My grandmothers were born in a time when their race made casting a ballot dangerous. Now, their grandson is a mayor.
My name is Preston Blakely, and I’m the mayor of Fletcher, North Carolina, a small town of a little more than 8,000 just south of Asheville. I’ve served as mayor since 2021, elected at the age of 27. I’ve been the youngest sitting mayor in the state since. Before that, I was a council member, elected straight out of graduate school in 2019.
Reflecting on my own identity and familial background, this is both ordinary and extraordinary…