Mike’s Community Service

Accomplishments During Elected Office (Black Mountain - Mayor, 13 years; Vice Mayor, 5 years; 20 years total)

  • Awarded NC Governor’s Community of Excellence

  • Re-designed condemned surface water system to underground system

  • Established NC’s first sister city relationship (with Krasnaya Polyanna in the USSR)

  • Constructed New Fire Station

  • Constructed New Police Station

  • Created Recreation and Parks Program

  • Acquired and developed Recreation Park (now Veteran’s Park)

  • Acquired Black Mountain Center for the Arts property as a municipal building

  • Created East Buncombe Fire District

  • Negotiated compromise to create MSD-managed county-wide sewage system

  • Converted municipal government to professional town manager system

  • Created a police/fire/EMS substation on the South side of the railroad tracks

  • Created Historic District

  • Restored Lake Tomahawk Park

  • Served on I-26 Corridor Commission

  • Served on Buncombe County Drug Taskforce

Church, Civic, and Community Leadership

  • Co-founder of Black Mountain-Swannanoa Community Endowment Fund

  • Co-founder of non-profit Black Mountain Counseling Center Inc.

  • Task force member to create the Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Endowment

  • Initial task force to create Montreat Conference Center Endowment

Chair and Board Member

  • Asheville Area Metropolitan Transportation Advisory Board

  • Black Mountain Home for Children, Youth, and Families

  • Buncombe County Schools Foundation

  • Montreat Conference Center President’s Council

  • William Black Lodge

Board Member

  • Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (9 years)

  • Swannanoa Valley Christian Ministry (36 years to present)

  • Montreat Development Foundation (24 years)

  • Black Mountain Presbyterian Church (Session - 6 years, Clerk of Session 12 years)

  • Presbytery of Western North Carolina Council (9 years) - Governs 100+ churches

    • (also serving as Presbytery’s attorney for past 15 years to present)

  • Black Mountain Center for the Arts

  • Black Mountain Rotary Club

  • Black Mountain Kiwanis Club

  • Buncombe County Democratic Executive Committee (1980s)

Awarded

  • Morehead-Cain (formerly Morehead) Scholarship (Owen High School’s 1st)

  • Black Mountain First Century Superlative