David Luther, a Boone resident and volunteer firefighter, has decided to throw his hat into the ring for District 2 Watauga County Board of Commissioners.

Luther wants to focus on cutting congestion in town, work on affordable housing, and prioritize people before companies.

Despite being new in local politics, Luther has been endorsed by both town mayor Dalton George, and Pam’s Picks. Pam’s Picks is written by a local progressive independent and is dedicated to helping people pick who they should vote for.

Luther said that he and George share a lot of political similarities and it was George who reached out to him to run in this election.

“His endorsement meant a lot to me and it was a risk for him to come out and endorse somebody in a primary,” Luther said. Since George endorsed him, Luther said they have had a lot of conversations about town policies, and have begun to develop a friendship.

“I’ve been grateful to see that a lot of energy in conversations has moved in my direction,” Luther said. “I look around from top to bottom and I wonder, do we really need to elect another semi-retired older white guy or do we want someone who has some shared experience with their competitor, who brings an operational perspective to this?” He added.

Luther also explained that, if elected, he wants to publish town meetings and open them up to the public, especially regarding how money is spent in the town. He said he wants to make sure the people know where their money is going.

Luther also wants to focus on making Boone more livable for students.

“Their wages are lower, their housing costs are astronomical because people know that they’re subsidized by student loans. So you know we have a lot of people who actually just can’t afford to live here even if they want to and we have a lot of people who are basically forced into a commuter community,” Luther said.

He shared he has seen the burnout in students as they are forced to work alongside going to school just to afford living in Boone; he wants to work on making students’ lives easier.

Luther explained the student body is a vital part of Boone, and the students need to be supported by their community.

“Get out there and vote. You know, do your own research, but again, I’m not just walking the walk, I’m not just talking the talk. I’m running right alongside everybody else,” Luther said.

Correction: A previous version of this article misquoted Luther and included incorrect information about his occupation. These details have been corrected.