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by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Editor
Boone residents voted town council candidates Rennie Brantz, Jamie Leigh and Andy Ball into office.
Leigh received the largest portion of votes at 937, or 23.87 percent. Brantz followed at 884, or 22.52 percent of votes and Ball trailed at 828, or 21.09 percent.
“I’m thrilled,” Leigh said. “I worked very hard, talked to a lot of people and knocked on a lot of doors.”
Leigh said she has many challenges such as town growth, which she wishes to address throughout her term.
“I ran on my financial background and fiscal responsibility and I intend to follow through on that,” she said.
Brantz
stated he is looking forward to his four-year term and wishes to
continue working on historical preservation, environmental issues and
town accessibility, such as increased biking and walking trails.
 Andy Ball embraces his girlfriend Ashley Oliver after receiving one of the town council seats Tuesday night. Photo by Holt Menzies
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“I think we’ve got a great team to work on all the issues we’ll deal with,” Brantz said.
Ball, who is an Appalachian student, is the second student ever to be elected to town council.
“It’s
great for ASU students because it shows them how much trust Boone
voters and Watauga voters have for students,” Ball said. “It speaks
volumes about [relations] and I’m excited about that.”
Ball said it has been 20 years since an Appalachian student served on town council, and he is up to the challenge.
“I’ve
shown a versatility in my campaign and our biggest challenge we’ll face
is managing growth from the university,” Ball said. “We also need to
look at affordable housing and issues related to access like cross
walks and bike lanes.”
Photo by Holt Menzies | Chief Photographer
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