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MEET YOUR TOWN COUNCIL
Mayor Mike Inscore
Mayor Inscore was re-elected for his fourth four-year term as Mayor in December 2019. Prior to being elected as Mayor, he served 10 years as a Council Member. Mike was first elected to the Wilkesboro Town Council in 1997 and was re-elected to the Town Council in 1999 and 2003. Wilkesboro's Town Council involvement includes water plant, Ex Officio Wilkesboro Planning Board, Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, Wilkes Heritage Museum Board of Directors, member of High Country Council of Governments, and Regional Transportation Advisory Committee. Mayor Inscore received the following distinguished awards: 2000-2001 Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service, 2008-2009 Outstanding Elected Official in the NC High Country Council of Government, and 2014-2015 Outstanding High Country RPO Rural Transportation Advisory Board. He is a member of the Wilkesboro United Methodist Church, chair of the church Administrative Committee, and member of the Ecclesia Sunday School Class. He was employed with Lowe's Home Improvement Warehouses at the Corporate Offices for 24 years before retiring.
Contact Information: 1626 Skyland Drive, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Home: 336-838-8786 Town Hall: 336-838-3951 ext. 1060 email
Mayor Pro Tem Russell F. Ferree
Councilman Ferree was elected to his third four-year term on the Town Council in December 2021. He was assigned by the Mayor to focus on the areas budgeting, safety, civic center, utilities at municipal buildings, co-chair for water plant, Ex Officio for Wilkesboro Zoning Board of Adjustments, and Member of Wilkes EDC. He has a real estate law practice in Historic downtown Wilkesboro. He is married to his wife Teri and they have a daughter and a son.
Contact Information: Office: 105 W. Main Street, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Law Office: 336-838-0024 OR Town Hall: 336-838-3951 email
Town Councilwoman Nellie Archibald
Nellie Hubbard Archibald was elected to her third four-year term in November 2021. She was elected to the Wilkesboro council in 2009 where she served as mayor pro tem but did not seek re-election. Nellie was assigned by the Mayor to focus on areas of the fire department, buildings, parks & recreation, co-chair for the sewer plant, Ex Officio for Wilkesboro Historic Preservation Commission, Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority, and Blue Ridge Opportunities Commission.
Archibald is a member of the First United Methodist Church of North Wilkesboro. She is on the Board of Directors of the NCLM representing the 10th district and on the Board of Directors of the Wilkes YMCA. She is married to Jim Archibald and they have a daughter and a son.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 231 Fax: 336-838-7616 email
Town Councilman Jimmy Hayes
Jimmy was re-elected to his fourth four-year term on the Town Council in December 2019. Jimmy is self-employed. He was assigned by the Mayor to focus on the areas of the finance, personnel, compensation, & benefits, town equipment, streets, sidewalks, sanitation, recycling, Wilkesboro ABC Board. Jimmy enjoys working on classic cars when he is not spending time with his wife Brenda, their 3 children and 7 grandchildren.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 Fax: 336-838-7616
Councilman Claude Andrew"Andy" Soots
Andy Soots was elected to his second four-year term in November 2019. He was first elected to the Wilkesboro Town Council in November 2013 to a four-year term. He is a retired Wilkesboro Fireman with 28 years of service and is self-employed. Andy was assigned by the Mayor to focus on areas of police department, sewer plant, street lighting, co-chair of fire department, Wilkesboro Cemetery Board, Landscape and Planning Review Board, and Main Street Merchants Association.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-984-7333 email
Town Attorney John S. Willardson
John S. Willardson became the Town's Attorney in 2014 after the late William "Bill Gray." He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he completed a double major in Spanish and Political Science. Following undergraduate school, he served six years in the US Army Reserve. Following law school at UNC-CH, he served as a research assistant to a judge at the North Carolina Court of Appeals in Raleigh before moving to Wilkes County. John is peer review rated "A-V" by Martindale Hubbell and has been repeatedly honored as one of North Carolina's Super Lawyers. John serves on many professional boards including the NC State Bar Council, the Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism, the NC Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Council and Committee for the Independence of the Judiciary. John has served on many local organization's boards including the Wilkes Family YMCA, the North Wilkesboro Kiwanis Club, Wilkes ADAP, Hospice, the Wilkes Art Gallery, Wilkes Babe Ruth League baseball, and Wilkes Flying Club. In 2010, he was chosen by the YMCA of Northwest North Carolina to receive its highest honor-- the Red Triangle Award--for his many years of leadership and volunteer service to the Wilkes Family YMCA. John and his wife, Ann, met while students at UNC, live in Wilkesboro, are members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and they have one son.
Contact Information: 206 East Main Street, Wilkesboro, NC 28697. Tel: 336-838-5129 email website
Town Manager Ken Noland
Ken has served as the Town Manager since 1999. Ken is a graduate of the Appalachian State University where he received a Bachelor of Science and continued his education, where he received his Master of Public Administration from the UNC-Chapel Hill. Ken serves at the appointment of the Town Council and acting as Administrative Head of the Town. Ken and Mary Jane have two daughters. One of which is following in Ken's footsteps at Appalachian State University.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 1050 Fax: 336-838-7616 email
Town Clerk James K. Byrd
Jim has served as Town Clerk since December 2010 and Tax Collector since being hired by the Town in December 2003. Jim received an Associate in Commerce degree from Henry Ford Community College and continued his education at Eastern Michigan University before graduating from Lenoir-Rhyne College with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration. Jim received his Certified Tax Collector status through the School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill in 2006. Jim completed the International Institute of Municipal Clerks course in 2011 at UNC School of Government. With further education, he has achieved his Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC) certification in 2011 and Master Municipal Clerk (MMC) in 2016. In 2014 Jim received the designation of becoming a North Carolina Certified Municipal Clerk (NCCMC). He and his wife Paula have two grown sons. He has been a member of Elkin Valley Baptist Church for a number of years and serves on many committees.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext 1002 Fax: 336-838-7616 email