Is the Village’s current level of taxation/fees enough to
keep pace with current and future infrastructure needs? If not, what should be
the solution?
Our current tax rate and general fund balance is sufficient
at this point. We have had no discussions about raising tax rates. That time
may come, but I don’t see that happening anytime in the immediate future.
How important is it for government to effectively
communicate with citizens? Is Clemmons an effective communicator? How could communication
be improved?
Communication with our residents is very important, and they
are entitled to it. The present Council, in my opinion, has been the most
responsive of any we have ever had. We have responded to every email and phone
call, considered carefully every request, checked out every complaint, and
worked to help, when and where we can. Our new website is something to be proud
of, it is bright, fresh, inviting and encourages involvement. In the interest
of transparency, our meetings are now televised for anyone interested in
watching. All of us are easily accessible and always anxious to speak with our
residents and business owners when they need us to address a situation. I think
we have greatly improved the communication between our Village Council and
citizens.
What skills make you the best candidate to represent the
citizens of Clemmons?
I’ve been self-employed all my adult life, and I am a
self-starter with a strong desire to help others. I truly care about our
community and want to see it flourish. I have an eclectic attitude when it
comes to events and development and I can usually see and understand both sides
of an argument. I am of course prejudiced, but I think Clemmons is a special,
fun and interesting place and I want everyone else to see us that way. I love
being an ambassador, telling people about Tanglewood, our BMX park and all our
events and amenities, along with going to Grand Openings and welcoming new
businesses to our community.
Why do you want to serve?
I’m glad you phrased this question that way because that is
exactly what I want to do, serve the people of Clemmons. Everyone, no matter
who they are, where they live in Clemmons, or whether or not they are
‘connected’ , deserve the same amount of respect and attention when issues
arise. I didn’t run to feather a nest or rub elbows with movers and shakers. It
was just time to get more involved in my own hometown and help to change
Clemmons for the better going forward.
What's the most pressing issue facing Clemmons right now?
Has the Village done enough to address it? What should be done moving forward?
Our traffic and accident rate.
We are a small town with only one main street where the
majority of our retail and restaurant establishments are located, along with 1
small and 2 large schools as well, resulting in constant traffic tie-ups.
We created a citizen Traffic Committee to work on possible
solutions and give us suggestions. The James Street extension is completed.
Phase 1 of Market Center Drive is underway and eventually Phase 2 will connect
and run through the K-mart property to Stadium. We will continue to work on
other possible parallel connectors.
We are also interested in doing a feasibility study for a
possible exchange at Kinnamon and I-40. If it is feasible and approved by the
DOT, it would relieve a lot of the drive-time traffic on Lewisville-Clemmons
Rd.
In addition, to assist with less of a traffic increase in
the future, single family home development would be best for Clemmons, rather
than any more high density apartment complexes.
How important is "the way we’ve always done
things" when making decisions?
That depends entirely on HOW things have always been done.
We incorporated in 1986, almost 34 years ago. The way things were always done
before and for some time afterwards, has resulted in very congested traffic all
along our one and only main and primary street, to the point that we have been
determined to be the worst drivers in the state of NC according to a new
statewide traffic study; not just among the worst, but # 1 on the list. We have
also experienced serious water runoff issues due to overdevelopment without adequate safeguards in place to
prevent our lakes and watersheds from filling up with debris. Don’t worry about
having a boat, you can almost walk across some of them. Former Council members
made sure money was directed to groups where they served on the boards and
voted yes to projects to benefit special interests that contributed to their
campaigns. I could go on but what is important is that if that is the way
things had always been done, then we definitely were in need of a change, and
we got it with the election in 2017. All decisions should be based on common
sense, our immediate and future needs, the cost, and the feasibility, in order to benefit
everyone that lives and works in Clemmons.
Name an issue that came before the council where you AGREED
with the final vote, and why?
This is a hard question to answer..there have been quite a
few. Considering I ran on the median issue, I certainly agreed with that final
vote. I still do not understand why the former Council members supported a
median in that location. We have a lot of senior citizens, just go to Pete’s
restaurant any time of the day if my telling you that isn’t enough. People move
here to retire or they stay to age in place. Putting more obstacles in their
way or confusing our streets even more is not a good idea. Also, the amount of
opposition there was from the business community should have been another of
their major considerations, but, for reasons unknown, it wasn’t. We, on the other hand listened, and responded
with what I feel was the right decision, we stopped the median.
Name an issue that came before the council where you
DISAGREED with the final vote, and why?
The vote for the median in the upper portion of
Lewisville-Clemmons Rd. that will run from I-40 to Stadium Dr.
Unless the next set of plans that comes out of the DOT is
considerably different and a vast improvement from the ones we’ve already seen,
it is going to be difficult and confusing for visitors to find and/or get to
our Events Center along with all the other businesses and the nursing facility
in that area. I am concerned about ever more u-turns and all the traffic that
may be forced down to Stadium drive, which is already very difficult at times
for those turning left into the K-mart property. However, Chris Wrights and I
are working alongside the DOT for what will hopefully be a satisfactory outcome
for everyone.
Why do so few people vote in municipal elections?
There are always those that think their vote won’t matter or
just don’t care enough to keep up with when and where to vote. But, there are
also some in Clemmons that feel disconnected from the Council and government in
general in Clemmons, especially on the north end. No one should feel that way,
so we all need to make an effort to make sure that everyone knows they are
valued and that their vote really does matter, and that it is more important than
they may ever know.
