Outgoing Macon Board Honors Antoine, Shields, Splits on Airport Pick

The current Macon County Board of Commissioners held its last meeting Nov. 10, 2026, spending its longest stretch of the night honoring departing Commissioners Danny Antoine and Gary Shields. Before handing off to two newly elected members, the board cleared a $40,000 fiber line for a college fire-training prop, approved a no-cost disc golf expansion on greenway land and needed two ballots to fill an Airport Authority seat.

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• Farewell to Antoine and Shields closes 4 and 12 years of service; new board sworn in Dec. 7
• $40,000 fund-balance amendment approved for fiber to Southwestern Community College burn training prop
• Disc golf expansion approved unanimously as a revocable license at no cost to the county
• Mark Lathrop wins Airport Authority seat after a 2-2-1 tie and 3-2 runoff
• Residents press the incoming board on transparency, the failed sales tax and an independent probe of the Sheriff's Office

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A Final Chapter for Two Commissioners

"This is the final chapter of this board," said Board Chair Josh Young as he opened the meeting and welcomed commissioners-elect Kelly Burns and Dylan Castle.

Why it matters: Two of five seats change hands. Antoine served from November 2022 and Shields from November 2014, and both centered their work on youth and education.

Where things stand: County Manager Warren Cabe presented plaques to both men. He credited Shields with prioritizing education and treating constituents even-handedly, and he told Antoine, "Your career has always been an advocacy for the youth of Macon County."

Fellow commissioners and family members followed with personal remarks. Antoine then read a prepared statement thanking voters, colleagues, staff, family and legislators. "Public service is one of the greatest honors a person can be given," said Commissioner Danny Antoine.

Antoine listed accomplishments from his tenure:

• Work at Franklin High School and other school projects
• Pickleball courts
• Greenway improvements
• The Nantahala Library and Community Center

He also recognized a student karate champion. Young joked that the tributes should have been placed at the end of the agenda.

What's next: The Dec. 8 meeting is canceled. Deputy Clerk Tammy Keezer cited N.C. General Statutes 153A-26 and 153A-39, which require a Monday, Dec. 7 meeting to swear in the new members. That session will serve as the board's regular December meeting.

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Disc Golf Gets Room to Grow

The board unanimously accepted a proposal to add holes to the disc golf course on the Little Tennessee River Greenway. Shields, the board's liaison to the Friends of the Greenway (FROGs), made the motion and Antoine seconded.

The basics: The current course has 9 baskets and 18 tee pads. Tournaments sanctioned by the PDGA, disc golf's governing body, require 18 distinct holes. Work at Sunnyside Park will also eliminate some existing holes.

Where things stand: Kyle Ledford, representing the Franklin Disc Golf Club and Friends of the Greenway, asked for 4 or 5 holes on county property. In return, the club wants only occasional bush-hogging. "We don't need any money," Ledford said, adding that no permits are needed.

He said the club plans quarterly tournaments. He also told the board the course could come out quickly if needed: "We pull 4 baskets, 4 tee pads out in less than 8 hours."

County Attorney Eric Ridenour said the arrangement amounts to a license the county can revoke at any time.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The motion passed unanimously, and commissioners voiced support, including for involving local schools.

• Disc golfers get a path to sanctioned events.
• Friends of the Greenway gains a potential fundraising and tourism draw.
• The county carries only mowing costs and keeps full control of the land.

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$40,000 Wires Up a Fire Training Prop

Commissioners unanimously approved a $40,000 budget amendment, moving money from fund balance to a capital reserve for Southwestern Community College (SCC). The money will run fiber optic line to the college's new burn training prop. Commissioner Barry Breeden moved the item and Antoine seconded.

Why it matters: The prop arrives in early December. The fiber lets it be monitored remotely, expanding local fire and public safety training capacity.

Where things stand: The item was added to the agenda that night because cost figures arrived after the agenda was published. "The total is $54,000 and change," said Curtis Dowdle of Southwestern Community College. The county covers $40,000 of that total.

Cabe said the board had already committed $2,633,791 toward the project. "It's not necessarily new money," he said.

Vice Chair Gary Shields asked staff to set up a separate project fund so the county can track spending on the burn building.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Dowdle also updated the board on driver-training and commercial driver's license (CDL) classes offered with Caldwell Community College. Commissioner John Shearl asked whether testing could move closer to home: "What are the chances of having a DMV instructor in Macon County and using that facility for outside use of driver training instead of driving all the way to Asheville?"

• Fire service trainees get a monitored, on-site burn facility.
• CDL students could benefit if local testing materializes.
• County budget watchers gain a dedicated fund to follow the money.

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Airport Authority Seat Takes Two Ballots

The board's only split decision came on the Airport Authority vacancy. Mark Lathrop won the seat on a written runoff ballot.

The basics: Ridenour explained that a 1999 session law governs the appointment. "The remaining members of the Airport Authority shall submit a list of 2 or more candidates," he said, and the board may accept or reject those candidates. Five people applied, and the authority recommended two.

Where things stand: The first ballot ended in a tie:

• Breeden and Shields voted for Lathrop.
• Young and Shearl voted for Darren Chastain.
• Antoine voted for Danny Stanton.

On the second ballot, Antoine moved to Lathrop, giving him a 3-2 win (For Lathrop: Breeden, Antoine, Shields; For Chastain: Young, Shearl).

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Breeden then moved to formally appoint Lathrop, Shields seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. The board also appointed Travis Talent, the only applicant, to the Town of Franklin Planning Board (For: 5, Against: 0).

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Residents Set Expectations for the New Board

Three residents spoke during public comment, each looking ahead to the incoming board.

Where things stand: Constance Neely, a Scaly Mountain resident, thanked candidates and the departing commissioners. "I was a bit disappointed that the quarter-cent sales tax didn't pass," she said, urging the new board to find a responsible way to fund the needs behind it. Board members and attendees noted the measure reportedly fell one vote short, pending a possible recount.

Lisa Walker asked the board to:

• Prioritize transparency and an evidence-based framework
• Adopt a defined, balanced process for board appointments
• Rejoin the regional council of governments to share practices on economic development, affordable housing, data centers and education funding

The other side: Patty Trick focused on the Flock camera program, which she said the board had defunded. She asserted that assurances about database access protocols were later found untrue and referenced an employee's termination. "I'm here to implore this body to join with our sheriff and insist on a full independent investigation into our law enforcement agency," she said.

The board did not respond or take action. Separately, Ridenour said that because of public records requests, "the Sheriff's Department just decided it was simplest to post" the public Flock data to its webpage.

What's next: The Flock questions, sales tax funding gap and appointment process now pass to the board seated Dec. 7.

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Minor Items

• Copeland Lot 7: The board rejected two $1,500 upset bids and restarted bidding at a late $5,400 offer (5-0). The lot is assessed at $17,170.
• Watauga Vista lot 454: Commissioners unanimously accepted a $750 bid on the 0.31-acre, tax-foreclosed lot, assessed at $2,500.
• Agenda: Approved 5-0 with the SCC fiber item added, the health update removed and the minutes date corrected to Oct. 13.
• Consent agenda: Approved unanimously.
• Fire service: Shearl noted "the county has hired a new position to help oversee fire service in Macon County."

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Looking Ahead

The board ended in closed session on attorney-client and property acquisition matters under G.S. 143-318.11. No outcome was announced in open session before the new board's Dec. 7 swearing-in.