Macon County had, at best, a rough 2004.

Tragedy struck in September when Hurricane Ivan caused a 2-mile debris flow down the side of Fishhawk Mountain, killing 5 and destroying the Peeks Creek community.

November’s elections resulted in a tense recount that finally ousted long-time GOP Sen. Robert “Bob” Carpenter. Controversy plagued the Macon County Planning Board and a high-drama battle exploded on the Highlands Playhouse stage.

In the end, Western North Carolina’s fastest growing county has been left struggling to define itself, as change is no longer an option but a fact of life.

The disaster at Peeks Creek was the most catastrophic event of the twin hurricanes that struck Western North Carolina in September. A debris flow — defined as a mix of dirt, rocks, trees and water — swept down the mountain on Sept. 16 after heavy rains from Hurricane Ivan.

As bad as the Peeks Creek tragedy was, it was just part of the devastation from the September hurricanes. A report presented to a state committee in December pegged the county’s total damage from the storms at $6.6 million. Dozens of other homes were flooded and many of those will have to be replaced.

The floods and the ensuing erosion also placed a strain on already ailing water and sewer systems, something residents have noticed first-hand as sewage backups have flooded homes, leaving behind a biohazard. Franklin leaders have come under fire for extending lines, permitting more growth and overburdening the system.

Dealing with solid waste has also been a problem this year for Macon leaders. The ongoing dispute between Jackson and Macon counties regarding the terminated landfill agreement was in the “pre-litigation” phase as of July with parties attempting to settle the question of who owes who and how much. Macon leaders say Jackson owes them for backing out early. Jackson leaders say Macon should be held responsible.

The responsibility for developing effective methods for dealing with the county’s explosive growth has been placed largely on the shoulders of the county’s planning board. Once again the board has started work on creating some form of land-use plan — not zoning, but a series of ordinances written with community input. Or at least they hope it will be a series. Since starting work early this year on a single high-impact use ordinance, the board has yet to make any formal recommendations.

The process was slowed by legal debates, as anti-zoning advocate and planning board member Jimmy Goodman anonymously mailed information to county commissioners at the end of 2003 revealing the planning board was not properly organized. Commissioners went through rounds of discussion and ordinance writing in January in an effort to legitimize the board and preserve the work members had done so far.

In Highlands, tempers flared over the Highlands Playhouse. At the tail end of 2003, a fight began over the Playhouse’s lease and willingness to share a building technically owned by the town. That fight carried over into 2004, with Highlands’ two other theater groups — the Highlands Community Players and the Instant Theater Company — attacking the Playhouse directors for their uncooperative attitudes and high prices. They shared stage space, said the Community Players and Instant Theater Company, so why couldn’t the Playhouse? Highlands Town Council members responded by renewing the Playhouse’s lease in January and saying that any “reasonable” request for use would be honored.

In August, the Playhouse Board of Directors fired its fifth director in as many years, David Kleist. Kleist’s wife also was let go — for reasons primarily based on her marriage to David. Since it is a private entity, the Playhouse is entitled to hire and fire at will, but the high turnover rate has raised eyebrows and prompted murmurings of long-term damage to the Playhouse’s reputation.

This year’s elections also proved dramatic, with sleeper candidates popping out of the woodwork. County Planning Board member Jimmy Goodman made a bid for a county commission seat, running against fellow Republican Charlie Leatherman. Goodman lost in the July primaries, leaving Leatherman unopposed in November.

Commissioners chairman Mark West was challenged for his seat by one-time commissioner Jim Davis and lost. With Davis beating West, Commissioner Allan Bryson of Highlands was appointed chairman. West will remain in county politics, however, having been appointed as a new representative on the county planning board for which he was a liaison while serving as chairman. Leatherman is poised to take West’s place as liaison.

The race between retiring Chief District Court Judge John Snow, a Democrat, and Sen. Carpenter made for one of the most interesting 2004 contests. Snow stepped down from the bench and announced his candidacy in February, kicking off a campaign that mixed Democratic ideals with conservative values. This blend may have contributed to Snow’s cross party appeal.

However, the race was tight, so tight that once results were in a recount was called. A week later eight counties began their recounts and the margin actually narrowed. Snow was proclaimed the victor by a mere 297 votes.

One consideration voters had was how much Carpenter had actually achieved for Macon in particular. Most of his work in the Senate had to do with statewide healthcare issues. Only one bill he introduced this year targeted his home county — the Franklin Occupancy Tax bill.

The bill, requested by town leaders in April, gave Franklin the authority to enact an additional tax on hotel rooms rented within town limits. The revenue, proponents argued, could be used to promote tourism. However, Macon County already has an occupancy tax in place and if the town enacts one, it would join the ski towns in the Banner Elk area as the state’s only municipalities where inn and hotel owners are subjected to two occupancy taxes. While the bill was passed, the town has not taken any steps to enact the tax.