Horton elected to Buncombe County commission; Wells holds seat

ASHEVILLE – Jennifer Horton, a Democrat from Fairview, was named the presumptive winner for District 1 of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, according to preliminary results from the Buncombe County Board of Elections.

A registered nurse and owner and administrator of five assisted living family care homes in Buncombe County, Horton, 38, defeated Republican Paul Benjamin, 61, a minister and life coach.

Horton is the first Black woman to be elected to the county commission. She received just over 58% of the vote. The Buncombe County Board of Elections will meet to certify results for the 2024 general election at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.

Horton was flanked by her family after the results were announced at an election night watch party hosted by the Buncombe County Democratic Party. Held at Highland Brewing Company in East Asheville, the venue reached capacity early in the evening and some attendees were encouraged to leave.

“I’m looking forward to what’s to come,” Horton told the Citizen Times Nov. 5. “We got some hard work ahead of us.”

Horton’s top campaign issues were strengthening communities, improving mental health resources and promoting sustainable progress, the Citizen Times previously reported.

In the wake of Tropical Storm Helene, which swept through the region Sept. 27, killing more than 40 people in Buncombe County thus far, Horton said the disaster has deepened her commitment to community resilience and recovery.

Pregnant with her fourth child and due to deliver next week, Horton posed for a photograph with former Asheville Mayor Leni Sitnick, the city’s first female mayor who served from 1997-2001. Amanda Edwards, who defeated former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan for the top spot on the commission as board chair, will be the first woman to hold that position.

In District 2, which covers the county’s northern and western portions, Terri Wells, 53, a Democrat elected to the board in 2020, defeated Bruce O’Connell, 69, an unaffiliated candidate and owner of the Pisgah Inn who collected enough signatures earlier this year to appear on the ballot.

Wells lives in Sandy Mush and is a former public-school teacher, farmer and WNC Regional Agricultural and Community Development Director. Her top priorities were obtaining federal funding for infrastructure projects, natural resources stewardship, and education and small business investment, the Citizen Times previously reported.

After the results were announced Nov. 5, Wells told the Citizen Times via text message that she is “honored to have the opportunity to continue to serve our people and community as we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us to have a strong recovery from Helene.”

“I believe in our strong mountain spirit and, together, we will come back even stronger and more vibrant,” she said.

Wells received slightly more than 54% of the total votes cast in the race.

O’Connell said he found out he lost the election to Wells when the Citizen Times called him for comment Nov. 5. He said he wishes the best for his opponent and commented on how close the race was. He hopes more unaffiliated candidates vie for office and didn’t discount another run for county commission in the future.

Incumbent commissioner Parker Sloan, a Democrat, ran unopposed in District 3 and will serve his second term on the board.

More: 5 Buncombe County Commission candidates on Tropical Storm Helene response and recovery

More: Buncombe County Commission elections 2024: What to know

Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Horton elected to Buncombe County commission; Wells holds seat