Haywood County commissioner chairman Larry Ammons was unseated by Mark Swanger, a challenger vying to reclaim a seat on the board after being ousted himself two years ago.

Swanger emerged in the commissioners race as the top vote-getter, a striking comeback from his loss in the last primary. Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe came in second behind Swanger. She and Swanger will compete against two Republicans in the November general election.

Political observers had predicted a close race between Ammons, Enloe and Swanger. Ammons trailed Swanger significantly, however, by 2,000 votes.

“You can’t ever tell with elections,” Ammons said. The current board of commissioners has not been dogged by any major controversy, making the large margin of defeat somewhat puzzling.

“I don’t know what people might be dissatisfied with, but it must be something,” Ammons said. Ammons congratulated both Enloe and Swanger as the three stood together watching the results roll in from the precincts at the Haywood Board of Elections. Ammons said he won’t be trying for a comeback of his own two years from now, when three more seats on the board come up for election. Ammons hopes to get down to the business of enjoying retirement.

Swanger said he found the margin between himself and Ammons “surprising.”

“I didn’t have any expectations. I thought with the quality of the competition it would be close, very close,” Swanger said.

But, as he well knows, being chairman of the board of commissioners can make you vulnerable.

“Anytime you are the chairman and spokesperson for the board, there is an increased risk of accumulated baggage and having negatives attributed to you,” Swanger said.

The hospital crisis at Haywood Regional Medical Center seems to have lost Ammons a few votes.

“Commissioners have not done the job I think they should have, especially with the hospital,” said Paul McElroy, a Waynesville resident. McElroy voted for Swanger and Enloe.

The hospital crisis played well to Swanger’s campaign theme. He criticized the sitting board for their passive leadership, for not asking tough questions, and for a “lack of ideas.” Two years ago, Swanger was criticized by opponents for his hands-on leadership style, dubbed as a “micromanager.” This year, he attempted to turn that criticism into a positive, especially in light of the hospital crisis, which was blamed on a lack of oversight by the hospital board. It is not the first such board in the county to miss red flags and end up in a crisis after turning over too much power to the CEO.

“I think there has been a culture in Haywood County of a lack of accountability on some boards and I think the public has rightly judged that that is not acceptable,” Swanger said.

The platform seemed to resonate with voters interviewed at exit polls.

“He is demanding accountability for the taxpayer’s money and how we spend it,” said Charles Davis of Canton. “If they don’t want accountability, something is damn wrong.”

Mark Rathbone, a retiree in Clyde, also saw Swanger’s micromanagement as a positive.

“He knows what to do. He cleaned up some of that mess one time and I hope he’ll do it again,” Rathbone said.

“I believe he is honest and upfront, and I believe that’s what we need,” said Earnie Patterson of Canton.

Sara Allen, a retired teacher in Canton, voted for both Enloe and Swanger.

“I think they are intelligent and will take care of the things that need taking care of,” Swanger said.

Swanger’s comeback

Two years ago, Swanger was the target of a negative attack campaign by a political action committee formed explicitly to oust him. The group’s biggest gripe was that Swanger had led the firing of former county manager Jack Horton. That was not lost on voters this time. Several voters cited the dismissal of Horton as a reason for supporting Swanger.

“We think we did the right thing by getting rid of the him,” said Jack Alexander. “We’ve got a great county manager now in David Cotton.”

Voter turnout two years ago was in the dismal category: only 17 percent. It is a far cry from the 40 percent turnout this year. That likely made a difference.

“It is certainly not the only factor, but it is a significant factor,” Swanger said.

Two years ago, the average voter was less than inspired to turn out for a run-of-the-mill primary where a county commissioner race was the most riveting thing on the ballot. While the masses stayed home, the anti-Swanger camp was on a mission.

“I think it is fair to say that if you have a motivated group voting against you that voted in significantly larger ratios than the general public, then those voters have a disproportionate influence,” Swanger said.

This election, those who support Swanger were the ones on a mission.

“I think I had a very dedicated following of people who wanted to do what they could to help me,” Swanger said.

Swanger had volunteers stationed at most major polling sites on Election Day. Swanger has yet to finalize his campaign finance report, but estimates his donations total just over $11,000. Swanger was getting donations up until Election Day by voters showing up to the polls. Swanger said many of the donations came in the form of $10 here and there.

Enloe, on the other hand, did little campaigning. Enloe still has a pile of 50 yard signs on her kitchen floor that she never got around to putting up.

“I didn’t have time to campaign,” Enloe said. “To do as well as I did was extremely gratifying to me. I am extremely pleased about the folks having confidence in me again.”

Enloe’s following

Commissioner Mary Ann Enloe has quite a following of her own. Several voters in exit poll interviews cited her experience and long tenure as a reason to return her to office. It will be Enloe’s third term. She served as mayor of Hazelwood for 16 years prior to becoming a commissioner.

“She has always done us good. She’s been around for years and years and years,” said Chris Anderson, 32, of Canton.

“I just think with her background and former service, I’ve been pleased with what she’s doing,” said Doris Hudson, a retired social worker from Canton.

Among voters who said they supported Enloe, they saw her as a person more than a candidate.

Enloe prides herself on her ability to connect on a one-on-one basis.

“I have always been able to do that. It has always been important to me to do that,” Enloe said. “I have the institutional knowledge to help people. If I can’t help them personally and if the county can’t help them, I can explain to them where to get some help and I know how to walk them through the bureaucratic process that is sometimes daunting to people. That comes from experience.”

The fall election

Swanger and Enloe will face competition in the fall election from Republican candidates, mostly notably Kevin Ensley. Ensley, Swanger and Enloe were once allies on the board up until two years ago. Ensley was voted off along with Swanger, and is also making a comeback bid. The three were responsible for the ousting of county manager Jack Horton.