Fayetteville Regional Association of REALTORS®, Inc.
Serving REALTORS® in Fayetteville & surrounding areas
County Commission Questionnaire – Page 2
Responses on this page will be published on the FRAR Government Affairs Page
for review by our members and the public
1. Why do you wish to serve or continue to serve in public office?
I am a native of Cumberland County and have called it home for most of my life. Service has been key to my life ever since I left Fayetteville to serve my country as a tactical combat aircraft pilot. When I returned, I became active in service to my church, and it spilled over into community service. I have served on the Fayetteville City Council and currently serve on the Fayetteville Public Works Commission. I am not afraid to tackle tough problems head-on, as I demonstrated during my term on the council. I would like to bring a fresh viewpoint to the County Board of Commissioners if I am blessed to be elected.
2. What are the top three challenges facing your county and how do you propose to address them through your office?
A. Moribund economic growth. We need to take a fresh approach like the method known as economic gardening to create an environment that allows small to mid-sized local companies add capacity and expand markets outside of the local area.
B. Increased pressure on social services provided. As we grow the economy, the byproduct should be a reduction in need of the social services network. More emphasis on skills training for healthy individuals can help move the unemployed into productive lives. We can partner with non-governmental groups such as the CAPITAL Apartment program that houses ex-felons that trains and prepares them to reenter the marketplace.
C. Low community esteem. Our community often is our own worst enemy. We have on several occasions helped prevent companies from moving here by giving negative opinions to operatives they sent to scout the community. Commissioners have a responsibility to help our citizens to focus on the many positives of our communities.
3. There is a statewide issue with unmaintained roads in county neighborhoods recently referred to as “orphaned roads.” A bill was introduced in the General Assembly this year but did not move forward. What are your thoughts for solving this problem?
Since the public roads in the state that are outside the limits of municipalities are state maintained, it is an issue that must be resolved at the state level. I know from the experience I had when I put a road in, I was required to pave it to state standards before they would take it in and maintain it. It is more difficult if the road already exists and you have multiple parties involved, but forcing taxpayers to bear the load is not appropriate in my opinion.
4. What NEW ideas or incentives can you suggest to attract business into the region?
I believe the idea of economic gardening that encourages growth of existing small to medium-sized companies needs to be tried. Some of the economic dollars being spent to lure the “big fish” could be diverted to provide marketing research and growth development support to help our local companies expand market reach and experience sales growth. This will provide more lasting jobs that are not reliant on short term incentives.
5. What steps, if any, would you take to improve your county’s property valuation process in the years ahead? Why do you think these steps are necessary?
I have not looked closely enough at the methods the county uses to determine the accuracy of the process. It would seem appropriate to use similar valuation procedures use by certified appraisers to determine valuation.
