Opinion: My grandmothers couldn’t vote freely, but today I’m the mayor

This opinion column is syndicated by Beacon Media and is available to republish for free anywhere under our guidelines.

My grandmothers were born during a time when their race made casting a ballot dangerous. Now, their grandson has been elected mayor.

My name is Preston Blakely, and I was elected to serve 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 27, I’ve been the youngest sitting mayor in the state since. 

Reflecting on my own identity and familial background, this is both ordinary and extraordinary.

But before I tell you about my grandmothers, I want to talk about the system they endured. Jim Crow Laws in North Carolina featured:

• Poll tax until the early 1920s.
• A literacy test was required to register to vote until the 1960s. (This requirement technically remains in the N.C. Constitution today.)
• Segregated schools
• Segregated public spaces.
• A registrar’s power over your right to vote.

My grandmothers lived in a North Carolina where one person could block your future with a grudge and a clipboard.

My late grandmother, Patricia Blakely, “Grandma Pat,“ was born in 1951 and passed away in 2019. She never saw me elected, but she would’ve been proud.

If you’ve ever been to a Black function, you know not everyone is trusted with making the mac and cheese. But Grandma Pat? She was trusted. Her mac and cheese was beloved as was she, and they’re both missed to this day. 

But more importantly, she drove a city bus in Asheville. Once upon a time, Black people were ordered to the back of the bus. Grandma Pat was in the driver’s seat, literally and figuratively. Her work was an act of quiet power and dignity. 

My other grandmother, Oralene Simmons, whom I call “OG,” is an internationally recognized civil rights leader. Born in 1943, she was the first Black student to enroll at Mars Hill University in 1961 over a century after her ancestor, Joe Anderson, was enslaved by one of the school’s founders.

OG went on to found the Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County. Her courage shaped whole communities.

My grandmothers opened doors for me and countless others. After college, I joined our family business, Quality Janitorial Group, founded in 1990 by my parents. Soon after, I felt called to serve just as my grandmothers did. I ran for Fletcher Town Council with a will to serve and a grassroots campaign work ethic. At 25, I won with 70% of the vote.

In 2021, I decided to run for mayor. I wanted to serve my neighbors and ensure our town’s leadership reflected all voices. The previous mayor, Rod Whiteside, who was the first Black mayor in Fletcher’s history, encouraged me to run after his retirement.

My campaign for mayor was grassroots and prioritized people’s needs. 

As a young Black man, I was always conscious of my identity and presence. While placing door hangers, my mom and I encountered disturbing anonymous fliers about me, turning the race divisive—a flier full of dog whistles that I won’t repeat here. 

Being who I am and running for mayor was too much for some. I read the flier, took a photo, and left, heartbroken.

Election Day arrived. That racist flyer was everywhere. Voters saw it, but most disavowed it. And with their support, I overcame it to be elected with 55% of the vote, becoming the youngest sitting mayor in North Carolina. Voters rejected racism and I believe supported my style of leadership—we would be a town that would listen to people and represent everyday voices.

My grandma Pat didn’t get to see me sworn in, but OG did. And as I serve, I carry them both with me. I reflect them.

In my actions, I aim to serve empathetically and advocate for a future that honors past sacrifices. Issues like voter suppression, housing inequity, unaffordable childcare, and neglect of the working class should not persist. As both a janitor and a mayor, I understand these challenges well.

The struggle for rights is a legacy I now have the power to influence. In order to make progress, I have learned to focus on the issues and build community, like working for a new regional library in town and connecting people to helpful resources elsewhere.  

Those seemingly small initiatives can yield big change when we all work together as a community. 

Let us improve upon what we inherited and make democracy meaningful in people’s lives. Let’s advance together, honoring those who paved the way for our progress.