Our Mission
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Marcia Almond is dedicated to establishing a transparent government that prioritizes equality and ethical leadership.
Her goal is to foster responsible growth that benefits all residents in Jackson County.
Get to know Marcia
Marcia is a native North Carolinian and has lived in N.C. her entire life.
She graduated from East Carolina University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and has called Jackson County home for 38 years. She and her husband have two children who both graduated from Smoky Mountain High School.
During her more than 40 years as an operating room nurse, she has made life-or-death decisions under pressure, advocating for her patients, and working as a team member for the best patient outcomes.
She brings that same experience to the citizens of Jackson County.
She served as Council Member and later, as Mayor of The Village of Forest Hills, served as a member of the Executive Board of the Southwestern Development Commission for 6 years and also on their Executive Committee. While in these various positions, she developed an extensive network of contacts across the entire state to ensure that Jackson County had a strong voice in regional decision-making.
As Chairperson of our Jackson County Board of Commissioners, these contacts and relationships will be invaluable when securing resources for our county. Marcia has the drive and grit to lead our county to a brighter future.
Marcia chose to run for Commission Chair because, as she puts it, “I’m fed up.” She believes Jackson County deserves better. "We deserve leadership that is honest, transparent, prepared, and genuinely committed to putting the needs of working families first."
She understands that we can and will thrive as long as our families can afford to live here.
She also knows that our greatest challenges require someone who shows up, listens, and actually does the work.
Marcia is here for you and to listen to you - SHE NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT, YOUR INPUT and YOUR HELP to bring about the changes that our county needs to PROGRESS, PROSPER and be the KIND OF PLACE that you are proud to call HOME !
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Marcia gathered input from people across Jackson County and compiled what she calls the
SIX PILLARS for SUCCESS
A Brighter Future for Jackson County
⦁ Living Wage Jobs
⦁ Affordable Housing
⦁ Affordable Child Care
⦁ Gas and Grocery Prices
⦁ Environmental Protection
⦁ Schools and Libraries
1. Living Wage Jobs
A full-time job in Jackson County should provide enough income to build a future here. Working with our Economic Development staff, we can bring in companies that pay a living wage as we improve housing and child care resources. We can also reward businesses who currently pay living wages and insure that all county employees earn a living wage.
2. Affordable Housing
According to the Director of the Jackson County Planning Department and NC HOME, our county is short by approximately 2,500 homes. We can fill the housing void by putting vacant and distressed properties back to use and developing a Housing Commission to address future needs for affordable rent and housing
3. Affordable Child Care
Jackson County cannot thrive if young families can't afford to raise their children here. Creating a collaborative with community leaders offers opportunities to design and implement countywide childcare solutions
4. Gas and Grocery Prices
We are all suffering from inflation. Our county can do better with affordable public transportation services for shopping and traveling to work. Grocery vouchers can be offered to those whose food budgets cannot make it to the end of the month.
5. Environmental Protection
Hurricane Helene taught us all a lesson. We need to prepare for extreme weather. We should recruit experts to serve on boards and advise on how to prepare and respond to extreme heat, floods and forest fires. We can do our part with county budgets providing emergency funds and installing solar panels on county buildings to reduce energy costs and reduce our carbon footprint. We need a moratorium on data centers as surrounding counties have done.
6. Schools and Libraries
Our teachers cannot afford to teach here. Our librarians are intimidated by our current county leadership. We can do better with improved teacher pay and allowances for school supplies. We can support our libraries with professional board members and adequate funding for community needs.
In summary, what you have told us is that we can do better. We must do better than we are doing today, and with your help, we will make tomorrow a brighter day for everyone living here!
