to preserve the “hometown” spirit of Woodfin.
“Please know that we have absolutely no intention of turning Woodfin into Asheville,” McAllister said. “We intend to protect at great cost the wonderful hometown spirit that we have here in Woodfin."
He also spoke about the importance of developing more affordable housing in town, through avenues such as tiny homes and using resident-owned land for housing developments.
“We’re going to try to get some of those $750 a month apartments,” he said. “Entry level housing at a million dollars is a joke.”
McAllister said it was important for Woodfin to “get out of its comfort zone” to plan for the future of the town.
“What if Woodfin becomes the place in Western North Carolina where waiters, teachers, mechanics, small business owners, and just darn good people want to live? That can happen and some of you can play a role in that.”
He invited residents to reach out to him to share their ideas. “I'll guarantee you that we'll listen to you,” McAllister said.
Woodfin Town Council meets at 5 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month. The next meeting is January 16 at Woodfin Town Hall.
