New PAC will back four candidates
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

As the Boone municipal election approaches, a political action committee has set its sights on the Boone Town Council.

With three council seats and the office of mayor up for election, the PAC, known as Citizens for Change, has endorsed four candidates for those positions — Tim Wilson for mayor and Stephen Phillips, Ethan Dodson and incumbent Dempsey Wilcox for council.

“We are supporting these candidates because we feel they’re best suited to help lead this community,” said Jeff Templeton, custodian of the books for Citizens for Change.

The non-partisan organization, formed out of discontent with the recently adopted steep slope and view-shed regulations, has met since late January and has approximately 100 members to its name, including treasurer Reba Moretz, Templeton and former Watauga County commissioner David Blust.

“This group has grown out of the discontent with the recent view-shed debacle and the fact that leadership in the community passed ordinances in the face of overwhelming opposition,” said Templeton, who chaired the anti-steep slope regulation group, Committee for Responsible Environmental Regulation.

“As a group, we’re seeking to elect new leadership that will plan for Boone’s growth, rather than trying to limit it.”

Though some of the committee’s members are Republicans, Moretz, a registered Democrat, stressed that the organization is not about partisanship.

“This group is about honesty and integrity in town government,” she said. “I think it’s important to have candidates that have roots in this community, that have grown up here and really have an understanding of the needs and the importance of the university in this community. A lot of this boils down to the understanding of what the university needs.”

Moretz is a former member of the Appalachian State University Board of Trustees, having retired from her seat in June.

In the PAC’s search for candidates, five were interviewed at a July 24 meeting — the four mentioned above, as well as Jeremy Blocker, a local probation officer.

“As a group, we voted on the candidates the group felt were best suited for the position,” Templeton said. “We didn’t interview those that we felt weren’t in line with our philosophy for the future of Boone.”

Those not invited include Liz Aycock and incumbents Lynne Mason, Bunk Spann and Mayor Loretta Clawson. Templeton said candidate Kevin Freeman, an employee of the Boone Saloon, did not wish to participate, while the group was unsuccessful in contacting the remaining candidate, Rob Taylor.

Freeman has refused to return multiple phone calls, and neither he or Taylor has answered letters of inquiry. Both neglected to offer their phone numbers to the Board of Elections upon filing, and neither has issued a statement.

Templeton said the group has not yet contributed financially to any candidate’s campaign but has simply endorsed four. He said Citizens for Change endorsed Wilcox because, “[He] has the experience of serving on the town council as a long-time resident and is familiar with the issues that face the community.”

Wilcox, an accountant, was also the sole town council member to vote against the steep slope and view-shed regulations.

“They asked me to come to their meeting, I did; they asked me my stance on the issues, I did; and they decided to endorse me,” Wilcox said. “They did not tell me what their stance was, and they have not given me a cent.”

Phillips, who manages student rental housing and is a member of the Boone Area Planning Commission, was endorsed due to his membership on that board, Templeton said, as well as his understanding of the challenges Boone faces with its Unified Development Ordinance and issues of growth.

Phillips said he was asked about his opinions on steep slope development and town water.

“As far as I know, they liked what I had to say, but other than that I haven’t had much contact with them,” he said. “As far as a formal acceptance of their endorsement, I haven’t given one — I don’t even know if there is such a thing.”

Phillips also voted against the adoption of steep slope and view-shed regulations.

Ethan Dodson, a second-year graduate student at ASU, was honored by the PAC’s endorsement. “I think their causes and the nature of what they stand for is questionable to some people, but certainly not to me,” he said. “They’re the only group that invited me to speak, so I was very grateful.”

Templeton said Dodson was endorsed because he grew up in the community, attended Watauga High School and Appalachian State University, and “understands the importance of the relationship between Boone and the university.”

Dodson said he was asked similar questions, including some about town and university relations. Before filing, Dodson said he received phone calls from several group members, who encouraged him to do so and invited him to a meeting.

“It’d mean the world to have their public support,” he said. “The beliefs we have in common don’t fall in line exactly, and I do think we have differences ... but I think they found enough to support me.”

Templeton said Wilson was endorsed due to his status as a lifelong resident and community member. “He understands the vital role that Boone plays in the relationship with the university and local business,” Templeton said. “We’d like to see a mayor who leads the community rather than looking for the next photo opp.”

Wilson, a farmer and son of former N.C. Rep. Gene Wilson, said he hadn’t received any official notice or anything in writing, regarding the endorsement. “I just answered their questions and they made their minds up,” he said.

Moretz said the group is seeking town leaders “who will be up-front about our problems, who will really tell us the facts.”

For more information about Citizens for Change, call Templeton at (828) 264-8800.