MARS HILL – Election Day is now less than 40 days away, but beginning mid-October, Madison County residents will have the opportunity to vote early.
The election season in Madison County is in full swing, as the four candidates vying for two seats on the Madison County Board of Commissioners — incumbent Chair Matt Wechtel and Vice Chair Michael Garrison, both Republicans, and Judy Major and Barbara Zimmerman, both Democrats — participated in two candidate forums, in Hot Springs on Sept. 16 and Mars Hill on Sept. 23.
Commissioner candidates
Garrison is the former Mars Hill Police Chief, and has been married to his wife, Carmen, for 38 years. The couple have three children, all of whom reside in Madison County. Garrison is a Madison County native, and grew up in the Bull Creek community of Mars Hill, and is currently a Mars Hill resident.
Garrison has served on the board of commissioners since 2020. He served in law enforcement for more than 25 years, including with Asheville Police Department and Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Garrison has also served on the Madison High School’s Career and Technical Education Advisory Board, as well as the Economic Development Board.
“I understand the conservative, hard-working values of the people of Madison County, because I’m one of them,” Garrison said.
Major, 75, has lived in Madison County for 46 years. Major worked for 20 years at Mission Hospital and currently serves on the Hot Springs Health Program board.
Major said one of the main reasons she is running for commissioner is she hears from residents about the county’s infrastr
Wechtel is originally from Toledo, Ohio, but his family moved to the Forks of Ivy community in 1984. Wechtel graduated from North Buncombe High School. He has lived in the Beech Glen community since 2004 with his wife of 24 years and the couple’s 17-year-old daughter.
Wechtel has worked for North Carolina Farm Bureau for more than 30 years. Wechtel serves as chairman of the Madison-Yancey Friends of the National Rifle Association. He also serves on the Transportation Authority Board and is currently the treasurer of the Land of Sky Regional Council.
Zimmerman, a former schoolteacher, is a Madison County native as well, and was born and raised in the Laurel community of Marshall. She currently resides in Revere. Zimmerman is an organizer for the Great Madison County LitterSweep Contest and is active with the Laurel Community Center.
In the Sept. 23 forum, Zimmerman said she was running for commissioner because she “believes the current Board of Commissioners are out of balance in terms of population, geography and gender,” and pointed to the current board’s composition of five men, who all reside in Mars Hill.
“We are a large county with three unique, small towns and many distinct rural communities. I think the board of commissioners should be more representative of all these geographic areas, and would think that having two voting districts — as is the case with the Board of Education — might be something that we as the county should consider in the future,” Zimmerman said.
School board candidates
Four candidates will vie for two seats on the Madison County Board of Education. District 01 and District 02 will each have one seat open, with a Democrat and Republican squaring off in both contests.
In District 01, Kevin Barnette, a Mars Hill Democrat, the lone incumbent school board member, will square off against Tyler Coates, a Republican who lives in Marshall.
Barnette has served as a Mars Hill University football coach for more than 30 years. He lives in Mars Hill with his wife, Recy, and the couple have three children.
Barnette, 60, is a pastor at Mount Olive Baptist Church and has served on the school board since 2020, when he became the first Black resident elected to a public office in Madison County.
“It is an honor to run for a school board position in Madison County again!” Barnette said in a message to The News-Record & Sentinel.
Coates, 35, is a native of the Grapevine community. He has worked 13 years with Duke Energy.
Coates and his wife, Lynsey, have two children.
In a statement to The News-Record, Coates listed three reasons why he is running to serve on the local school board.
“The three reasons I am running for board of education are: the next generation of parents that have kids in our public school systems need to be part of the decisions that are being made to influence and mold our kids for the future,” Coates said.
Coates also listed increased representation from residents with varied backgrounds as another reason he is running for school board. “There needs to be members on the board of education that aren’t just retired school administrators. A contrast and variety of career backgrounds on the board will bring different ideas and opinions from a new perspective and viewpoint, not only in the classroom but athletics and the daily operations of the school systems.
“I simply want to make Madison County Schools great! Born and raised in the county, I want to give back to the community and I feel my Conservative Christian beliefs will translate to be the necessary gatekeeper that this county needs for our children,” Coates said.
Coates pointed to a Bible passage Psalm 127, which reads, “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord.”
Republican John Bratz and Democrat Tina Harris will vie for one seat in District 02.
In a statement to The News-Record & Sentinel, Bratz said he is running for school board because he “believes that our children are this world’s greatest and most precious gifts.”
What to know
Early voting begins Oct. 17. There are three early voting locations:
- Hot Springs Community Center, located at 43 N. Andrews Avenue, next to Big Pillow Brewing.
- A-B Tech Madison campus, located at 4646 U.S. 25 #70 in Marshall.
- Beech Glen Community Center, located at 2936 Beech Glen Road in Mars Hill.
The voting sites will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will be closed on Saturdays and Sundays, except for Saturday, Nov. 2, when these locations will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As with the 2023 elections, voters will be asked to show a photo ID when voting in North Carolina.
Rosie Chandler served as coordinator of the two Madison County Board of Commissioners candidate forums.
“They can say all they want, but unless you get out there and vote, none of this matters,” Chandler told the audience Sept. 23 at the conclusion of the Mars Hill debate.
The deadline to mail absentee ballots is Oct. 29.
To request an absentee ballot online, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.