Nancy Waldrop’s campaign for the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners announced the endorsements of David Gantt, a Democrat who chairs the board, and Rob Rhinehart, a Republican who chairs the Buncombe County School Board. Waldrop is an unaffiliated candidate running to represent District 3 on the Board of Commissioners, which includes Enka-Candler, Sandy Mush and Biltmore Forest.
Here’s the Oct. 3 press release:
Democratic County Commission Chair and Republican School Board Chair back Independent Candidate
CANDLER, N.C. – October 3, 2014 – Nancy Waldrop, candidate for County Commissioner in District 3, today announced she has been endorsed by David Gantt, Chairman of the Buncombe County Commission and Bob Rhinehart, Chairman of Buncombe County Schools.
Gantt, a Democrat, endorsed Waldrop based on her positions in favor of investing in education and using reasonable incentives to compete with other states to bring jobs to Buncombe County. “Nancy is the candidate who will work with the County Commission to continue to bring jobs and economic opportunity to all Buncombe County citizens,” Gantt said. “Nancy’s 30 years in the classroom give her insight into the needs of our schools. Nancy will also promote a balanced view of the policies that protect our beautiful mountains.”
Rhinehart, Chairman of Buncombe County Schools, who is a Republican, agreed that Waldrop’s teaching experience would be an asset to her as a County Commissioner. “I believe that Nancy will represent all of Buncombe County, not just one party or the other,” Rhinehart said. “With her 30 years of teaching experience, I feel that she will represent Buncombe County Schools in the commission in the best possible way.”
Waldrop spent 30 years as a teacher, all but the first year in Buncombe County Schools, including Haw Creek Elementary, Sand Hill Venable and Candler Elementary. She has remained active in education and served as a member of the planning committee that helped establish the Martin L. Jr. Discovery Academy, a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) school.
“I believe the endorsements show I have support from individuals from across the political spectrum,” Waldrop said. “I’ll work with whoever is elected to serve the people of Buncombe County, not a political party.”
Waldrop believes both the county government and the school system are serving the citizens well at the moment. “We have renovated schools and built new schools, including the Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. Discovery Academy. We’ve attracted stable, high paying jobs by encouraging expansion and relocation to the county with companies like New Belgium Brewing and GE Aviation. The economy in Buncombe County is growing in a positive direction and I want to see that continue.”
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