By Jesse Wood
Candidate filing is over and nearly three dozen people have filed their candidacy for the 2017 municipal elections in Avery County, according to the local board of elections office.
Filing opened on July 7 and closed on July 21.
Contested races are Beech Mountain Town Council, Elk Park Town Council, Newland Town Council and Seven Devils Town Council. Uncontested races are Banner Elk Town Council, Grandfather Village Council and Sugar Mountain Council and all the mayoral races.
In Crossnore, only two candidates filed for the three open alderman seats. Avery County Board of Elections Director Sheila Ollis said that the elections board will soon decide whether to extend the filing for this race by 5 days or utilize the write-in option.
The following is the candidate filings as of closing last Friday at noon:
Banner Elk Town Council (2 seats open)
- Michael P. Dunn (I)
- Robert Edgar Tufts (I)
Beech Mountain Town Council: (3 seats open)
- J. Weidner Abernethy
- Barry Kaufman
- E. Rick Miller (I)
- Paul Piquet (I)
- Carl Marquardt
Crossnore Mayor
- Tudor Vance (I)
Crossnore Alderman (3 seats open)
- Jesse Smith (I)
- Dan Vance (I)
Elk Park Mayor
- John Boone (I)
Elk Park Town Council (5 seats open)
- Brad Benfield
- Daniel Boone (I)
- Tony Eller (I)
- Tommy Norman (I)
- Michael E. Smith (I)
- Joel Whitley (I)
Grandfather Village Mayor
- Bob Donovan (I)
Grandfather Village Town Council (2 seats open)
- David G. Jones (I)
- Andre Tennille (I)
Newland Mayor
- Valerie Calloway Jaynes (I)
Newland Town Council (3 seats open)
- David P. Calvert (I)
- Jamey Johnson
- Erica McKinney (I)
- Roxanna Roberson (I)
- Greg Seiz
- Lauren Jaynes Turbyfill
- Joleta Wise
Seven Devils Town Council (3 seats open)
- Brad Lambert (I)
- Kay Ehlinger (I)
- Bob Dodson
- Tina Bailey
- Barrie Winn
Sugar Mountain Council: (2 seats open)
- David P. Ammann (I)
- Scott J. Brown (I)
The election is in November.
For more information, click to the Avery County Board of Elections website or call 828-733-8282.