Woodfin – A candidate for Woodfin Town Council for November’s election is Johanna Young. She told the Tribune, “After much consideration and discussion with my children and neighbors, I have decided to run for town council. I am excited about this opportunity and believe I can provide the council with a balanced and informed perspective.”
Young is no newcomer to Woodfin. “Having been a member of Woodfin for more than 20 years, I know this area, its history, and its people. I have seen much growth in often challenging times. I want to continue the positive growth seen in the recent past while keeping in mind the history of the community and its people. Woodfin is Woodfin, independent of Asheville, and I will continue to hold that true.”
She also has a message for those who knew her husband, Jason Young, Town Administrator, for two decades in Woodfin. “You mentioned in your last article that I am the wife of the late Jason Young. I had not intended on bringing Jason up, despite his evident passion and dedication to this community for so many years, because I am my own person with my own ideas and abilities – but yes, some know me as the wife of 27 years to the late forward-thinking Town Manager, Jason Young. Others know me as the mother of two beyond fantastic kids. I am also a biologist who holds a MHS in Public Health Education and MPA/MES coursework in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. I have worked for public, nonprofit, and private positions in environmental protection, water quality control, botanical research, and wildlife biology.”
Young goes on to say, “I have been a committed member of this community through work in local nonprofit organizations and schools, both in leadership roles on boards and as a tutor in the classroom. My passion is the people of this area and the special environment we have in WNC.”
Young explains how she got to Woodfin. “I came to WNC to study biology at UNC-A in 1990 from Fayetteville, North Carolina. I am the youngest of four in a career special forces family–this family dynamic taught me the importance of standing up and speaking out for what I felt was important. I have lived this lesson throughout my life in my career and volunteering. After the birth of our first child in Washington, DC, in 2001, Jason and I decided we had to return to WNC to raise our family. Even today, Woodfin is the only place I am interested in calling home.”
She says on the issues facing Woodfin, “On the most basic level, my interests include green space and responsible environmental stewardship. I understand each role in a healthy community. I also recognize that we are at a point where responsible economic development can and should include both. Economic development and environmental stewardship are not mutually exclusive and should not be treated as such. I intend to be the bridge that brings the two concepts together to continue the positive growth of this area in a way that respects people’s economic interests and the environment’s needs while at the same time respecting Woodfin’s roots.
Young goes on to say, “I believe community input is an integral component of this goal, so with me as a council member, you will find that the community will have a person who is open to ideas, transparent in my actions, and available to those I represent.”
Young tells the Tribune, “I am interested in hearing from people in the community, so please, feel free to write to me with your ideas for our town.” For more information about my campaign, please contact me at johannayoung.forwoodfin@gmail.com or look at my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095324394524″