Incumbent Sheriff Brent Holbrooks and primary challenger Bob Cook participated in a forum Saturday, answering questions from each other and from members of the public on law enforcement, leadership style and public relations.
The forum was organized by the Macon County GOP and held at 3 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Covenant Church, where candidates and community members gathered to ask questions and hear answers. Republican Party Chair Patti Trick introduced the event, which she said had been organized by working with each candidate to develop rules and a process amenable to both.
The forum was moderated by Keith Blaine, chairman of the Jackson County Republican Party. A total of 13 questions were asked at the event including two apiece asked by Holbrooks and Cook and nine taken from the audience ahead of or at the event. Each candidate was given three minutes to answer each question and the candidate who spoke first was allowed a one-minute rebuttal after the other candidate’s comments. For the first half of the forum, Holbrooks was the first to answer questions and for the second, Cook went first. The forum ran until 4:30 p.m.
Introductions and opening statements
Brent Holbrooks called on his family connection to law enforcement in the county through his grandfather and father, Jack and Homer Holbrooks, respectively. He originally joined the department in 1999, serving until 2004 and from 2008 to 2022, when he was elected sheriff. Holbrooks said he served several roles within the department, including road patrol, civil process and courthouse security. He noted 15 years of experience as a SWAT team leader and experience on a narcotics unit conducting undercover operations.
“Folks, as I sit here this afternoon, before you, I’m proud of what we have built; the accomplishments, and improvements achieved under our leadership are nothing short of amazing. Together, we can make Macon County safer, stronger, and I’m committed to continuing that work as your sheriff.”
Cook highlighted 20 years of service in the United States Navy from 1972 to 1992, retiring as a chief petty officer. Originally from Iowa, he retired from the Navy to Jacksonville, Florida, where he worked briefly for the Jacksonville Beach Police Department and later the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office for 20 years, including 14 years in undercover narcotics. He also said he had served patrol and community policing roles. Cook said he moved to Macon County in 2015 and was hired by Southwestern Community College as an in-service training coordinator and later became a certified North Carolina instructor.
“I failed at retirement more than once,” he said. “And I can tell you right now that I feel very strongly about having to do this. I believe I have a lot that I can offer.”
Candidate questions
The first round of questions were contributed by the candidates. The remaining questions were taken from citizens.
Holbrooks: What promotions have you received in your law enforcement career that would be applicable to a sheriff’s role?
Holbrooks cited his experience within the department, saying, “I was promoted to corporal, then to sergeant and then lieutenant over courthouse security.” He said he also attended the Sheriff’s Leadership Institute starting in November 2022 and continuing until March 2024.
Cook said, “I’ve had a lot of life, and that 20 years in the Navy. Each time they promote you in the Navy you have to be sent to leadership training. That way you can know how to manage people, how to get the jobs done.”
He said he was promoted to sergeant as his first reserve office after retirement, then lieutenant while training at the police academy.
Holbrooks used his rebuttal to point out Cook had no promotions in his law enforcement career. Cook later said he was transferred into a detective position, which counts as a promotion.
Cook: Not including mandatory in-service training, what education or training have you taken to prepare you for leadership of a police agency?
Holbrooks said, “I’ve attended numerous law enforcement trainings ranging from tactical applications, first line supervision, the civil process and leadership development. I hold both my intermediate and advanced deputy certificate reflecting my continuing commitment to law enforcement right here at home in Macon County.”
Cook said, “I’ve been through college, I’ve got a college degree: an associate’s degree in administration of justice and part of that is that I have training … I took classes in supervision of police personnel. My bachelor’s degree I completed in October 2024.”
For the degree Cook said he took rules and loss of evidence classes as well as classes in management of a police agency, which he said tested his ability to “answer a lot of law enforcement-type scenarios.”
“I’ve taken advanced DEA classes. I’ve taken advanced leadership classes in the Navy. I’ve taken a lot of different kinds of law enforcement classes that prepare me to do the job of a law enforcement officer,” he said.
Holbrooks: What accomplishments have you made in your law enforcement career?
Holbrooks said, “The list goes on and on, from the first-ever death by distribution case to an outstanding amount of illegal narcotics seized … our accomplishments, I should say. There’s no ‘I’ in ‘team,” It’s our accomplishments, what we have achieved since I’ve taken office.”
