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MEET YOUR TOWN COUNCIL
Mayor Dale L. Isom
Dale was elected to his first four-year term as Mayor of the Town Council in November 2023 and was sworn in on December 4, 2023. He is a graduate of NC State University in Civil Engineering and was Partner of Isom Ham Design Group, PA and past President of Spectrum Hospitality Management, LLC. The Mayor will focus on water plant, Wilkes EDC, Wilkes Chamber of Commerce, member of the High Country Council of Governments, Ex-Officio of the Wilkesboro ABC Board, and member of the Regional Transportation Advisory Committee.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-838-3951 ext. 1060 Fax: 336-838-7616
Mayor Pro Tem Jimmy Hayes
Jimmy was re-elected to his fifth four-year term on the Town Council in November 2023. Jimmy is self-employed. He was assigned by the Mayor to focus on the areas of the fire department, streets, sidewalks, sanitation, recycling, finance, personnel, compensation, & employee benefits, and town equipment. 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
Town 
Councilman Claude Andrew"Andy" Soots
Andy Soots was elected to his third four-year term in November 2023. 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, alternate for the fire department, Wilkesboro Cemetery Board, Landscape and Planning Review Board, Main Street Merchants Association and Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission.
Contact Information: Wilkesboro Town Hall, 203 West Main Street, PO Box 1056, Wilkesboro, NC 28697 Tel: 336-984-7333 email
Town Councilman Russell F. Ferree
Councilman Ferree was elected to his third four-year term on the Town Council in November 2021. He was assigned by the Mayor to focus on the areas member of The Wilkes Heritage Museum Board, safety, civic center, budgeting, alternate for the water plant, utilities at municipal buildings, and Ex Officio for Wilkesboro Zoning Board of Adjustments. He has retired from his 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 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 buildings, alternate for the sewer plant, Wilkesboro Tourism Development Authority, Parks & Recreation Board, Ex Officio for Wilkesboro Planning Board, and Ex Officio for Wilkesboro Historical Preservation 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 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- Donna Rhodes
The principal responsibility for this position is to work with town council, town clerk, and other town boards with meetings, minutes, agendas, and document management. Which includes meeting and calendar coordination/setup and breakdown of meetings, data entry, correspondence, resolutions, proclamations, mailings, assigned board tasks, filing, certificates of insurance, employee appreciation, and town gatherings, etc. Donna is married to Tommy Rhodes and they have 1 child.