Oct. 21—CANTON — When Canton residents go to the polls on Nov. 7, they will be faced with three choices for the two board seats up for election.
Incumbents Gail Mull, 75, and Ralph Hamlett, 72, are seeking re-election, while Canton business owner and political newcomer Adam Hatton, 40, has thrown his hat in the ring.
Mull and Hamlett were first elected in 2013, and have run as a team for every race since. Both point to their record of steady improvements in the town, from the new recreation facilities that include the swimming pool, dog park, Sorrells Street park improvements and upgrades at the Canton Recreation Park, along with the good financial stewardship that has marked their tenure.
Hatton is seeking a chance to become more involved in deciding the town's future, noting he has no problems with the job the current board has done.
"Personally, I think we need some new eyes and voices," he said. "I'm an open book and have had people with concerns come to me. I'm willing to be a voice for anybody who will benefit us as a community."
Ralph Hamlett
Hamlett is a Canton native and a professor emeritus at Brevard College. He was among the second graduating class from Pisgah High School, and said he is running for re-election because the town has unfinished business he would like to see completed.
"This probably will be the last time I run," Hamlett said. "When I first ran, I said I wanted to leave Canton better off than when I went into office. There will always be new challenges that face every board, but my task now is to make sure that we're moving into a direction either to see new industry where Evergreen was or take steps to use that land for the benefit of the town of Canton."
A large part of bringing in new industry started with the one-year moratorium the town board enacted in July that will allow time to upgrade town zoning regulations that date back to 1968.
"New industry might not be compatible with our general business district, our residential neighborhoods or the safety of our citizens," he said. "This is 365 days giving us a chance to make sure what happens in that area is right for our citizens."
The other unfinished business is implementing plans that are underway to rebuild the town's infrastructure following the floods of 2021, something that hit Hamlett personally when he lost his family home to flooding. One of the most important tasks ahead is taking steps to protect the town from future flooding events as much as possible.
"We need to make sure we have areas that can capture the water and make it less of a struggle for people in downtown and the outskirts of town," he said.
Hamlett also spoke of steps the board is taking to move the town hall, the police department and the fire department out of their current location, which has been flooded three times in the last 19 years.
Going forward, Hamlett sees a bright future for Canton with the plans that have been put in place.
"We've got a lean budget and our fund balance is healthy," Hamlett said. "We're just going to have to be very intentional with how we spend our money until we successfully have a business come to the former Evergreen properties or until it's decided how that land will be used."
Adam Hatton
Hatton is a 2001 Pisgah High School graduate and invested his life savings to start his own towing business, Hatton's Towing, in July 2018.
After high school, Hatton had his mind set on being a cop, but couldn't do so before turning 21. He got a towing job and found it was something he loved doing. That, along with a side-by-side salary comparison between the two professions, put him on the business track.
Hatton said he's been thinking of running for the town governing board for several years, but he's in a better position now that his family is older.
"This go-around when someone came to me, I decided now is the best time in my life to do it," he said. "My wife helps, I have a great crew and I'm actually looking forward to it, even if I don't get a chance to sit on the board. It lets people know I care, helps me push to be a better citizen and get involved in other things as a citizen."
Hatton said there are several things he'd love to see in Canton, including growing the parks and recreation facilities to include a handicap-accessible park, and offering more activities for the younger generation to stay busy.
"I'd love to see an athletic division for youth leagues come back," he said. "There's a great complex the town owns, and we should be using that to its fullest. If us as the town would pull together, there are grants to help us fix the place up to be a great complex to house softball and baseball tournaments. I wish the town would get more involved."
Hatton said he has a friend who is a grant-writer who volunteered to help.
Of the three candidates on the ballot, Hatton is the lone opponent to the moratorium.
"Trying to strong arm someone who has been a big player in our area for so many years has its pros and cons," he said. "We need the property to be some sort of manufacturing. We don't need it to be a housing for Asheville. There are many options to keep the mill property going to support our families."
Hatton questioned how long it will be before the town outgrows the space on Main Street where the police station will be relocated.
"We need to make sure we are planning for the future with the investments we're doing," he said. "I'm here for the people and for the kids. Our future is important to me."
Gail Mull
Mull is a Canton native, the youngest of nine children, a retired mill employee and most recently, the secretary for Smoky Mountain Local 507 union.
She spoke of the tremendous challenges the town board has tackled since the massive flooding in August 2021 destroyed many town facilities, and more recently, navigating the aftermath of the Canton mill closure.
"I feel like I need to finish what we started," Mull said. "There's so much out there from the flood and the mill, and we've not put a dot at the end."
Recovering from both is at the top of her "to-do" list. The $38 million grant to build a new wastewater treatment system to replace the Pactiv Evergreen plant that currently treats the town's sewage will go a long way, she said, and most of the federal and state funds available to rebuild the town post-flood are in various stages of being spent.
The biggest unknown is the fate of the Pactiv Evergreen mill that's the centerpiece of the downtown area. Mull voted for a 365-day moratorium in the town's industrial district, arguing that was the only way for town leaders to have a seat at the table when the company was deciding who it would be sold to.
"The moratorium is not trying to keep industry out of Canton," she said. "Evergreen is not a good player. They are not going to share with us what their intent is. The moratorium gives the town the ability to know what is going on."
Until the site can be developed and new businesses move to town, Mull said the town has done a lot of belt-tightening to help bring expenses in line with anticipated revenue. Contracts for services such as landscaping have been cut, and department heads were asked to keep their 2023-24 budget requests to the bare minimum.
Despite everything, the mood of Canton is one of optimism, she said.
"When one door shuts, another one opens. We're down, but we're not dead," Mull said. "There is always a solution. Canton will survive."
