As the hype for Halloween comes to a climax and its inevitable close, another season begins to emerge, a season that one could claim is just as spooky- election season! With a tense race for the presidency already underway for next year, voting seasons such as this one are often overlooked in anticipation of larger elections. While large-scale elections might feel like they carry more weight- they’re undoubtedly more flashy and get the most news coverage- our Weddington town council election is approaching fast, and elections like these are where Weddington voices and votes have the largest impact.

In Weddington, the governing body is the town council, which consists of a mayor and four district representatives (for a map of Weddington’s district boundaries, go here). The members of the council are elected for four-year terms, while the mayor is elected for two-year terms. This year, the mayoral seats and representative positions for districts 2 and 4 are up for election. Elizabeth Callis currently holds the mayoral seat, having been elected mayor for the first time in 2017; she is running again for the position this year. She’ll be opposed by Walter Hogan. Both of these candidates are conservative. 

For district two, Scott Buzzard (conservative) is running for reelection, and will be opposed by Anne Pruitt. Information on Buzzard can be found at his Twitter page, @votebuzzard. Pruitt’s platform, which is largely centered on avoiding sprawl development, can be found at her website. For district four, Janice Propst (who is also mayor pro tem.) is up for reelection- you can find her on Facebook and Linkedin. She is opposed by Gerry Hartman, who has experience on the Weddington planning board, a recommending body for the town council composed of volunteers that discuss plans for land use and development. Hartman’s political page can be found on Facebook. 

The general election date is November 5th, so in between trick-or-treating and carving the turkey this year, make sure to pay a visit to your nearest voting station! If you aren’t old enough to vote but still wish to impact your community, the town council meets the second Monday of every month starting at 7:00 P.M.