This site is an unofficial site provided by Mayor Pat Taylor and is devoted to keeping the residents of Highlands, North Carolina informed on the actions, plans and issues Mayor Pat is working. This website is not associated with the Office of the Mayor of Highlands or the office.
I am thankful for many things, even amid the tragedy and disaster of Helene. Let me express my gratitude to this community. I will never be able to fully thank everyone for their support in the recovery after the storm. People didn’t respond to the needs of their neighbors, friends, and community because of expected approbations and expressions of gratitude; they gave their support because they are good, decent human beings who love people and their community.
I am thankful for our town and county staffs and officials. No one had to ask anyone to work beyond normal hours; every worker knew their duty was to work until the job was done. County Commission Chairman Gary Shields and County Manager Derek Roland were at town hall early in the week offering help. County Commissioner John Shearl worked to get the transfer station to accept residential and commercial storm debris free of charge. County emergency management director Warren Cabe was in constant contact with the Highlands’ staff to support our recovery efforts. The governor and his staff were proactive in marshaling state resources. The governor personally called mayors, including myself, throughout WNC to determine critical needs in impacted communities. Our legislative delegations, Representative Gillespie and Senator Corbin, played important roles in marshaling resources and support for the region well beyond district boundaries.
While government entities were focused on restoring infrastructure, I am thankful for actions taken by critical support services such as the Highlands-Cashiers Hospital. Their staff made sure medical access was secure during this disaster. The police, sheriff, fire, and EMT departments remained open and functioned in a great coordinated effort, along with NCDOT.
I am also thankful for all the nonprofit and faith-based organizations who stepped forward to make sure local needs were met. In the coming weeks and months, these organizations will also be committed to helping communities that will face tremendous recovery challenges. One does not have to ask or motivate these organizations to respond to tragic events; it is in their organizational DNA to do so.
I am also so thankful for the business community's response in Highlands. They, too, are committed community institutions. Townhall was flooded with business owners offering to help get Highlands back on its feet. These fine folks were not concerned about money or profits; they simply were concerned about our residents, visitors, and workers. If I or a staff member asked for assistance from a business, it came forth without conditions or delay.
I am also thankful for residents who showed great endurance and patience during this state of emergency. Almost everyone creatively adjusted to the power outages, communication failures, and road closures. We can all learn from this event in preparing for the next storm. I felt sorry for our stranded visitors. They, too, showed endurance and understanding in adjusting their plans. I hope they will come back under better circumstances.
So, let’s all be thankful and grateful for how everyone responded to this emergency. We should be proud of our work. To paraphrase Churchill, "It was our finest hour.” This finest hour will continue to be so as we provide support to our fellow Western North Carolinians.
MAYOR PAT
5 August 2024
On January 25th, I wrote in this column: “My suggestion is that HCA Mission needs to consider a new Asset Purchase Agreement and sell the system to another provider. They paid 1.5 billion for Mission, which some critics now say was a giveaway price orchestrated by Paulus, Ball, and the Mission board. Dogwood, the recipient of the 1.5-billion-dollar sale, might very well have a role to play in the sale process.”
July 22, 2024
It began at my Community Coffee with the Mayor in June and has continued since then. A number of folks at the coffee were upset by the large number of trees that had just been cut down at a home-building site in an old neighborhood in town. The question to me was, why the town allowed this to happen when it was a clear violation of the town tree ordinance.
July 15, 2024
A recent editorial in one of our local newspapers asked how many tourists Highlands can handle in a given period of time. Other cities across the globe are asking similar questions. In Barcelona, Spain, organized groups are now confronting tourists by squirting them with water guns and telling them to go home. Residents there are revolting against mass tourism. While I certainly do not wish to see such a situation in Highlands, the question posed by the local editorial does have merit.
And you can download all my 131 Articles
Sign up to hear from us about specials, sales, and events.
See all my Videos on Youtube
Beyond being the Mayor of Highlands I am also a husband, father, grandfather and a POTTER. Check out my other career as an artist and potter.
Reach out to Mayor Pat with an email to discuss an issue or ask a question. The email and response can be just for you or the public- your choice.
Playground initiative to expand the pkayground facility at The Highlands Recreatuion Center.
Paid for by Mayor Pat Taylor
Copyright © 2021 PatTaylor - All Rights Reserved.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.