The Board of Aldermen consists of six members: a mayor, a mayor pro tem and four aldermen. The members of the Board of Aldermen are elected officials that serve at large and set policy for the town of Elon. They are elected in staggered terms of four years. Voting is set to take place on Nov. 2 and both early and by-mail voting will be accepted. Students, faculty and staff who are registered to vote in the town of Elon are eligible to vote in the election.
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ELON MAYOR
Emily Sharpe
Emily Sharpe currently serves on the town’s Board of Aldermen. She said she wants to work to continue connecting with members of the Elon community and let the voices of residents be heard, through holding more downtown events or town hall meetings. Sharpe additionally hopes to continue to maintain a good relationship with the university.
“I want to keep working toward improving the relationship between the town and the university, which is really at probably the best place it's ever been right now,” Sharpe said. “Even though [students] are here temporarily, you're welcome here. You are one of our neighbors, you are one of our residents, and let's find ways to make sure we maintain that.”
Michael Woods
Michael Woods previously ran for Elon’s Board of Aldermen in 2019 and said he would like to see bring more inclusiveness, economic growth and better sustainability to the town if elected as mayor. Woods said he hopes to implement more eco-friendly technologies and programs and to see the town and the university have better relations along with focusing on improving the relationship between the town police department and students of the university.
“I have a vision for Elon that includes growth, inclusiveness, green carbon footprint and the community and university working together to make this a very prosperous, stable environment,” Woods said.
Check out our exclusive interviews with the town of Elon mayoral candidates here:
ELON BOARD OF ALDERMEN
Stephanie Bourland
Bourland currently serves as the associate director of corporate and employer relations for the School of Communications at Elon University. Bourland said key issues she hopes to address in her campaign this fall include safety, affordability and inclusivity within the town. She said working at the university for the past four years has allowed her to connect with members of the Elon community, especially students.
“I see how smart the students are at Elon and what hard workers they are and how much they add to our community,” Bourland said.
Randy Orwig
Orwig has served as the senior pastor at Elon Community Church for the past 11 years. He said his position within Elon Community Church has allowed him to understand and connect with community members of the town. Orwig said a key focus of his campaign for the Board of Aldermen was addressing the affordability of water and sewage services within the town and to work to grow downtown Elon.
“There is a vision to create a downtown in Elon, a bigger, better, downtown that we've had to draw people, not just the students, but the greater community here,” Orwig said.
Check out our exclusive interview with the candidates for the town of Elon Board of Aldermen here:
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Kyra O’Connor and Ellis Chandler contributed to the reporting of this story.