The Town of Elon Board of Alderman voted tonight to allow Elon University to display the school of communications news ticker facing the downtown of Elon.
Board member Ron Klepcyk was sick and unable to make the meeting, leaving the vote in a 2 to 2 tie. Mayor Jerry Tolley broke the tie and passed the ordinance that allowed the university to display the news ticker. Mayor Tolley said he has only had to vote twice in the Town of Elon's History.
Ron Greene and Emily Sharpe voted to pass the ordinance that would allow the university to display the ticker, while members John Peterson and Davis Montgomery voted against the ordinance.
Sharpe had originally seen the news ticker as a safety hazard to the school. But this month she expressed changing her mind after speaking to Elon students and the community.
Peterson and Montgomery were concerned with the safety of the intersection, saying that the town was not clearly prioritizing the student’s concerns.
Montgomery said Elon University is the first and only university in North Carolina that would have a town-wide ordinance that approves a ticker on the side of their building, which is the reason he was hesitant.
Previously, the town raised the fence lining the train tracks by a few feet in order to increase student safety. Montgomery and Peterson believe this contradicts the passing of this previous ordinance.