Government

County Government

The Graham County Courthouse, located in the center of downtown Robbinsville, houses the administrative and judicial branches of county government. The building, an imposing two-story structure of native stone, was first used in 1942.

Located inside the courthouse is the county manager's office, county jail, tax offices, register of deeds, clerk of the court, juvenile services division, magistrate's office, accounting office and veterans service office.

Almost any information needed on the past, present or future of Graham County can be found inside the impressive building on Main Street. Information regarding land transfers, births, marriages, deaths, court records, taxes, etc. are easily accessible.

Each office has a direct telephone line, all of which are found in the Government section of the yellow pages, or in the white pages under Graham.

Hours for Courthouse offices are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. All offices are closed from 12 noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.

In front of the courthouse is the local veterans memorial -- a tribute to all Graham Contains who lost their lives during war times. The names of those lost in combat are inscribed on the center piece memorial. A visit to the memorial is worth your time while in the Robbinsville area.

Graham County has a commission-manager form of government. The commission serves a four year term. A new commission will be elected in November 2006. The commission hires a manager to run the day-to-day operations of the county.

The current elected Board of Commissioners are:

V. Richard Stewart (R), Chairperson
Dirk Cody (D), Vice Chairperson
Randy Jordan (D), Commissioner

Jeff Cabe, County Manager
Commission Clerk -- Jan Millsaps

Commissioners meet the first and third Monday of each month. For time and location of meetings call the Commission Office at 828-479-7961.

The town of Robbinsville was incorporated in 1893. Robbinsville was sparsely populated, having only 102 residents in 1884 and increasing to 200 by 1915. Growth began in 1926 with the purchase of the Graham County Railway by Bemis Lumber Company.

There is considerable difference of opinion as to how the county seat, Robbinsville, got its name. One account is for Senator James L. Robinson from Macon County; another is that a Mr. Robbins from Clay County moved to Cheoah Valley and taught in the first school.

However, it is generally accepted that it was named for James L. Robinson even though there is a difference in the spelling of the town name.

The town has a mayor-council form of government. These serve four-year terms and were last elected in 2001. Council generally meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. Contact Town Hall at 828-479-3250 for additional information.

The current Mayor is  Bobby Cagle, Jr.. The Alderman are Johnny Williams, Richard Eller, and Teresa Lewis.

North Carolina State Government

North Carolina State Board of Elections

Graham County Board of Elections
Ms. Susan Farley
P.O. Box 1239
438 Rodney Orr Bypass
Robbinsville, NC 28771
Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 828-479-7969
Fax: 828-479-4264

Governor Mike Easley (Dem)
116 West Jones Street
Raleigh, NC 27603-8001
1-800-662-7952,  919-733-4240, 919-733-5811
Fax 919-733-2120, 919-715-3175

North Carolina Senate

Senator John Snow
Republican - District 50
Counties Represented:
Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood,
Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania

North Carolina House

Representative Roger West
Republican - District 120
Counties Represented:
Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Macon