Every county around Asheville has its own camera decision and its own deciders. Sheriffs run the systems and answer only to voters; commissioners fund them; chiefs run the town networks. Profiles below; the county pages carry the full record. What each office can legally do: What the Law Lets the County Do.
Sheriffs on the November 3, 2026 ballot
| County | Sheriff | Challenger | The record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buncombe | Quentin Miller (D) | Gary Parris (R) | Built the ~2,000-camera Fusus network |
| Henderson | Lowell Griffin (R) | unopposed | 13 Flock readers, 2,048-agency sharing list, WNC’s only 287(g) jail program |
| Haywood | open: Mark Mease (R) vs Tyler Howell (D) | Incumbent Bill Wilke lost his primary; 8 to 10 cameras, never voted on | |
| Madison | Buddy Harwood (D) | Robin Lyles (R) | 15 cameras, Facebook announcement, records refused |
| Rutherford | Aaron Ellenburg (R) | apparently unopposed | Pitched “the nationwide database”; no vote |
Sheriffs not on a ballot until 2030
| County | Sheriff | The record |
|---|---|---|
| Jackson | Doug Farmer (R) | 4 cameras, 1.19M reads a month; no published plate-reader policy |
| Macon | Brent Holbrooks (R) | Lost the Flock fight 5 to 0; “I respect the decision” |
| Transylvania | Chuck Owenby (R) | 8 cameras since 2024, no vote, no portal |
| McDowell | Nathan Mace (R) | Sworn in Aug 10, 2026; no statement yet |
Commissioners and councils
| County | Who | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Henderson | Bill Lapsley (chair, retiring) | “Until we hear of some abuse… I don’t see a problem” |
| Haywood | Kevin Ensley (chair) | Kept the cameras by press statement |
| Madison | Michael Garrison (chair) | “You will not speak on Flock tonight” |
| Macon | Josh Young (chair) · John Shearl · Barry Breeden · candidate Dylan Castle | The 5 to 0 removal |
| Jackson | Mark Letson (chair, contested in Nov) · Michael Jennings · Todd Bryson | Questions asked, no vote taken |
| Transylvania / Brevard | Dean Lytle · Aaron Baker | Public input before any vote; no date |
Police chiefs
Blair Myhand (Hendersonville) · Christy Wentzell (Brevard) · Clint Ingle (Rutherfordton) · Daniel Duckworth (Boone, the comparison case)
Not yet profiled
Henderson’s four other commissioners, Transylvania’s commission (Chair Teresa McCall, Jake Dalton, Chase McKelvey), Brevard Mayor Maureen Copelof, Forest City’s chief (Chris LeRoy; the department’s audio-detection cameras have been discussed publicly by Capt. Brandon Rothrock), Black Mountain’s and Biltmore Forest’s chiefs. No on-record statement on the cameras was found for any of them; that silence is noted on the county pages.
County pages: Henderson County · Haywood County · Madison County · Jackson County · Macon County · Transylvania County · McDowell County · Rutherford County · Buncombe County