Boone Election Results: Runoff likely
It ain't over until the provisional ballots sing.
Unless provisional ballots change the current formula, it looks like one incumbent may not return to the Boone Town Council. Unofficial results of the municipal election show incumbents Lynne Mason and Dempsey Wilcox retaining their seats as well as Mayor Loretta Clawson. Challenger Stephen Phillips has apparently unseated incumbent Bunk Spann in a record-setting turnout (see unofficial results below).
But hold the phone. Spann and newcomer Liz Aycock may still have a chance.
Watauga County elections director Jane Hodges said some provisional votes have been cast but it's likely that the fourth- and-fifth-place candidates can call for a runoff against the second- and third-place finishers. Hodges said until the provisionals are counted, it's difficult to tell who will be eligible for a runoff. Since the race is so close, a runoff for council is probable. The number of provisional ballots cast will not be known until Wednesday morning, and those provisionals could change who might face a runoff.
With the current numbers, Stephen Phillips would appear to have won a four-year term. 
"I'm honored by the high turnout and the people coming in and demonstrating their support," Phillips said. "I'm looking forward to working with the entire board. Out at the precincts, people of opposite ends of the spectrum were getting along and showing lots of humor."
Phillips attributed the heavily debated issues, publicity, a large and diverse slate of candidates and hard-working campaigns as reasons for the high turnout.
Both Liz Aycock and Bunk Spann might be eligible to call for a runoff, and both said they would have to see the provisional votes before deciding whether to call for a runoff. However, both said they wanted some perspective on the results before they made any decision.
Aycock finished 13 votes behind third-place candidate Wilcox, while Spann finished 17 votes behind. A record total of 2,177 people voted, depending on the number of provisional ballots certified by the Board of Elections. The canvas is scheduled for next Tuesday at 11 a.m. While the number of provisional ballots will be known tomorrow, the official candidate results won't be known until next week. If eligible, the candidates will have a week after that to call for a runoff.
"It was a very hard-fought campaign. It reflects how split the town is over some of these issues," Wilcox said.
During a post-election celebration at Mountain House Restaurant, Boone Town Council member and apparent re-election winner Dempsey Wilcox holds up two fingers signifying two candidates backed by Citizen for Change won seats on the council (Wilcox and Stephen Phillips). Photo by Mark Mitchell
He added that it was a mix of publicity and interest in the issues that led to the record turnout and that he thought the council would be able to work together even after the hotly contested race.
"I'm honored to be re-elected. We've maintained a progressive council," Mason said.
"It's been a long, intense campaign and I don't want to think about a runoff right now. That will be decided by other candidates."
Phillips and Wilcox have been backed by political action committee Citizens for Change, which has mounted an aggressive public-relations campaign. Spann, Mason and Aycock have been linked by many as a slate in opposition to the PAC. As results now stand, CFC would gain one member on council with Phillips, a change that will likely affect hotly debated issues like steep-slope development and view-shed regulation as well as water-supply questions and planning within the town's extra-territorial jurisdiction.
"We already have two progressives on the board, so depending on how the provisionals turn out, we will still have a progressive board," Clawson said. "I feel very comfortable working with anybody. All the candidates have been nice to me."
All results are unofficial until final canvassing on Tuesday. Click here to add your comment.
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
All precincts plus absentees:
Mayor
Clawson 1,222
Wilson 925
Town Council
Aycock 1,015
Blocker 226
Dodson 858
Freeman 51
Mason 1,038
Phillips 1,062
Spann 1,011
Taylor 32
Wilcox 1,028
Foggy Mountain fall-down
Early morning fog is said to be the cause of the tractor-trailer accident at the intersection of U.S. 321 and Bethel Road Tuesday morning. The driver, Mike Nance of Concord, was a part of a 10-truck convoy carrying bridge beams. The destination was the construction site at the intersection of Mountain Dale and Beaver Dam Road. Nance said the fog made the turn difficult to see, and the rear of the trailer slipped off the road. The bridge beam weighs 40,000 pounds, with the trailer at 25,000 pounds. The weight pulled the rear of the truck off the road, but due to a slow speed the tractor stayed on the road. There were no injuries in the accident. Nance was not cited by the N.C. Highway Patrol. The accident caused some traffic congestion, as it closed one lane of Bethel Road. Beaver Dam volunteer fire department were on scene to direct traffic for a few hours. A crane was used to pull the truck back onto the road. Photo by Melanie Davis |
View-shed lawsuit slopes away, for now
A civil suit challenging two Boone ordinances has been withdrawn, but it will likely be re-filed within the next year. Read more.
Subdivision helps clear the air with fire department gift
The Deep Gap volunteer fire department received a “thank you” from their community on Oct. 1. Representatives of the Ridge Crest on the Parkway subdivision were on hand to present a new piece of equipment. An air-quality monitor was purchased by funds raised within the subdivision.
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Troopers vow to shine legal light on unlawfully tinted windshields
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Realtors will give away land trusts memberships
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Watauga shows low jobless rate
Watauga County recorded the state’s fourth-lowest unemployment rate in August, following suit with 97 other counties in North Carolina. Read more.
October 8, 2007
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Hometown royalty
It was homecomings all around the area, as Appalachian State University and Watauga High School celebrated the annual event. Parades by each ushered in the weekend, along with homecoming games and homecoming courts. Top photo, Whitney Baker and Forrest Gilliam were crowned ASU’s homecoming king and queen 2007 during halftime at the ASU and Gardner Webb football game on Saturday. Above, Gloria Coffey and Zeb Sanders were crowned WHS homecoming king and queen Friday night when the Pioneers took on McDowell High School. Photos by Marie Freeman |
Boone voters go to the polls Tuesday
Jane Hodges is pleased. As director of the Watauga County Board of Elections, Hodges was happy to announce that, as of Monday morning, 1,087 Boone residents had voted early – more than three times the number from the 2005 municipal election. Read more.
Updated — Globe project:
Scaled down proposal includes 17 partial harvests
A year ago there was a new twist in the Globe project saga nearly every week. After the U.S. Forest Service first announced its proposal in August 2006 to cut timber in the northernmost reaches of the Pisgah National Forest, it seemed everybody had an opinion on it. Read more.
Arrests made in robbery on campus
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Candidates address the growing population
As questions began to dwindle, answers began to grow. Candidates for the Boone municipal election fielded questions on a growing population at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Meet the Candidates” forum Sept. 13. Read more.
A closer look at candidates for town council and mayor’s seat
Loretta Clawson, Mayor — Hailing from the Old Beech Mountain community, Loretta Clawson has lived in Boone for 41 years. Clawson has served as a Boone Town Council member for eight years, as mayor pro tem for six years, and as mayor for two years. Read more.
Candidates state their platforms
Though it’s difficult to summarize months of campaigning in a mere few minutes, candidates of the Boone municipal election tried their best at the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Meet the Candidates” forum Sept. 13. Read more.
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