Rebuilding Trust, Transparency, and Regional Cooperation in Yancey County

In Yancey County, we believe government should work for the people—not behind closed doors, not for personal gain, and certainly not as a platform for political power plays. We are committed to building a more transparent and accountable local government—one that reflects the values, voices, and needs of our community.

Across the ridge in Mitchell County, their motto says it best: "Big enough to serve, small enough to care." That’s a guiding principle we admire and hope to emulate here in Yancey. Too often lately, our county has strayed from that vision—isolating itself from neighboring partnerships, making major decisions without public input, and eroding the trust of the people they were elected to serve.

It’s time to change that.

We need to rebuild the regional support networks that have served our mountain communities for generations—whether it's shared library systems, public health collaborations, or economic development initiatives. Isolationism might sound bold in a political speech, but in practice, it leaves our people with fewer services, higher costs, and broken trust.

Transparency isn’t just about posting a budget online—it’s about inviting the public into the process. It's listening before acting. It's explaining the “why,” not just the “what.”

We’re calling for a renewed commitment to cooperation over control, to partnerships over power, and to community over politics. Together, we can build a Yancey County government that doesn’t just talk about service—but delivers it, with compassion, integrity, and a whole lot more care.

Let’s work toward a future where our county reflects our shared mountain values—strong, connected, and deeply rooted in community.