2 mayors, a sheriff and other WNC leaders win NC Dogwood Awards. Who are they?

ASHEVILLE - Every year since 2017, Attorney General Josh Stein has awarded Dogwood Awards to the leaders of North Carolina who are dedicated to keeping residents safe, healthy and happy in their communities.

This year, six leaders in Western North Carolina — from Cherokee to Watauga counties — won a Dogwood Award for their service to North Carolina communities.

Two of the leaders were regional mayors who were recognized for their leadership as Western North Carolina faces a changing economy and works toward acknowledging and addressing racial injustices.

Fletcher Mayor Preston Blakely, 29, was recognized for his efforts in producing a more equitable criminal justice system, while working on the statewide group known as the Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice, or TREC.

“As both a local and statewide leader, Mayor Blakely is working to help local communities create a fairer criminal justice system,” Stein said in a news release. “His work and input on the Governor’s Task Force for Racial Equity in Criminal Justice is making a difference.”

Blakely, who is the second Black mayor of Fletcher, was elected in 2021 and joined TREC the same year. He said that the work is in collaboration with multiple agencies — including law enforcement, local leaders, legislators and social workers.

In the past few years, the task force has worked to produce policy recommendations to address "existing policies and procedures that disproportionately affect communities of color and developing solutions to ensure racial equity in North Carolina’s criminal justice system," according to the TREC website.

The policy recommendations that came out of TREC have allowed Fletcher to join other local leaders in advocating for change "on a local level."

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Blakely said the goal is to not have the work stigmatized or avoided, as it is the product of collaboration — not just a few people.

"I don't want this work to be stigmatized," Blakely said of the work on TREC. "It's a collaboration between multiple agencies."

Blakely thanked Governor Cooper for appointing him to the committee and said it was his goal to continue to do good for the Fletcher community.

"My goal is to continue to make the lives of those in Fletcher better and safer," Blakely said.

Mayor Smathers: Honor goes to 'people of Canton'

For Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, the Dogwood Award was given for his leadership before and after the closure of the Canton Paper Mill — which blew its whistle for the last time in May after running for 115 years. The closure displaced more than 1,000 workers.

During Smathers' 10-year tenure as mayor, Canton has also faced the historic flooding, wrought by Tropical Depression Fred in August 2021, bringing the loss of lives as well as local institutions and businesses.

"Long before we heard the Canton paper mill’s last whistle, Mayor Smathers has been helping his community,” Stein said in a news release. “His leadership and optimism have been invaluable for the people of Canton through difficult times.”

Smathers said he was "completely honored" to receive a Dogwood Award, but believes the award belongs to the people of Canton.

"It has been the honor of my lifetime to be leading them with them — not in front of them," Smathers said. "And to stand with these men and women, who have, again, been through so much finding a way to move forward. This is an award for them, not me."

WNC Dogwood Award winners

The full list of awards includes social workers, former teachers and legislative leaders. Western North Carolina also saw attorneys and sheriff's given the honor, along with a posthumous award for Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock of Appalachian State University, who died in October 2023.

Here is a full list of the Western North Carolinians who won Dogwood Awards:

• Ashley Hornsby Welch: District Attorney of Prosecutorial District 43

• Philip Cooper: Founder of Operation Gateway, Asheville

• Preston Blakely: Fletcher Mayor

• Lowell Griffin: Henderson County Sheriff

• Zeb Smathers: Canton Mayor

• Kenneth E. Peacock: Former Chancellor of Appalachian State University

The full list of Dogwood recipients

• Lynn Guilliams, Fuquay-Varina Middle School

• Baker Burleson, parent advocate

• Survivors of sexual assault, Accepted by Amy Feath, Carousel Child Advocacy Center

• Senator Tom McInnis

• Nidhi Sachdeva, North Carolina Association of County Commissioners

• Diannee Carden-Glenn, ekiM For Change

• District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch, Prosecutorial District 43

• Detective Tori Kennedy, Burlington Police Department

• Detective Josh Schultz, Burlington Police Department

• Jan and Ron Kimble, Jamie Kimble Foundation for Courage

• Rashida Gittens, domestic violence victor and advocate

• Catherine Johnson, Guilford Family Justice Center

• Philip Cooper, Operation Gateway

• Mayor Preston Blakely, Town of Fletcher

• Officer Robert Daughety, Jacksonville Police Department

• Officer Sarah Butler, Jacksonville Police Department

• Sheriff Lowell Griffin, Henderson County

• Sheriff Clee Atkinson, Edgecombe County

• Kara Fox, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Maria Teresa Maza, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Ryan Etheridge, Cleveland County Schools

• Kimberly Jones, Chapel Hill High School

• Mayor Zeb Smathers, Town of Canton

• Representative Kyle Hall

• Cady Thomas

• Cassandra Brooks, Medicaid Expansion advocate

• Firefighter Kevin Murphy, on behalf of the Charlotte Fire Department

• Captain Jeff Bright, on behalf of the Charlotte Fire Department

• Senator H.M. Michaux, Jr.

• Judge Shirley Fulton, North Carolina Superior Court

• Chancellor Kenneth E. Peacock, Appalachian State University

• Chancellor Harold L. Martin, Sr., North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

• Jonas Swartz, MD, MPH, Duke Health

• Ernestine Bryant, Brunswick County

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC leaders win NC Dogwood Awards for dedication, service