Next year could be a whole different ball game for the Tyrone Town Council as they look to deal with a host of growth-related issues.

Tuesday’s election sent two new people to the council — a political newcomer and a savvy former county commissioner.

Newcomer Gloria Furr is replacing Lyn Redwood, who chose not to run again this year. Furr was stunned by the margin of her victory and thanked all her supporters. When she assumes office in January, she’s pledging to work for all of the residents. “I’m going in with an open mind and want to represent everybody,” she said.

Grace Caldwell, who won her seat over incumbent Lisa Richardson, said she would also like to see better communication efforts between the town’s staff and the residents. “It’s important to listen to our taxpayers and we have a lot of issues to deal with in a short amount of time,” she said.

Caldwell ticked off such items as sewer, the town’s comprehensive plan and erosion control issues that have to be dealt with immediately. She also thinks the town needs to deal with issues surrounding the bustling growth.

“We’ve got to have a traffic plan to deal with all this development,” she said.

Furr and Caldwell were both swept into office by a feeling of unrest among many Tyrone residents. Last summer’s squabble over locating the new library in Shamrock Park energized many residents who made their feelings known at the polls Tuesday.

Caldwell understands the feeling of the residents and said one of the town’s problems could be a lack of staff.

“We need a planner to help our staff deal with all this growth,” she said.

After she’s sworn in, Caldwell hopes to get even more of the public involved in making decisions for the town’s future.

“We’re all in this together,” she said.

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