Lifelong Glen Alpine resident Kevin Herron prepares to lead the town

Growing up in Glen Alpine, Kevin Herron remembers riding around town with his uncle J.C., occasionally taking a trip down to Riverside Fish Camp, and attending school in town until his last three years, which he spent at Freedom High School.

Now, he will be stepping into his role as the face of Glen Alpine as the newly elected mayor. Having lived in the town for 63 years, Herron is well acquainted with its history as well as the challenges it faces today.

“Glen Alpine’s always been special,” Herron said. “I knew once I bought my grandpa’s house out there on Lail Road, I would never really go anywhere else.”

Spending time with uncle J.C. taught Herron a lot about being genuine. “People know J.C. because, well, he helped a lot of people … J.C. had a way of talking that some people didn’t like but the thing was, he would give you his shirt off his back.”

Herron previously worked for the City of Morganton as a building inspector and then retired from Burke County Public Schools after working 12 years as the maintenance director. Now, Herron’s son owns Herron Heating & Cooling, where he helps out part time. But his days working for local government taught him a lot about how a board is supposed to function in coordination with town staff.

His main priority is improving efficiency among the board by getting members to bring issues to him first so that he can do the legwork needed before the item appears on the agenda at a meeting. He also said he wants to make sure board members and department heads know that some actions have to wait until there’s board approval.

“You just can’t go out on a limb and make your own decision without the other four people,” Herron said.

Herron also understands the perspective of being a board member as he was an alderman for four years, before stepping down to take care of his father before his passing. He has been active as a member of the town’s planning board for 12. While he said he understands how Glen Alpine has been shortchanged by previous decisions, he said it’s time to move forward.

Years ago, Herron said if the board would have had foresight, they could have extended the town to Carbon City, so that major plants and businesses would be part of the tax base. Some residents on Lail Road, he said, were also promised sewer when the road was annexed, but didn’t get it.

“I just feel like instead of writing on these group chats about how we were short changed, well it ain’t this board’s fault. It’s more or less let’s see what we can do to fix it,” Herron said. “Don’t sit there and gripe. I just feel like they just need to address each issue and just try to be smart with it.”

Herron said he plans to serve in a managerial role as the town’s mayor by having department heads come to him with reports, questions, or concerns. He said this is not because he needs to know everything that town employees are doing, but so that employees can also be protected through another line of communication.

When it comes to the Glen Alpine Park, Herron was one of the original board members that pursued buying the property. He said he’s glad to see it come to fruition, but that there’s still more work to be done with a new fence and adding some blacktop as well as a play area.

When it comes to transparency, Herron said he encourages people to email him directly with concerns that they may have. He said he would be in favor of having livestreamed meetings, but it’s a matter of getting the technology set up to accommodate that.

“If you’ve got any concerns, you might not like my answer, but I’m going to give you an answer,” Herron said.

He added that his father Dale Herron worked for the City of Morganton for 42 years with the electrical department and took his role seriously. “I take everything I do seriously,” Herron said.