Deadline to file papers for November city election is Aug. 16 at noon

By Ashley Rader

With a little over a month remaining until the deadline, individuals interested in running for a seat on the Elizabethton City Council, the Elizabethton Board of Education or the Watauga Board of Commissioners in the November municipal election still have time to file the necessary papers.

The deadline to file qualifying papers for the November election is Thursday, Aug. 16 at noon. For individuals who may be interested in running for a seat on one of the elected bodies, qualifications for a city government position are the candidate must be a registered voter and live in the city for at least one year. School board candidates must also have at least a high school diploma or an equivalent.

In the City of Elizabethton, three seats on the City Council and three seats on the Board of Education will be up for re-election.

On the City Council, the seats held by Mayor Curt Alexander, Charles LaPorte and Richard Sammons will be open and on the Board of Education, the seats held by Chairman Matt Cooter, Rita Booher and Kim Birchfield will be the focus of the election. In the city of Watauga, three seats on the Board of Commissioners will be up for re-election.

Individuals who have returned qualifying papers for the election are: Curt Alexander, Elizabethton City Council; Bob Cable, Elizabethton City Council; Claudia Lane, Elizabethton City Council; Vicky Manuel, Elizabethton City Council; Jeff Treadway, Elizabethton City Council and Rick Walters, Elizabethton City Council. No one has turned in qualifying papers for the Elizabethton Board of Education or the Watauga Commission.

Other positions up for election on the November ballot are state representative, for which Kent Williams is up for reelection and city judge, for which T.J. Little is up for reelection.

Also listed on the ballot is a package store referendum for Elizabethton. Administrator of Elections Tracy Harris noted that there had not been enough signatures collected on the petition to have that officially placed on the November ballot but they did have until the Aug. 16 deadline to collect more signatures.

Early voting will be held from Oct. 17 to Nov.1 and the last day to register to vote to be able to participate in the election is Oct. 9.