Cook said, “I received the Silver Star Award, that was for bravery involved in … a shootout with some homicide suspects … Out of 2,000 officers, I was chosen officer of the year one time and officer of the month three times. I’ve had numerous citizens and command commendations.”
He shared a story of receiving a commendation from a citizen for having gotten “rid of the drug dealers and the prostitutes” of her neighborhood after a three-month investigation. He said he received another commendation for investigation into a serial killer which led to the killer’s capture. He said he received acknowledgement from the Chief Financial Officer of Florida for investigations into the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“I’ve got way more commendations and accomplishments than I can actually put out today because of both of my careers,” Cook said.
Cook: What qualities do you consider to be the top three qualities of a leader of a police agency?
Holbrooks said, “Accountability, vision and transparency. Now, you’re going to hear from the other side that we’re not transparent at all because we don’t allow comments on social media.”
He said he defers to Lauren Earnhardt and Eddie Caldwell, leaders at the N.C. Sheriff’s Association, who say a sheriff’s office’s social media page does not need to allow public comment if it is explicitly information-only.
Cook said integrity, honesty and accountability were the most important. “I’m going to tell you right now that in my administration, accountability is number one. Honesty, integrity, trustworthiness. You’re not going to have a problem with me.”
“I’m not going to rule the administration or govern the administration by Facebook,” Cook said, “But at least it gives an avenue for citizens to be able to answer a question or ask a question … everybody has criticisms, it gives them an avenue to do that.”
Audience questions
What new ideas or programs would you like to implement over the next four years and what is your specific plan to achieve them?
Holbrooks said, “First and foremost, my platform I ran on in ’21-22 … it’s worked, obviously: increase direct involvement with our community; youth and young adult support; officer retention, sustainability and support; and the war on drugs.”
Holbrooks said the department would begin budget talks soon, and he would be working with command staff to develop new ideas together.
Cook said, “We have a lot of different plans that we propose.” He mentioned Project Lifesaver, which can help older individuals and younger children prone to wander, which is currently administered at the Sheriff’s Office. Cook said he plans to combine the program with a Special Needs Occupant Sticker program, a program implemented in certain counties designed to alert officers when they may encounter individuals with special needs, to ensure all such children are covered.
He said he would also be looking to make equipment upgrades to the office’s drones to better track Alzheimer’s patients if they wander.
He said he would focus on education and aggressive drug enforcement, saying “We have to hit the houses in the neighborhoods. It’s great that we knock off the street-level stuff, but we have to hit the houses in the neighborhoods because that’s who lives next to you.”
In a later question about maintaining community trust while engaging in narcotics operations, Cook reiterated a desire to pursue aggressive drug enforcement while Holbrooks said the process of seeking nuisance abatements on drug houses is more complicated than it seems.
Have you ever been the subject of an internal investigation? If so, what were the outcomes?
Holbrooks said, “I have not, never, no.”
Cook said he has been subject to six investigations, which happened because he upset people who said he was being rude. He said this happens when working at a large county with lots of people.
“They couldn’t impeach me on anything I’ve done in my 22 years of law enforcement, and I put some bad guys in jail,” he said.
If given a surplus in either your capital budget or your general fund, what specific projects would you prioritize and want?
Holbrooks said, “The narcotics crisis. The majority of the crimes we investigate revolve around narcotics, right? Including property crimes such as breaking and entering.”
He said the department has added four narcotics officers since he took office in 2022, but said he wanted to expand the narcotics unit.
Cook said if he was given a blank check he would get a new jail. He said the current detention center lacks space and a kitchen on top of being 26 years old. Because of the lack of a kitchen, he said the inmates have to get their food from Clay County once or twice per day. He said the center has not passed a first inspection in years but usually passes the second.
“We can do better for the inmates, which makes them better citizens,” he said. “I’ve got other ideas for how to treat them in the jail if we keep them for long enough. That’s the problem we have in our jail is we don’t keep them very long.”
In a rebuttal, Holbrooks said the center has seen new paint and flooring, countertops and cabinets and has recently passed an inspection with no deficiencies.
Have you managed conflicts of interest when they involve personal friends or family?
Cook said he would not have to worry about matters involving his personal friends or family because he only had his wife and stepbrother.
“If you find things that are conflicts of interest, or even … the image of impropriety, we need to fix that. People have to trust us to do our job, to do our job with ethics, within the law and be trusted to do it. We’re not able to pick and choose what laws we want to follow,” he said.”
