Timothy Radford

Timothy "Tim" Radford is the incumbent mayor of Murphy, North Carolina, first elected in November 2021. A lifelong resident of Cherokee County, aside from his college years, he graduated from Murphy High School in 1991 and studied Radio/TV/Motion Pictures at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At age 22, Radford purchased WKRK, the local radio station where he had worked in high school, and has been its owner since 1995. He is active in community service, serving on several boards including the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism & Community Service and the Southwestern Commission Council of Governments. In 2019, he was named the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce's "Citizen of the Year." Radford views the mayoral position as one of community service rather than a political role.