With municipal elections just two and half weeks away, the political races in the Town of Danbury are heating up. The mayoral race, often an uncontested one in the past, has two competitors this go-round to make things interesting for the town’s fewer than 100 residents. Meanwhile, three candidates are vying for the two available seats on the Danbury Town Council.

The current Danbury mayor, Jane Priddy Charleville, is running for re-election for her third consecutive term. Her challenger this election cycle is Janet Whitt. The two seats vacated by longtime councilwoman Carolyn Manuel and Michael Barsness are also up for grabs. Olivia Shelton, Rebecca Sullivan and John Turpin are competing to see who will fill those vacancies.

The polls will open at the Danbury Volunteer Fire Department at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3. They will close at 7:30 p.m. The deadline to register to vote in this election was Friday, October 9.

MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR MAYOR

Jane Priddy Charleville

Mayor Charleville is passionate about her hometown of Danbury and hopes to serve it once more. “I have proudly served as mayor of Danbury for almost 10 years,” she states. “I decided to run again because I love and care for this town.”

Jane graduated from North Stokes High School and then from Appalachian State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business concentrating in Marketing. She and Lee, her husband of 22 years, moved back to Danbury 18 years ago and now have three children. Jane is the third generation of Priddys to operate and manage Priddy’s General Store in Danbury.

Jane’s political experience dates back to 1991 when she was a charter member of the newly established Danbury Planning and Zoning Board. In 1993, she was elected to the Danbury Town Council and served six years before being elected as mayor in 1999.

“I see the potential that this town has and have spent many years sharing and trying to sell this vision of Danbury becoming a destination spot,” Jane explains, pointing out that the town is home to the two biggest tourism assets and attractions that the county has—Hanging Rock State Park and the Dan River.

“Danbury needs to continue this effort to sell Danbury as a destinations spot,” the mayor says, “and with years of persistence, we are on the verge of some great projects to happen here.”

Jane comments that she would also like to see the Town of Danbury create its own tourism council to better promote and market the town. Currently she serves on the Stokes County Economic Development Commission Board and the Stokes County Tourism Board.

Jane notes the fact that in the past two years, Danbury has grown by almost 62 acres through voluntary annexation and that three new homes and three new businesses have been added. Another business has expanded, almost doubling its square footage. Approximately 60 acres was rezoned for business in front of the Stokes County Government Center to grow the business sector in Danbury and to help create new jobs and more tax base.

Other recent accomplishments that Jane is excited about are the renovation of the Stokes County Art’s Council building and the opening of the first visitor center in Stokes County just weeks ago in the Danbury Public Library.

“Families have moved back to Danbury,” Jane says, “and new families have relocated here buying homes for sale.” Thanks to the town helping bring in over one-half million dollars in grants, the water system is in place and the sidewalk project is ready for the next phase with the recent hiring of a local contractor to complete the project.

“We need to be more pedestrian friendly and safe for our residents and visitors,” Jane explains the importance of sidewalks in town.

One of her goals, if re-elected, is to make the town more business and resident friendly. A way to do that is to implement better communication to educate the public, perhaps through a quarterly newsletter to businesses and residents along with a community bulletin board at one of the businesses in town.

Jane says that she hopes the town will continue to work with and support the planning and zoning board as they work together toward a plan for the town. That plan includes preserving the town’s rich history and keeping taxes low by looking at other ways to create revenue.

“I feel Danbury is moving in the right direction,” Jane states. “It is all about finding a balance here with keeping our town a great place to live and maintaining that quality of life that we are blessed with here.”

“I have been honored to be the mayor of this great small town,” Jane concludes. “I hope that the citizens will allow me to serve them two more years. . .There is still a lot of work to do.”

Janet Whitt

The run for the mayor’s seat is Janet Whitt’s first attempt to enter the political ring. “I am just a Danbury hometown girl committed to maintaining Danbury’s historic heritage while encouraging quality new growth and providing incentives for renovation and restoration of existing town properties,” she states her platform.

