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Boone inches closer to local election |
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Tuesday, 17 July 2007 |
by CLAIR BAXTER
Editor-in-Chief
As Watauga County approaches the final few days of filing for the upcoming municipal elections, Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson stands unopposed for reelection.
“In the last two years we (Boone Town Council) have accomplished a lot and we can do more,” Clawson said. “I can still move the council forward, and I feel like we are moving in a good direction.”
Filing for the election opened Friday with Clawson first in line.
Available seats on the ballot include three spots for town council and
one for mayor.
The council seats available include those of Dempsey Wilcox, Bunk Spann
and mayor pro tem Lynne Mason. Both Mason and Spann filed Friday in an
attempt for reelection.
As of press time Dempsey had not filed.
I am “very excited” Spann and Mason are running again, Clawson said.
“They have been very good (members of the council) and have done an
excellent job.”
Spann just completed his first year on the council while Mason wrapped up her second.
Other contenders for the council seats include Liz Aycock, who filed on
Friday, along with Jeremy Blocker and Steven Philips, who both filed
Monday afternoon.
The winners of the council seats will join current members Rennie
Brantz and Janet Peppin whose positions do not expire until 2009.
“I just think that it’s going to be a good election, it will be
interesting because we have a lot of issues going on,” Clawson said.
Some of the issues Clawson plans to address during the campaign period
include the protection and preservation of the town’s R-1
neighborhoods, the prevention of steep slope development, the promotion
of small local businesses, the continued expansion of the greenways and
parks and the promotion of the new high school, according to her filing
statement.
When asked about the possibility of running unopposed Clawson said she
believed there would probably be someone else filing for mayor.
“I can’t imagine no one else will,” she said. “It would be fun to run
unopposed- it would be great” but I wouldn’t mind an opponent either,
“I just love the campaign season.”
Clawson not only looked forward to the beginning of her campaign but
also to continuing to work with local residents and Appalachian State
University students.
“I think I’ve always worked well with students...students especially
like the environmental issues and I have worked very hard on that. I am
very excited about working with them again.”
Filing closes Friday, at noon, and the election is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 9.
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