Brian Stiehler
Long-time Commissioner Brian Stiehler resigned from the Highlands Board of Commissioners on July 31. Stiehler, who held the office for 14 years, relocated to a residence outside the town, making him ineligible to serve on the board.
In his resignation letter to Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor, Stiehler called his time as commissioner an honor and said he would miss it.
“Serving the community has been an honor, and it’s something I’ll miss, but I’m also excited about this next chapter of my life,” Stiehler said.
“I accepted his resignation on behalf of the town, with regret, because he’s been an outstanding commissioner for so many years,” said Taylor.
Stiehler originally planned to resign in person at the August meeting of the board of commissioners, but decided to make his resignation effective immediately so residents can choose who will fill his seat. The July 31 resignation date allows the seat to go up for a vote, rather than be filled by an appointed candidate chosen by the board of commissioners.
“We will be having a special election to fill his remaining two years,” said Taylor. “He resigned well before 90 days, which is the cut-off to have a special election for an unfilled position.”
“If it had been 40 or 50 days before the [general] election, we couldn’t have opened this up for the voters to vote on it,” Taylor added. “We, as a board, would have to appoint someone. I felt that we needed to move without delay on this, because it’s always best to let people vote on who they want to represent them.”
The Macon County Board of Elections and the Jackson County Board of Elections met separately on Aug. 6 to establish the filing dates for prospective candidates. Some Jackson County residents reside within the town limits of Highlands, requiring both boards to accept candidates. Filing will open on Monday, Aug. 11 at 8 a.m. in Macon County for candidates seeking to fill the two years remaining on Stiehler’s term. Filing will close at noon on Friday, Aug. 22. Voting will take place during the Nov. 4 general election.
The vacancy will not affect the board’s ability to conduct business in the interim, as the remaining four commissioners make up a quorum.
“In the case of a tie vote, the mayor casts the deciding vote,” Taylor said, noting, “I have voted once in 12 years.”
Stiehler also serves as chairman of the Tourism Development Commission and as the Highlands representative on the Macon County Economic Development Commission. He will continue to serve in both positions until his replacements are selected.
Stiehler plans to remain active in the community during this new chapter of his life. He’ll continue to be involved in the development of the new playground at the Highlands Recreation Center, for which he has helped raise about $1.5M, and as chair of a golf tournament that has raised almost $400K for the Highlands Country Club Scholarship Fund since 2009.
“I’m not fading away into the dark,” Stiehler said.
- Lorelei Goff
editor@highlandsnews.com