Holbrooks said, “Conflicts are handled, but we have to be super sensitive with conflicts, especially when it comes to personnel issues. There’s federal laws and guidelines we have to go by … as far as family and this whole nepotism thing, I get it. I’m ninth generation Maconian and, yeah, I do have family that works here.”
Holbrooks referenced a situation from 2025 when he needed to get approval from the Macon County Board of Commissioners for two hires of people related to him: school resource officer Tracy Chastain and Detention Center employee Kaylee Jenkins
“That was addressed in a commissioners meeting. I apologize. I wasn’t aware that I had to get the blessing from the commissioners. I got that. Everything’s taken care of,” he said.
In a rebuttal, Cook said, “One of the things that’s sad is when you have to kind of look up as a citizen what the law is. The sheriff should already know what these laws are.”
Holbrooks later clarified he does not directly supervise family members, leaving those decisions to other command staff, in particular Chief Deputy Adam Wishon.
What do you identify as the top three operational weaknesses in our detention center today and how will you address them?
Cook said a new jail needs to be prioritized and said he wants the project moved up in the county’s long-range plan.
“Second is manpower. Right now you’ve got a requirement for five people in the jail on the shift. Typically there’s three … It’s a tough gig. You’re locked in there with a bunch of people you typically wouldn’t invite to your house,” he said. “We have to make sure that they have all the tools, all the manpower they need to run that jail.”
“The building has got to be replaced,” he said.
Holbrooks said, “Personally I think there’s only one and that’s staffing. I’ll be the first to admit we’re at a staffing shortage right now in the detention center and only in the detention center and that’s because of the lack of pay.”
He said he would be presenting a proposition to the county commissioners at the Jan. 13 commissioners meeting in the hopes of changing that. He added there was no requirement for the number of detention officers required per inmate.
In a rebuttal, Cook said, “When you have three people and they have to call somebody in because they got sick, I’m not sure that’s the best plan to be able to get a replacement. That’s what a supervisor’s for. Supervisors should do that.”
What plans do you have to help those struggling with drug and alcohol addiction besides incarceration?
Cook said, “One of the things you have to do is make people accountable for what they do … but when they get to be an inmate, that’s when things change.”
Cook described a plan called the Medically Assisted Treatment Program, which he said he’s been advocating for years. He said those who receive treatment are 17% less likely to commit a repeat offense and are 40% less likely to suffer a fatal overdose after being released.
Holbrooks said the statistics Cook referenced only came from Buncombe County and there was not enough evidence yet to justify implementing the program in Macon County. He said he has called the Department of Health and Human Services but has yet to hear a response on the MAT program. He said he has considered implementing the program in the county.
In a rebuttal, Cook said the office should not wait on more evidence the program is successful, arguing there was more evidence than what was provided by Buncombe County.
“I want to ask you, as a citizen, if it’s your child that’s in the jail and we can help your child, do you want us to wait until more data becomes available? I don’t think so,” he said.
If a detective files false information that involves key issues, how would you deal with protecting the families involved?
Cook said, “False information on any document that law enforcement prepares is a very serious offense and it’s a very serious accusation. I’ve seen many, many times when people are accused and there’s nothing to it but you don’t know if there’s anything to it until you take a look at it. You’ve got to investigate it.”
He said a confirmed case of an official filing false information would lead to the individual being held accountable, conducting interviews with the family and detective and making contact again with the complainant to inform them of whatever decision is made.
“Right or wrong, you’ll have an answer,” Cook said.
Holbrooks said he would have be careful with his response since it regarded an ongoing case, but said, “We’re all human, we all make mistakes. That issue was taken care of in federal court, and I cannot go into any further detail than that.”
The person asking the question said the office could have reached out to him.
In a rebuttal, Cook said, “This is exactly what I was talking about, holding yourself accountable and being responsive to the citizens of Macon County … It’s important that you, as a citizen, know that our sheriff’s office is transparent and that we’re responsive.”
Election schedule
Early voting for the 2026 primary begins on Feb. 12 and the primary will take place on March 3. The voter registration deadline is Friday, Feb. 6. The Franklin Press will interview the candidates for local offices and publish a Voters Guide on Feb. 18.
- Shelby Powell
reporter@thefranklinpress.com