Let's plan Haywood County's future together.  

My family have lived here for generations. This is where my husband and I chose to raise our son. We love Haywood County!

Carly Pugh for Haywood County Commissioner

My experience in the classroom inspires me and has shaped my views on public service. As a librarian, social studies teacher, and scholar of Appalachian Studies, I've been a lifelong member of North Carolina's public school system. I've seen the good it can accomplish, and I've worked with families from all walks of life.

Carly Pugh has worked as a librarian and social studies teacher and is a scholar of Appalachian Studies.

Carly has worked as a librarian and social studies teacher and is a scholar of Appalachian Studies.

Carly Pugh (Haywood County Board of Commissioners, North ...

Carly is a first-time candidate for political office.

2026 North Carolina General Election

Protecting Household Budgets

Maximize Property Tax Relief: Partner with our Tax Assessor and Department of Social Services to amplify direct outreach for North Carolina’s existing Elderly/Disabled Homestead Exclusion and Circuit Breaker programs, ensuring every eligible senior and veteran actually gets the tax relief on the books.

Carly Pugh for Haywood County Commissioner | About

Aggressively Pursue Grant Funding: Support our finance and management teams in establishing dedicated matching funds to draw down state, federal, and philanthropic grants and stretch taxpayer dollars further.

Plans to increase outreach so that eligible seniors and veterans use North Carolina property-tax relief programs.

Supports establishing county matching funds to pursue state, federal, and philanthropic grants.

- Plans to increase outreach so that eligible seniors and veterans use North Carolina property-tax relief programs.
- Supports establishing county matching funds to pursue state, federal, and philanthropic grants.

Economy

My first days in office will look like... 
Bringing Government to You

Expand Beyond Courthouse Meetings: Build on our existing public meeting format by bringing regular board listening sessions directly into local fire stations, library branches, and community centers in Fines Creek, Canton, Maggie Valley, Bethel, and Jonathan Creek.

Modernize Public Access: Complement traditional meeting notices with multi-channel text/social updates and enhanced digital access, ensuring shift workers, busy parents, and rural residents can easily follow board decisions and share input.

Broaden Citizen Representation: Proactively recruit working parents, young adults, and rural residents to fill vacancies on our dozens of county advisory boards, ensuring a variety of community voices guide county policy.

Standing Up for Everyone

Elevate Child Care as Economic Infrastructure: Partner with local early childhood coalitions and our public library system to expand early literacy and support child care capacity for working families.

Strengthen Lifelines for Older Adults: Protect and expand county support for our Senior Centers, Meals on Wheels, and rural EMS coverage so aging neighbors in every township can live safely and with dignity.

Plans to hold regular board listening sessions at fire stations, library branches, and community centers across the county.

Plans to expand public access to board information through text-message and social-media updates and improved digital access.

Plans to recruit working parents, young adults, and rural residents for vacancies on county advisory boards.

Plans to partner with early-childhood coalitions and public libraries to expand early literacy and child-care capacity.

Supports protecting and expanding county support for senior centers, Meals on Wheels, and rural emergency medical services coverage.

- Plans to hold regular board listening sessions at fire stations, library branches, and community centers across the county.
- Plans to expand public access to board information through text-message and social-media updates and improved digital access.
- Plans to recruit working parents, young adults, and rural residents for vacancies on county advisory boards.
- Plans to partner with early-childhood coalitions and public libraries to expand early literacy and child-care capacity.
- Supports protecting and expanding county support for senior centers, Meals on Wheels, and rural emergency medical services coverage.

Public Services

Activate County Assets for Local Housing: Build on current partnerships by conducting a formal inventory of surplus county-owned land, identifying viable parcels to dedicate for workforce housing for our teachers, paramedics, deputies, and local workers.

Align Infrastructure with Smart Growth: Work alongside our town leaders to guide higher-density development toward areas with existing water and sewer lines, protecting our steep ridges, floodplains, and rural watersheds.

Plans to inventory surplus county land for parcels that could be dedicated to workforce housing.

Plans to guide higher-density development toward areas with existing water and sewer lines.

Seeks to guide higher-density development toward areas with existing water and sewer lines.

- Plans to inventory surplus county land for parcels that could be dedicated to workforce housing.
- Seeks to guide higher-density development toward areas with existing water and sewer lines.

Housing & Urban Development

Ensure Transparency in Settlement Funds: Work collaboratively with public health leadership to ensure our Opioid Settlement allocations remain transparent, measurable, and directly responsive to community-identified gaps in recovery and prevention.

Plans to make opioid settlement spending transparent, measurable, and responsive to recovery and prevention gaps identified by the community.

Wants to make opioid settlement spending transparent, measurable, and responsive to recovery and prevention gaps identified by the community.

- Wants to make opioid settlement spending transparent, measurable, and responsive to recovery and prevention gaps identified by the community.

Public Safety

This campaign is about: 
3. Sustainable Growth

by coordinating infrastructure with development, supporting our local planning department, pursuing more grant funding, protecting our land’s character (from data centers and more), & increasing transparency

Plans to coordinate infrastructure with development and pursue additional grant funding.

- Plans to coordinate infrastructure with development and pursue additional grant funding.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Championing Sustainability

Strengthen Farmland Preservation: Support and expand the vital work of our Soil & Water Conservation District and Voluntary Agricultural Districts, securing additional funds to keep working family farms productive.

Invest in Long-Term Disaster Resilience: Continue prioritizing stream bank restoration and natural flood mitigation along the Pigeon River basin to protect homes, businesses, and farmland from future severe weather.

Supports expanding farmland-preservation work and funding through the Soil and Water Conservation District and Voluntary Agricultural Districts.

Plans to prioritize stream-bank restoration and natural flood mitigation in the Pigeon River basin.

- Supports expanding farmland-preservation work and funding through the Soil and Water Conservation District and Voluntary Agricultural Districts.
- Plans to prioritize stream-bank restoration and natural flood mitigation in the Pigeon River basin.

Energy & the Environment

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Carly Pugh

- Plans to prioritize stream-bank restoration and natural flood mitigation in the Pigeon River basin.

Too latecomers filed as Democrats. One is Carly Pugh, a Waynesville Middle School librarian. The other is Michael Sorrells, who has previously held seats on both the Haywood County commission and school board...

Candidate signups have closed. Who's running for what?

Carly works as a librarian at Waynesville Middle School.

Candidate signups have closed: Who's running for what? | News ...

As of January 5, 2026, Carly Pugh’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Carly is a librarian at Waynesville Middle School. 

Board of Adjustment | The Town of Waynesville, NC

Carly Pugh is currently a librarian at Waynesville Middle School. She also serves as an alternate member of the Waynesville Board of Adjustment.

Isaac Brickman

Buket Urgen

David Burnette

Jeff Stines

Michael T. Sorrells

Tommy Long

- County Commissioners create and pass laws at the county-level. These laws show up in very tangible ways, such as determining how much you pay property and sales tax rates, public transportation, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners are responsible for preparing and passing the county budget. The budget determines how much funding goes to various public services, such as public transportation, law enforcement, repairing roads, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners oversee the administrative duties of your county’s government to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of county residents.
- County Commissioners can create, change, or abolish offices, positions, departments that are not required by law. 
- County Commissioners are elected to 4-year terms, with no term limits. Typically, you only vote for the County Commissioner that represents your county commission district.

Creates new laws and passes the budget for your county.