George W. Bush lawyer in presidential vote dispute selling NC mountain retreat for $15M

The lawyer for George W. Bush in the disputed Florida ballot recount during the 2000 presidential election is selling his longtime North Carolina mountain retreat for $15 million.

William Scherer Jr. led Bush’s team of attorneys during litigation over the Florida recount and “personally represented” Bush in the Broward County recount, according to his bio on the website of his Fort Lauderdale law firm, Conrad & Scherer.

The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately intervened in the dispute that involved a part of punch-card ballots known as “hanging chads.” The court ruled 7-2 to end a Florida court’s ordered recount, prompting Democratic presidential nominee Al Gore to concede the election to Bush.

Lawyer’s estate was a “labor of love”

Scherer and his wife, Anne’s 149-acre North Carolina mountain estate includes creeks, a waterfall and 40 acres of grasslands and pasture.

Their Ridges of Steel Creek estate is perched 3,600 feet high, 11 miles from Brevard.

The estate includes a furnished, post-and-beam cabin with Adirondack rough cut siding, pine floors, modern appliances and a fireplace.

“But the real magic lies in the surrounding land,” and mountain views “as far as the eye can see,” according to its listing by Realtor Billy Harris of Allen Tate/Beverly-Hanks Brevard South.

The estate “has been a labor of love for 23 years” for the couple, Harris said in an interview with The Charlotte Observer on Friday.

Harris said the owners prefer to remain private. A review of Transylvania County public tax records by the Observer revealed the Scherers own the estate.

The Scherers started with 78 acres and kept adding land and amenities over the years, Harris said. They built successful real estate and legal careers in Florida, fields in which they still work, he said.

Their children are grown and are likewise successful, but they don’t intend to move to the estate, Harris said, explaining part of why the owners are selling.

The owners built two and a half miles of paved roads, which start at an elevation of 3,000 feet, Harris said.

Besides the expansive mountain views, “it’s the roads, the amenities, the equestrian barn, split rail fencing and bridges over creeks,” Harris said of what also makes the property appealing.

“Today, you would not be able to buy another such property with these mountain views,” Harris said.

The home on the property is actually a guest house-type cabin, Harris said. Two lots on the property are available for homes, he said.

The estate includes a horse barn, sheds and a 5,500-square-foot workshop with a kitchen, bathroom and laundry area.

The property borders Rich Mountain Conservancy near DuPont State Recreational Forest and Headwaters State Park .

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