By Jesse Wood
Current Mayor Pro-Tem Rennie Brantz will be the new mayor, according to unofficial results in the 2015 municipal elections held on Tuesday, and Councilwomen Loretta Clawson and Lynne Mason retained their seats.
Brantz, who has served on the Boone Town Council for about 10 years and is a professor of history at Appalachian State University, thumped his conservative opponent, Ryan Hollingsworth.
Unlike Brantz, this was Hollingsworth’s first foray in local elections. Hollingsworth is a 23-year-old student at Appalachian State University, who judging from his responses during the Boone Area Chamber’s candidate forum in October wasn’t prepared to run for office.
Brantz won with 81 percent of the vote. See unofficial totals below.
Boone Mayor (1 unexpired term)
- Rennie Brantz – 873 votes (81 percent)
- Ryan Hollingsworth – 196 votes (18 percent)
- Write-in – 8 votes (1 percent)
After the new council and mayor are sworn in the makeup of the Boone Town Council will have some new faces yet will remain liberal. Interim Councilwoman Loretta Clawson, who served on the council and as mayor for 16 consecutive years before retiring in 2013, was the top votegetter with 644 votes.
Incumbent Lynne Mason also had a strong showing with 612 votes. Mason and Clawson will serve four-year terms.
Charlotte Mizelle beat out Jeannine Underdown Collins and David Welsh for the third seat. Jennifer Teague ran unopposed for the unexpired term of resigning Councilwoman Jennifer Pena’s seat and captured 98 percent of the vote.
Boone Town Council (3 seats)
- Loretta Clawson (I) – 644 votes (23 percent)
- Lynne Mason (I) – 612 (22 %)
- Charlotte Mizelle – 561 (20 %)
- Jeannine Underdown Collins – 491 (18 %)
- David Welsh – 453 (16 %)
- Write-in – 23 (1 %)
Boone Town Council (1 unexpired term)
- Jennifer Teague – 849 votes (98 percent)
- Write-in – 21 votes (2 %)
*Boone has 61 provisional ballots that need to be counted during canvass.
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