Whitt is a North Stokes High School graduate who continued her education at Forsyth Technical Community College, Salem College and Wake Forest University. She has been a mortgage broker and loan officer since 2000 and is the owner, president and CEO of A Carolina Mortgage Company. She is also a member of NC Association Mortgage Professionals.

Whitt wears many hats as a career woman. She is the vice-president of sales, a marketing buyer and bookkeeper at Whitt’s Furniture Gallery in King. There she has logged 25 years of experience. Whitt also works in the medical field as a respiratory care practitioner since 1985, having worked at NC Baptist, Stokes Reynolds Memorial and Hoots Medical hospitals.

Somehow, Whitt is finding time to campaign for the highest seat in Danbury government. She has set goals if elected to this position: “As mayor of Danbury, I look forward to the opportunity to listen to all citizens, business leaders, developers and petitioners about projects good for our town.”

Another goal Whitt has is to encourage all of Danbury’s citizens to attend the town council meetings so that they can “keep abreast of Danbury’s future projects and outcome.” In keeping with this goal, she insists that she is committed to “fair and balanced representation.”

Whitt also notes that she would work to lower taxes while being fiscally responsible. “We have the resources,” she elaborates. “Let’s make it work.”

Whitt concludes: “I am willing to work hard and as a team to make our hometown dreams and goals become a reality. Working together we can make our Town of Danbury one of the top small communities to live, raise our children, work, play and retire.”

MEET THE CANDIDATES FOR TOWN COUNCIL

Olivia Nelson Shelton

Olivia Shelton watched her husband Steve serve as a Danbury town councilman for many years, but now she has decided to try her hand at local politics.

“I am very familiar with the life of public, and particularly, town officials,” Olivia explains, “since my husband Steve has served as councilman for several terms, mayor for one term, and currently serves on the Stokes County School Board. I do feel that it is now my turn to serve the town.”

Olivia has lived in Danbury since she and Steve moved there in 1974 after having garnered teaching positions in Stokes County. She was originally from Roanoke, VA, but Steve had Stokes County roots through his paternal grandparents in Lawsonville.

Olivia met Steve while they were band members and music education majors at Wake Forest University. They carried that musical experience with them into the Stokes County School system.

“I always just wanted to teach kids, and I was lucky; that is what I did!” Olivia says of her 30-year career as a music teacher at North Stokes High School. Since retirement, she has remained an educator, “I continue to see children and teachers thru tutoring and volunteering at Walnut Cove Elementary. They keep me active, real and amused! There is no time but now for a child!”

Olivia had children of her own—three sons, all born in Danbury and all graduates of Guilford College. She describes her life through the years in Stokes County as “family, music, church and school/community” and says that she has a lifetime history of volunteerism.

“I have seen many changes come to Danbury in the last 35 years,” Olivia states. “I have the knowledge, grit and history to make me a councilman.”

Her past experience includes holding elective offices in the Stokes County Association of Educators, Stokes County Arts Council, various church and school committees, and the NC Symphony. Olivia has also served on the Stokes Reynolds Hospital Board of Directors and for Stokes Partnership for Children. Currently she serves on the Danbury Town Planning Board and the Governing Board of Danbury Community Church (Methodist-Presbyterian Union).

If elected, Olivia has several goals she’d like to work toward. One is to see Danbury develop a system of sidewalks, as well as address speeding in the town. She also wants to be sure that the town maintain the municipal services and progress that have already occurred and be accountable for its monies.

“Danbury is a municipality with more government and other non-taxable property than private, tax-based residences/businesses, and that needs to be considered and addressed in future planning for the town,” Olivia feels. She adds that she would like to recruit more income through new residences and businesses setting up within the town limits. Olivia wants to be sure that the Town of Danbury is responsible in its management of state and federal forms and requirements. “This is a difficult requirement for any small town, and we have to be accountable,” she says.

If elected, Olivia wants to protect the town’s residents. “We currently have both residential and business plans for large acreage tracts approved,” she notes. “Our mountains and highway curves protect us, but now as 35 years ago, we are largely inhabited, after business and government hours, by children, families and dogs. These folks are our constituents, and I want to protect them.”

