Town council candidates (l to r) Rennie Brantz, Jamie Leigh and Andy Ball and mayoral candidates Loretta Clawson and John Mena respond to questions posed by students during the debate Wednesday. Photo by Jordan Paris

by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Editor

The Appalachian State University Student Government Association hosted a Town Council debate Tuesday, discussing candidates’ views of the town and university.

Moderator Jason Reagan posed questions to town council candidates Rennie Brantz, Andy Ball and Jamie Leigh and mayoral candidates Loretta Clawson and John Mena.

SGA Director of Civic Engagement Brian Harbour said other town council candidates Grant Holder, Harold Frazier, Mathew Long and Thomas Wilhite could not be contacted in time for the debate.

Topics ranged from town and university relations, affordable housing, parking and traffic and sustainability.

“I think we’re doing the best we’ve ever done with university relationships,” current mayor and candidate Clawson said. “I feel like this is the best time in the history of the town and the university and the students and I’m thrilled about it.”

Mena echoed Clawson’s feelings, saying the university and Town of Boone has actively worked over to increase communication but could improve.

“I feel like the Town of Boone and ASU relationship has grown over the past couple of years,” Mena said. “But the Town of Boone does not have an agenda and ASU does. When one person has an agenda and the other doesn’t they kind of get bullied around.”

Audience members were also allowed questions, and affordable student housing was an issue brought up several times over the course of the debate.

“It’s the responsibility of both the university and the town to make sure we have options for students,” town council candidate and Appalachian student Ball said.  “Right now the problem is most of the housing located closer to campus tends to be the most run down and tends to be the most expensive; a lot of problems lie with the landlords.”

Town council members and candidates Brantz and Leigh both agreed with Ball, saying housing should follow smart growth principles.

“I think ASU needs to take on a larger responsibility to providing housing on campus, but there are other areas,” Brantz said.

Brantz suggested expanded AppalCART routes to give off-campus students a better option of living outside the town.

Leigh said due to budget shortfalls, building more roads and parking downtown was not economically viable.

“We shouldn’t focus on roads but on alternative transportation,” Leigh said. “I think we need to make some real serious efforts for making the community more walk able and more bike able.”

Parking became a hot button issue during the debate, with many candidates holding different viewpoints.

“We have been working on parking for several years now,” Clawson said. “Every time I come to town I find a parking space. You really can find parking in downtown Boone. What if we didn’t have a parking problem? That means we don’t have anything.”

Mayoral candidate Mena disagreed, saying parking downtown had been poor since he had first come to Boone over 20 years ago.

We’ve pent thousands hiring consultants to come tell us we don’t have parking,” Mena said. “We can alleviate some of the problems by putting a parking deck downtown and enact 7 days a week ticketing.”

Photo by Jordan Paris  |  The Appalachian

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