Caroline Marie Renfro

Caroline Marie Renfro is the Democratic candidate for Ashe County Commissioner in the November 3, 2026 general election [10]. A native of Charlotte, she has lived in Ashe County for roughly five years but has known the area for more than two decades because her parents, Diana and Traylor Renfro, reside there [7].

Renfro became deeply involved in local affairs after Hurricane Helene struck the region in 2024. She served on the Board of Directors for the Ashe Chamber of Commerce and was Past Chair/CEO of Lost Province Arts, leading the organization’s relief response on the Lost Province campus. Those efforts earned a Dogwood Award from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office and an Ashe County Volunteer Initiative Business of the Year Award from the County Board of Commissioners [7].

In addition to her disaster‑relief work, Renfro has a 20‑year career in film, television, and radio. After moving to Ashe, she entered the music industry as business manager for the internationally‑known bluegrass group the Kruger Brothers and opened a recording studio, Buddy Holler, in Lansing in the summer of 2025 [7]. She also produced a documentary in September 2024 about Ann Rose’s solo kayaking journey from Little Horse Creek to the Gulf of Mexico, a project that placed her in New Orleans as Hurricane Helene approached the coast [7].

Renfro’s community leadership extends to nonprofit fundraising. She organized a GoFundMe campaign to keep the Lost Province Center for Cultural Arts (LPCCA) operating after the floods, coordinating donation drives, a generator‑lending library, and temporary shelter services for residents affected by the storm [11].

Running for County Commissioner, Renfro says she wants to create opportunities, eliminate barriers to access, and lead with empathy, emphasizing that leaders must listen to residents to understand their needs [7]. Her blend of creative problem‑solving, arts‑industry experience, and hands‑on disaster‑relief work forms the basis of her platform for Ashe County.

Sources

• [7] Caroline Renfro, candidate for Ashe County Commissioner, addresses Democratic Women of Ashe | News | ashepostandtimes.com
• [10] Local Candidates - Ashe County
• [11] Fundraiser by Caroline Renfro : Keep LPCCA Running for Lansing's Recovery