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A new Woodfin mayor and three council members take office

Judge Alan Z. Thornburg, left, with Woodfin Mayor Jim McAllister, and McAllister's friends, who he called his "sisters from another mother."
Laura Hackett
Judge Alan Z. Thornburg, left, with Woodfin Mayor Jim McAllister, and McAllister's friends, who he called his "sisters from another mother."

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."

A packed crowd at Woodfin Town Hall.
Laura Hackett
The room was packed at Woodfin Town Hall for the swearing in of its new mayor.

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.

Laura Hackett joined Blue Ridge Public Radio in June 2023. Originally from Florida, she moved to Asheville more than six years ago and in that time has worked as a writer, journalist, and content creator for organizations like AVLtoday, Mountain Xpress, and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. She has a degree in creative writing from Florida Southern College, and in 2023, she completed the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY's Product Immersion for Small Newsrooms program. In her free time, she loves exploring the city by bike, testing out new restaurants, and hanging out with her dog Iroh at French Broad River Park.
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