All 13 applicants who qualified in the races for Blue Ridge City Council and mayor have been verified by Election Superintendent Barbie Gerald, and with every seat in the election up for grabs, each one is contested.
The following candidates are now in the running:
•Mayor, Donna Whitener (incumbent) and Rhonda Haight (Post 2 incumbent);
•Post 1, Harold Herndon (incumbent) and Jack Taylor;
•Post 2, Mike Panter (Post 3 incumbent) and Angie Arp;
•Post 3, Brian Higgins and Christy Kay;
•Post 4, Richard Arnold, Dr. Bill Whaley, and Jacqueline Brown; and,
•Post 5, Nathan Fitts (incumbent) and Bill Bivins.
Two council seats are wide open for newcomers as Robbie Cornelius did not qualify to seek reelection and Haight is leaving the council to run for mayor.
There are two weeks from the last day of qualifying, Friday, August 20, to challenge candidates.
As a result of the change to the city charter to incorporate staggered terms on the council, Posts 1, 3, and 5 will be elected for two years and will transition into four-year terms in the 2023 election. Posts 2 and 4 will be elected for four-year terms.