New mayor says infrastructure, public safety, schools and protecting legacy neighborhoods will be key issues.
SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (Smokies.LIVE Information Center) — Sevier County has a new mayor.
Bryan McCarter took office Tuesday, succeeding Larry Waters, who decided not to seek re-election after nearly five decades in the county’s top elected position.
Waters said he was grateful for the opportunity to serve the community for 48 years.
“For 48 years, you trusted me to serve as your mayor. That trust has meant more to me than I could ever put into words,” Waters said. “I am deeply grateful to the people of Sevier County for allowing me the honor and privilege of serving our community for nearly five decades.”
McCarter enters the office with a focus on developing long-term plans to address the county’s growing infrastructure needs while balancing the demands of a tourism economy that attracts millions of visitors each year.
“I think the main thing for us moving forward is to set in place long-term plans to where we’re going to be able to tackle the complex issues that we have here in Sevier County,” McCarter said.
Among the issues he identified are roads, water infrastructure, broadband expansion and determining where sewer service can appropriately be expanded.
McCarter also said supporting law enforcement and emergency service personnel will be a priority, along with advocating for additional state funding for schools.
He said the county will need to work with its state legislative delegation to address what he described as a discrepancy in school funding.
Balancing tourism and residents
Sevier County’s tourism economy presents a unique challenge for county leaders.
McCarter noted that the county can have more than 100,000 residents on a given night, while hundreds of thousands of visitors may also be staying in the county.
That means roads, emergency services and other infrastructure must serve both the people who live in Sevier County and the visitors who support its tourism economy.
“The decisions that we make, our residents should come first,” McCarter said. “So, how do we couple that? How do we piece those together? How do we ensure that our residents feel that they’re not being left behind?”
McCarter said tourism remains a major part of the county’s economy and that officials are thankful for the visitors who come to the area.
But he said long-term planning must ensure residents benefit from investments made to accommodate tourism.
Short-term rentals and legacy neighborhoods
One of the more immediate issues McCarter expects the county to address is the impact of short-term rentals on established residential neighborhoods.
McCarter said he supports protecting what he calls the county’s “legacy neighborhoods” from short-term rentals.
“I’m a firm believer that our legacy neighborhoods should be protected from short-term rentals,” McCarter said.
He acknowledged that regulating property use can be complicated, particularly when property owners have existing rights and expectations.
McCarter said the county’s planning and zoning process will play a role in working through those questions.
Noise associated with short-term rentals is another issue he said will require careful consideration.
McCarter said county officials should take deliberate action rather than rush decisions involving property rights, neighborhood protections and tourism.
“These things should not be easy to do,” he said. “We should take deliberate action and deliberate time in order to work through these details.”
Learning from Waters
McCarter said his years working with Waters provided him with an opportunity to observe how a longtime mayor handled everything from everyday county business to crises.
Waters was the only person to previously hold the position of Sevier County mayor, McCarter said, giving the transition a unique historical significance.
“I am so thankful for the time that I got to spend with Mayor Waters because you’re able to have a front row seat to see what it’s like for someone that’s been in office for 48 years,” McCarter said.
McCarter said he learned from Waters’ successes as well as from situations he might approach differently.
He also credited Waters with helping him prepare for the transition into the office.
“He’s allowed me to learn and to be a part of this transition,” McCarter said.
A connection to Dolly Parton
McCarter also reflected on the connection many people in Sevier County have with Dolly Parton, who died shortly before Waters left office.
While Waters had a personal relationship with Parton, McCarter said his own family also had a connection to the country music legend.
McCarter recalled that his grandfather, who had served in Pigeon Forge politics, was living in a nursing home during the later stages of dementia when Parton came to visit him.
“He didn’t recognize any of us, but of all people, Dolly Parton came to see him in the nursing home, and he remembered who she was,” McCarter said.
McCarter said the moment was meaningful to his family and reflected the personal connection many people in Sevier County felt with Parton, whether they knew her personally or simply grew up benefiting from her contributions to the community.
“Everybody’s got some type of connection with Dolly,” McCarter said.
As he begins his term, McCarter said he hopes to build on the county’s past while preparing for its future.
“I’m a firm believer that this county government should be a government of, by and for the people of Sevier County,” McCarter said. “So we’re going to set that tone going forward.”
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