Sylva alderwoman Anne Cabe has resigned from the town board effective immediately and verbally withdrawn from upcoming elections, leaving political newcomers Harold Hensley and Stacy Knotts uncontested.

Cabe, 66, and a retired social services worker, resigned via a confidential letter written to Mayor Brenda Oliver, which also notified Oliver of her intent not to seek re-election. Oliver said that Cabe cited personal reasons for her departure.

At this time Cabe’s withdrawl is not entirely official, as she missed the cutoff date for removing her name from the ballot.

“(The ballots) have been printed and we’ve already started absentee voting,” said Lisa Lovedahl-Lehman, director of the Jackson County Board of Elections.

Cabe must submit notice of her withrawal to the county board of elections prior to the Nov. 8 election or votes cast in her favor will be counted and she could potentially win re-election.

Previously, alderman Eldridge Painter announced that he would not be seeking re-election for personal reasons. Cabe’s withdrawl therefore leaves two open seats and allows for candidates Hensley, 68, a retired maintenance supervisor for Jackson County schools and Knotts, a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom, to automatically claim their place as elected officials. The only variable left would be if an unnamed candidate successfully waged a write-in campaign.

“My wife’s more excited than I am,” Hensley said. “I didn’t figure Anne would back out, but that’s her prerogative.”

Hensley was not particularly interested in getting involved in politics, but said several people he knew asked him to run and so he did. Hensley has not developed an official stance on issues facing the town such as growth and development, planning and annexation, saying that he would have to learn more about each issue and how much it would cost before forming an opinion.

“The only thing I’m interested in is I’ll do nothing unless I think it benefits the residents of Sylva,” Hensley said.

The upshot of winning by default is that it comes with a lot of leeway, Hensley said.

“I’ve not spent one red cent on this campaign and I’ve not promised nobody nothing so I can pretty much do what I want,” he said.

Knotts said that Cabe’s announcement came a surprise and that she is looking forward to serving Sylva’s residents. Knotts has been actively campaigning for office, going door-to-door to introduce herself to voters and listen to comments about what the town could do better.

“I certainly have enjoyed the campaign,” Knotts said.

Residents’ comments have focused largely on individual neighborhoods, addressing street repair, garbage pick up and traffic. The comments gave Knotts an idea.

“One idea was to maybe do a citizen satisfaction survey and ask all the residents about the services they’re receiving,” Knotts said.

Knotts spent 10 years as consultant in information technology and human resources for large corporations all over the country before transitioning to a stay-at-home mom. Her husband is a political science professor and associate dean at Western Carolina University.

There exists the possibility of yet another town board seat being vacated by a sitting board member, as alderman Danny Allen is challenging Mayor Brenda Oliver. If Allen wins, board members would appoint someone to fill his seat.