Cabarrus Cheap Seats

2005 Cabarrus Election Challenge I: The Easiest Question - Why are you running for office this year?

Harold Smith:

I have been fighting for hard working families, senior citizens and small businesses for the past two years. I have attended most of the City Council meetings. I have spoken to the council opposing wasteful spending, higher taxes, higher water and sewer rates and annexation into Western Cabarrus County beyond Lake Howell.

I have fought for open and public discussions of the issues. I have challenged bureaucratic and foolish decisions by the City Council. I have exposed the excessive debt in the water and sewer fund. And I have informed the public with periodic newsletters.

I am running for the City Council because I believe I can be more effective for the citizens if I am on the City Council and have access to all the information. If elected, I promise to remain independent, represent the citizens and keep the citizens informed on what is going on in the City of Kannapolis.Sincerely, Harold Smith

Mike Brown
Candidate for Harrisburg Town Council
I have served on Town Council for five years and worked on many projects including the Harrisburg Town Park and as Chair of the Town Hall Committee whose responsibility was the locating, design and building of the new Town Hall.

I want to work on the continuation of the many things we started in my tenure and see the Town blossom into what residents envision.

I will oppose the building of big box stores in Harrisburg. I do not think they fit anyone’s vision of our town. Nearly any big box you can name is available to Harrisburg residents within a fifteen-minute drive to Charlotte or Concord.

I look at the issue of big box blight that has hit Charlotte, where big box stores have pulled out and due to their size the buildings are not marketable. The empty big boxes fall into disrepair and detracting elements start using the property for illicit purposes.

Paul Bessent, Candidate for MayorCity of Kannapolis, NC
Being in the insurance business for 24 years has helped me to understand the real issues of real people and real families. It is difficult at best in today’s economy to make ends meet. One of my jobs as mayor will be to build an economy in Kannapolis that will allow everyone to “do better”. That’s good for families and its good for business. That is why I say “Bessent Means Business”.

I will work to continue to keep the tax rate low. We’ll do that, in part, by supporting our existing businesses and doing our part in recruiting new companies for jobs and new commercial development for additional tax base. As your Mayor I want to work with the Council, apply good business principles and maintain our low tax rate.

Business is what birthed Kannapolis. Business is what sustained us for nearly a hundred years. Business will lead us to an economic recovery unprecedented in the history of the State of North Carolina. Kannapolis has a great developing story to tell. I will tell it often. It will be the story of men and women who over the decades and who in the future have given and will give the best of themselves for this place we call home.

It’s our city, Kannapolis; A New City for a New Century. We will become known as the best place in North Carolina to live, work, play and learn.
“Bessent Means Business” means I will:
1. Apply good common sense business principles to city government
2. Lead our community to a prosperous future for all 40,000 residents
3. Develop and demonstrate a thorough knowledge of all of the issues important to all of our citizens
4. Fund the city government’s growth and demand for services with investment driven funding. I will continue to favor no citizen tax increases.
5. Courageously take a stand for Kannapolis by doing what is right for all of our citizens and the city
6. Lead with enthusiasm, passion and vision as we pursue a lasting economic recovery
7. Plan for the impact of new development on our future and create a sustainable community that will benefit our children
8. Accept the challenges, known and unknown that together we must face and together will overcome.I humbly ask for your vote.

Please feel free to call me at any time with your questions and concerns regarding the future of our great city.

Paul Bessent
Candidate for the Mayor of Kannapolis
704.699.0122

Mark Martin,
Councilman
Town of Harrisburg
http://www.markmartin.us/

It has been a great privilege to serve the residents of the Town of Harrisburg for the last 4 years. I would like the opportunity to serve again and continue with the initiatives assigned to me. Harrisburg remains one of the fastest growing municipalities in Cabarrus County and it is imperative that we maintain the Town’s policies and processes for managing growth.

