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Clay Defeats Incumbent for Ward One Alderman

Downtown Ashland
File Photo
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KBIA

When Danny Clay decided to run for Ward One alderman in Ashland, he drove every street in the area with his son and put a tally mark in his notebook for every house. There were 330. Every week for five weeks before the April 5 elections, he went door to door. By the election, he had secured 92 commitments.

Clay was elected alderman Tuesday with 94 votes, replacing incumbent George Elliot, who received 45 votes.

Clay said when he checked the voter registration for his ward in 2014, there were only 62 registered voters, so he was “dumbfounded” by the election results.

“I thought, well people commit sometimes and then don’t vote,” Clay said. “I never expected this many people to turn out in Ward 1, that’s surprising. It’s exciting.”

Clay has years of experience in local politics, but has only lived in Ashland for three years. As such, he tried to make himself a familiar face in the neighborhood during his campaign. He collected campaign donations totaling more than $300, and spent more than $500 total. Now that he’s been elected, he plans to deliver on his promise to “give 100 percent” to his position on the board.

He plans to focus on long-term city planning projects like maintaining streets, managing stormwater runoff, and the growth of the Columbia Regional Airport.

Elliot, who has been on the board for two years, was elected as a write-in candidate back in 2012.

“I’m not a politician, I didn’t get into this to be a politician,” Elliot said. “I’m very pleased that someone else in the city cares enough to step forward and try to represent the citizens.”