Politics

‘Fresh ideas,’ youth propel Orr to victory in county commission race

By Bill Moss, Published: March 12, 2026

A lot of voters watching the local election news last Tuesday night or browsing the headlines Wednesday morning did a doubletake. “Wait, what?” they exclaimed.

“I think people are in shock,” County Commissioner Sheila Franklin said Monday. “To be honest, I really think it like played out like a David and Goliath story.”

David in this case was a 29-year-old newcomer named Rudd Orr while Goliath was Steve Wyatt, the well-known former Henderson County manager who touted the endorsement of a popular former sheriff, two former county commissioners and other well-known Republican Party stalwarts.

In a Republican primary bereft of issues that divided the two candidates, voters chose a fresh new perspective over a retired professional administrator who ran on a record of substantial achievements. Orr, who won with 56 percent of the vote, has no opposition in the Nov. 3 general election.

“I think Steve Wyatt was probably perceived by some range of people” as old guard, said Chuck McGrady, who served in elective office for more than 20 years as a Flat Rock Village Council member, county commissioner and state House member. “While he was not actually an incumbent, he was the county manager for 15 years. He didn’t get a lot of credit for his experience.”

Across consecutive election cycles, newcomers have defeated either incumbents or, in Wyatt’s case, a county leader who had served for a substantial period of time. Franklin, a longtime Fletcher Town Council member, and Jay Egolf, the School Board chair, defeated incumbents Daniel Andreotta and David Hill respectively in 2024. It could be that the electorate is just in the mood to turn the rascals out.

“I think if Bill Lapsley had been running, he would have run into the same headwind there — the older guard,” McGrady said.

‘New energy and new ideas’

Lapsley, the current county commission chair, created the open District 3 seat when he announced last fall that he would not seek re-election to a fourth term. He, too, was surprised by the outcome.

“Since it was going to be a new person, I think voters preferred someone with a new perspective toward local government over somebody with a long government track record,” he said.

Orr said on election night that voters seemed to be receptive to a new face.

“I think people are ready for a change and some fresh ideas — new energy and ideas,” he said. “I think that is how we were able to pull it off. I care about this place, and I think that is what stood out.”

In a news release the next day, Orr thanked family members, friends, volunteers and “every single person who knocked on doors, stood at polling locations in the cold, held signs, shared posts, prayed for us, or cast a vote.”

Blessed with a rugged first name and a mountain-rooted surname, Orr is a 29-year-old father of a toddler and a newborn, a homebuilder and real estate agent and a Mills River volunteer firefighter. He holds a degree in agriculture from Clemson University. He has a great-great-grandfather who served as a county commissioner in the early 1900s.

“I think that he is favored by the farmers, and I think he’s favored by the firemen, because he’s in that world,” Commissioner Rebecca McCall said. “They know him in that world.”

Ridge Republicans redux

Another takeaway from the March 3 primary, and from county commission elections over the past decade or so, is natives rising.

Besides Rebecca Jackson McCall, whose grandfather was County Commissioner Clyde Jackson, the board is now made up of three members with roots that go back to the county’s founding. McCall points out that she and Edney trace their roots to William Mills, one of the earliest settlers of this part of southern Appalachia. Egolf’s family came to Hendersonville when his grandfather moved his car dealership here. Franklin — maiden name Williams — grew up in Arden.

“It seems to be important to most of the people — they say that to me,” McCall said when we asked why having an nth-generation background is an asset. “My opponent moved here from New Jersey” and, by the way, won just 32 percent of the vote in last week’s primary.

Deep-rooted families winning seats on the county commission or other elected office today echo the old Ridge Republicans from the hills and hollers of Edneyville, Dana, Big Hungry, Deep Gap. The legacy names still hold the power. Edney, who is in his sixth term on the board, drew no opponent from either party.

Lapsley noted that natives continue to enjoy popular support despite in-migration that means newcomers outnumber them.

“I really felt like with such a change over my 50-plus years here in the county, that the demographics have changed from those longtime families like you just described to a whole bunch of newcomers,” he told me. “You would think that that would translate into the election cycle, but it does not seem to have happened. It seemed like even though people have moved here, they still like the old family people, and they’ll support them, which I think is great.”

The attitude of newcomers, he added, is informed by the view that because past leadership seems to have worked out OK, why change it?

“We came here because of all the good things that you’ve done in the past, so don’t screw with it,” Lapsley said.

A reliable machine sputtered

Back in 1994, George Erwin pulled off a surprising upset of the popular incumbent sheriff, deeply rooted Ridge Republican Ab Jackson. Erwin, who served as sheriff until he resigned in January 2006, built an effective countywide political network — a machine he’s continued to deploy to boost candidates he favors. He helped Franklin in 2024. He joined former Hendersonville city council member Jeff Miller, current mayor pro tem Jennifer Hensley, former commissioners Grady Hawkins and Tommy Thompson to endorse Wyatt for county commission. This time, it didn’t work.

“That’s why I say my take on it is that the voters saw through all of that,” Lapsley said. “They didn’t want somebody in that clique of people that think they’re running county government.”

Although Wyatt seemed to have the clear advantage in media buys and campaign mailings, Orr had the larger army of volunteers doing the grunt work of door-knocks, sign-waving and Election Day palm-card handouts.

“I thought both of them came out pretty strong with their signs and things like that,” Franklin said. “I felt like it was wide open. We couldn’t tell what was going to happen.” Wyatt “has strong political connections and experience,” she added, “and then you’ve got this hard working young man who doesn’t have that political background, and I think his strong grassroots effort won out.”

For his part, Orr said last week he wants to work on farmland preservation, support for first responders and limiting development.

“I’m ready to get started,” he said.