Rebecca Sullivan

“I have been a watcher-on-the-wall for the political scene here for years,” says Stokes County native Rebecca Sullivan. But she hasn’t been just a watcher. Sullivan was an active participant as a Danbury Town Councilwoman from 2003-2006. During that time, she received a plaque from the mayor for her dedication, service and leadership.

Now Sullivan has felt the need to run once more for a seat on the council. “I am not running with a strong agenda,” she explains, “but rather to be sensitive to the possibilities and to the will of the people here.” That sensitivity, for her, involves “a team approach and encouraging people to bring their ideas to the table frequently.”

Sullivan’s ties to the area go back through all of her 60 years. The North Stokes graduate also graduated from Rockingham Community College, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Kansas University. She is a US Army veteran and served during Desert Storm where she was nominated for an award by her commander for her work in quality assurance.

Currently, Sullivan is employed as a specialized nurse. In her spare time, she gardens, kayaks on the river, hikes in the park and spends time with her family. Family for Sullivan includes her husband, Captain Earle Sullivan, retired from the USCG; two sons from a previous marriage as well as two sons and two daughters from her husband’s family; a six-day-old grandson plus 10 grandchildren on her husband’s side of the family; and two dogs.

Sullivan’s interest in local politics has stemmed from her concern about community college accessibility and the resulting employability of the local citizens. She has concerns about her town’s present state. For example, she points out that while the population of Danbury is “trending downward,” the government’s bureaucracy is “trending upward along with taxes, along with spending, and along with redundant services.”

A nearly constant presence at Danbury Town Council meetings for the past two years, Sullivan says she has “come away with a sense that the Danbury government has taken on a life of its own, and that it is sometimes oblivious to things that matter.” She cites the example of the tax hike last year that was simultaneous to the exorbitant gas prices. She also charges that some other momentous decisions have been made with voters being unaware of the situations.

She feels that her vision for her town could change that. “I believe in simplicity,” Sullivan shares her feelings. “I believe that each individual has worth. Like in medicine, I believe that government should first do no harm.”

Sullivan hopes that she can help Danbury’s citizens. “I am offering myself, again, as a bridge to enable the people of Danbury to seek a better quality of life for themselves.” A vote for her, she states, is a vote to re-think the situation in the town.

“I think Danbury could use a little encouragement,” Sullivan says.

John Turpin

After a few years out of the political spotlight, former Stokes County Commissioner John Turpin has decided to throw his hat into the ring once more. This time, he has decided to run for one of the two vacant seats on the Danbury Town Council.

“As a kid, I remember my trips to Danbury fondly,” Turpin recalls. “Since moving our business to Meadows in 2000 and being elected commissioner in 2002, I spent most of my time in Danbury. In 2006, I purchased a home and have been slowly remodeling it.”

Turpin took those childhood trips to Danbury from the Pinnacle farm where he grew up. He later received a degree in Surveying Technology from Guilford Technical Community College. Today he is the co-owner of a Stokes County-based business, JT Oufitters, a worldwide automotive parts reseller.

Before moving to Danbury, Turpin served as a county commissioner from 2002-2006, filling the position of chairman of the board in 2005. He was also the 2006 chairman of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Government, a five-county, town and city government consortium.

Now Turpin wants to get involved again in the politics of the area. “I decided to sign up for office to make sure that the residents have a voice,” he explains. “As a town councilman, I will respond to the citizens’ requests or concerns quickly and efficiently.”

Turpin feels that his past experience with the budgeting process on the larger scale of county government will be an advantage if he is elected to the town council. “We have to insure that the citizens’ tax dollars are used in a manner to benefit all the town citizens without a burdensome tax increase,” he states.

Turpin elaborates on how his experience would assist him in serving in Danbury: “I know the county processes and can work with them since they administer the town’s water, sewer and inspections. I want to make sure of the completion of fixing water pressure and supply issues.”

Turpin points to advances being made in Danbury, “The town is in the process of putting more information available online which is a great start.”

If elected, he pledges to involve the town’s residents in decision-making. “The great thing about Danbury,” he feels, “is that it is small enough to get all citizens’ input on the issues.”