I desire to give my support to Mary Ponds as a write-in candidate for office of Granite Quarry mayor in the 2017 elections. Mary has previously served GQ for 14 years as mayor. She has not announced an active candidacy for the position but has stated she would serve if the citizens choose to elect her.

Please visit website GQmayor.com and consider the in-depth information provided there. At the beginning of that website you will find a direct link to a Facebook page with more information.

Many town residents have been advocating independently for Mary as a write-in candidate for mayor. The reasons for this are many but the primary one concerns how the current mayor and Board of Aldermen have advanced their own goals for aggressive town tax base growth without due concern for hearing and acting on the desires of much of the citizenry who wish to remain a quiet bedroom community.

One specific case in point involves how the mayor and board hurriedly passed a zoning readjustment within the past year to permit building a SECU branch in close proximity to two residential neighborhoods, Countryside and Timber Run.

Mary has been a highly active and well-respected citizen of Granite Quarry and Rowan County for many years and is well known as a good listener and personable government official.

Two incumbent aldermen are running for re-election, and I feel this is a good opportunity to replace them with persons who will work well with Mary Ponds. Therefore, I would like to recommend you cast your votes for two alderman candidates with lots of previous experience in town governance and day-to-day operations of the town, John Linker and Kim Cress.

— Alan L. Beaver

Granite Quarry