Democrats open King Street headquarters
by Anna Oakes
The Watauga County Democratic Party will once again operate an election season headquarters at 352 W. King St., the former location of coffee shop BeansTalk.
Party members have begun to prepare the 2012 election headquarters for its grand opening, which will take place during Labor Day weekend in September.
The county party has used the same building for election headquarters in the past.
"It's a good spot on King Street for people to see," said Charlie Wallin, first vice chairman for the Watauga Democratic Party. "It's accessible, highly visible (and) the students enjoy it because they can come over and help out if they want to. It helps us feature downtown."
The office will serve as an information clearinghouse about 2012 Democratic candidates, as well as a distribution point for materials such as yard signs, bumper stickers and buttons.
The party opens the temporary office every other year, Wallin said.
"We try to open one when there's a major campaign season going," he added.
Once the office opens in September, plans are to hold hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and until midday on Saturdays.
Wallin said he did not yet know if the Barack Obama campaign would assign a campaign staffer to Boone this year, as it did in 2008.
"We have not heard officially," he said.
Tommy Adams, vice chairman of the Watauga County Republican Party, said the county party has visited three or four locations under consideration for the 2012 GOP election headquarters.
"The location is to be determined," Adams said, adding it will be announced in the near future.
The party is currently organizing volunteers to staff the headquarters office, he said.
Adams said he is not sure if the Romney campaign will send a staffer to Boone, but that the campaign has been in contact with Appalachian State University's College Republicans.
Party members have begun to prepare the 2012 election headquarters for its grand opening, which will take place during Labor Day weekend in September.
The county party has used the same building for election headquarters in the past.
"It's a good spot on King Street for people to see," said Charlie Wallin, first vice chairman for the Watauga Democratic Party. "It's accessible, highly visible (and) the students enjoy it because they can come over and help out if they want to. It helps us feature downtown."
The office will serve as an information clearinghouse about 2012 Democratic candidates, as well as a distribution point for materials such as yard signs, bumper stickers and buttons.
The party opens the temporary office every other year, Wallin said.
"We try to open one when there's a major campaign season going," he added.
Once the office opens in September, plans are to hold hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and until midday on Saturdays.
Wallin said he did not yet know if the Barack Obama campaign would assign a campaign staffer to Boone this year, as it did in 2008.
"We have not heard officially," he said.
Tommy Adams, vice chairman of the Watauga County Republican Party, said the county party has visited three or four locations under consideration for the 2012 GOP election headquarters.
"The location is to be determined," Adams said, adding it will be announced in the near future.
The party is currently organizing volunteers to staff the headquarters office, he said.
Adams said he is not sure if the Romney campaign will send a staffer to Boone, but that the campaign has been in contact with Appalachian State University's College Republicans.