Working with the Mayor: Lucy Dees and Her Internship with Dalton George

A photo of Watauga County’s city hall, located at 814 West King Street in downtown Boone. Photo Credits: wataugacounty.org

Grant Painter, Staff Writer for The Powderhorn

While typical Watauga High School seniors find themselves focusing on college applications, studying for AP tests, and deciding which prom group they’ll be a part of, Lucy Dees finds herself balancing those traditional high school concerns with town council agendas, meetings, and municipal policy as an intern for Boone’s Mayor, Dalton George.

Engaging with politics can be difficult, especially for minors. It can be hard for an individual to fight for something that they themselves cannot take advantage of yet, like voting rights. Lucy began at a young age, unknowingly setting the tone for her senior year.

“When I was 11, during the 2020 elections, I got super politically active,” said Dees. “I signed up with the Watauga Democratic Party to encourage elderly women to vote by writing letters. I thought, I can’t vote, but I can use my voice to reach other people and encourage them. I wasn’t aware of this at the time, but that made me, as Dalton put it, a ‘bit of a legend’ in the political community in Boone.”

Mayor George had known of Lucy and her interest in governments and politics after her communications with local groups. After working with the Watauga Democratic Party, Lucy was asked to return in 2024 to give a speech with Mayor George.

“Two years ago, I believe, I was asked by the Democratic Party of Watauga to come back and speak at their women’s march alongside Dalton George, so I delivered a speech there,” said Dees. “After that, I went to an event at the Lovill House in town, and there I finally met him for the first time. He said he’s known about me for a while and that he was really impressed with me, and he offered me this position.”

This internship position didn’t exist in the town hall prior to Lucy’s arrival, so a large part of her job has been crafting the position, defining its roles, and outlining its scope.

“I’m officially a policy intern, so I’m more on the side of what’s happening with local legislation, ordinances, and things like that. Because that’s where my interests lie; on the law side,” said Dees. “What I do includes general administrative intern duties: answering emails, organizing with people. I organized a town hall meeting at the Speckled Trout Outfitters, things like that. Reaching out, emailing, talking with people. That’s been part of my duties as well.”

Despite all those added responsibilities, interning for the Mayor doesn’t eliminate Lucy’s duties as a student at WHS. Like many other seniors, she finds herself balancing APs with Caldwell classes and working towards her future.

“It has been very difficult balancing my schedule. I’m someone who’s prone to being late to almost everything, but working in a higher-profile setting is teaching me how to be on time,” said Dees. “At school, I’m taking three APs and an honors class, along with an additional Caldwell class and my homeschooling as well, so there has been a lot of adjustment to fit in working in Town Hall.”

Since the Mayor doesn’t work full-time, Lucy only goes into Town Hall once a week, typically on Thursdays when Mayor George is in office. However, events tend to appear on their own terms, leading to chaotic schedules.

“Another thing about my internship is that it’s not any regular time other than office hours on Thursday, so events and meetings are always popping up at random times,” said Dees. “To help me with managing a pretty hectic schedule, I use my Google Calendar religiously, and sometimes even set alarms for myself. I appreciate the variety, though, because it keeps me on my toes and I’m never bored by a repetitive schedule like I have been in the past.”

Lucy plans to continue working with Mayor George throughout the semester, as well as over the summer until she leaves for university. 

“I think that most likely the position will open more towards App State students, but I’m sure if we created a thing like an application or other way of getting in, then I’m sure highly-dedicated high school students that are serious about it could apply and get the position,” said Dees. “I think it’ll stay an unpaid intern position, but who knows?”

Though Lucy doesn’t plan on continuing with this specific path within a paid position in the future, she continues her service today as a “bit of a legend” in Boone’s political community. 

“I’ve had to give up getting a paid job and making money in favor of piling on academics and internships, which is an unfortunate trade off,” said Dees. “But despite being very busy and very broke, the experience that I am getting working in local government is immeasurably valuable, and I am so grateful to be where I am.”