Mayor pro tempore Dalton George hosted a town hall meeting at Lily’s Snack Bar Saturday to expand local government involvement to the town and community. 

The meeting began around 6:30 p.m. and lasted over 45 minutes. George addressed a variety of topics, from housing to the town’s role in environmentalism.

“I’ve taken stock of the current political landscape we’re in and people are really disappointed in the way politics is going generally,” George said. “We’ve seen this kind of loss of faith in government institutions, in elected officials, and so one thing I want to do is I want to be able to get out and meet people where they’re at.”

George’s sentiment was echoed by James Staley, an audience member attending the event.

“I mean it’s not very often that the second in command in the town of Boone is willing, or the town you live in is willing to come out and talk to the people and answer questions and let people get to know him,” Staley said.

This was the second town hall George hosted in a local business, with the first one being held at Wildwood Community Market on Feb. 12. 

For George, choosing the location for these meetings extends beyond the food and beverage offerings. 

“You know, I wanted to choose a business that I really align with their values,” George said. “Both Lily’s and Wildwood, I really admire them because they treat their workers well, which is impactful.” 

The discourse at the town hall differed from typical town hall meetings, with George’s meeting functioning as a Q&A where people were allowed to ask questions from their seat as opposed to standing at a podium and giving a speech. 

George said the meetings are more “free flow,” and the casual environment was an intentional way to encourage people to ask questions that are important to them regarding the town. 

George said he wanted to pick a location where people felt more comfortable.

“So it’s a little less stressful too and to kind of break down that power imbalance that sometimes happens in those rooms,” George said.  

Patrick Stephenson and Rebekah Smith said the town hall being held on a weekend made it easier for them to attend. 

Smith said the event felt like a more “low-key” way to be more involved in the community and local government. 

“We are just curious to learn more and get transparency about what’s going on and what’s top of mind for local government things,” Stephenson said. 

One of the topics George addressed was how the town can support renters in Boone. 

According to George, over 70% of Boone’s population are renters and a portion of these people feel they are being taken advantage of. George emphasized the town’s minimum housing code which requires property owners meet the minimum housing requirements. 

“We’ve got to enact ordinances that fine them, that really impact their bottom dollar if they’re hurting regular working people,” George said.

According to the minimum housing code, if a property is deemed by a housing inspector to be unfit for occupancy and the costs to improve the building is less than 50% of the total value of the building, the owner is required to “repair, alter, or improve the structure as to render it safe.”

According to the code, occupation of a building deemed unfit for habitation by a housing inspector constitutes a class 1 misdemeanor. 

George also said he asked the town to adopt the beginnings of inclusionary rezoning. He said this inclusionary rezoning would mean new developments will require 10-15% of those units to be affordable based on the median income. 

He also touched on how the town can encourage development without causing significant damage to the environment and how this is possible at the local level. 

“Boone is the only town south of the Mason-Dixon line that has carbon neutral municipal operations,” George said. 

He said if the Town of Boone can practice stewardship, there is no excuse for those in Raleigh or Durham not to. 

George also encouraged the audience to reach out to him if there was something they were passionate about that they felt strongly about addressing.

“I would love to create policy alongside a resident of the town or the county and figure out how to make this place better,” George said. 

He said he wants to be accessible to the people of the Town of Boone and hopes that local government can serve as an “umbrella against all the craziness in Raleigh and D.C.”

George ended the meeting by thanking the audience for their attendance and the staff at Lily’s for hosting the event. The audience responded with a round of applause for the mayor pro tempore.