Carl Miller

My name is Carl A. Miller. Candidate for Mayor here in Concord. I am not the type of person to blow hot air up a persons skirt. I can be rather abrupt at times. I am not going to sit here and pat myself on the back by listing life events that really do not amount to anything relating to this election. I wish to run for one simple reason, I am tired of hearing the same old promises by candidates, year after year, etc.. I have my opinions on the, “issues”. But that is irrellevent. Ellected officials are to represent the public. This I intend to do! I do have major concerns as to spending, and growth in our area. I do not believe that either are issues, they are everyday problems that we all face along with the economy.

I could sit here all day, to state what , we all know, needs to be done. But I do not wish to become a whiner. I want to use some common sense, and get things done! This includes having events or issues in the public eye, rather than closed door sessions, which seems to be the growing trend as of late.

2005 Cabarrus Election Challenge II: The Easiest Question - If elected, what do you plan to do to help manage the challenges our community faces because of increased immigration?

Carl Miller

A good question. No good answers. I am not sure what can be done on a local level without resorting to racial profiling, which seems to be in the news now. Would it be at all leagal to check citizenship paperwork during a regular spot check, or during a seatbelt check? I know one thing, raise the penalty so that it is not worth the risk to hire them. And I mean to raise it big! Make it so that a company will really be in trouble, to the extent of closing down, loss of assests. If they can not make a living here, then they will not stay.Another point, is to make them show proof upon application for a driving license. I understand that proof need not be shown at this point. And if one is here on a visa, student or visitor, do not grant the license for the full term. Grant it only for a year, and then, the state can better keep track of expired visas.Oddly enough, I had a run in with the DMV over such a matter, which may be why this thought came to my mind.My Ex-wife is still not an American citizen. When she applied for her drivers license, she was asked for her birth certificate. The DMV Officer, would not approve of it, as it was not in English. Her comment when handed the doccument was rather foul — How the Hell am I supposed to know what this is? Our statment in return was simply — You asked for it, so here it is. The thought had not occurred to us, that we could possibly aquire one in English before we went, but they did take the German one eventually.Things have more than likely changed since then, but all that was really required at the time, was proof of residence, ( phone bill, power bill, rent recipt), and a form of birth certificate. No SSN required. Without turning to a military state, where the police could just enter homes at random, that seems to be an idea to look into. Carl A. Miller
Mark Martin
Mark Martin, CouncilmanTown of Harrisburgwww.MarkMartin.usOne of my roles as a member of Council in Harrisburg is to act as the Director of Public Safety for the Town. Law Enforcement in Harrisburg is provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office. I continually work with Brad Riley and his management team to monitor the level of service in Harrisburg. I believe in supporting their efforts and I encourage the Sheriffs Office to enforce the law in the Harrisburg area.But, I believe the issue of illegal immigrants reaches beyond enforcement of laws. I believe education is the first priority. Education as it relates to the process and procedures here in America for becoming a legal citizen. America is the land of the free. America offers opportunity for everyone regardless. But what are we doing to educate illegal immigrants on the process and procedures of becoming a legal citizen? How can we encourage illegal immigrants to stop hiding and come forward and embrace the opportunity to become a legal citizen? I believe many illegal immigrants stay in the shadows for fear of being identified and prosecuted. Living life in the shadows is costing America. I would encourage every illegal immigrant to come out of the shadows and engage in the process to become a legal citizen. If they are not willing to do so, then why did they come to America? When the early settlers came to America, they tore apart their boats to use as resources to begin building. They were strong in their faith and encouraged with new opportunity. America offers a new start, a place to call home. It is not a place to be abused, used, and discarded.

2005 Cabarrus Election Challenge III: A Question of Growth - If you were elected to office, what would be the top three things you’d do to manage, encourage, control, stimulate, or eliminate growth in your jurisdiction?

Mike:

The Town has very little control over the managment or control of growth. People have a right to develop their property within the zoning regulations.

Harrisburg has the largest building lot requirements in the county and I am proud that I participated in that legislation.

Having said that, the town has no say in the building of schools or roads. We do have a say in water, sewer and police protection. One of the things we do in Harrisburg to slow down growth is to require developers to extend water and sewer lines when necessary. We do not ask existing taxpayers to fund developer returns.

Mark Martin:
Mark Martin, Councilman
Town of Harrisburg
www.MarkMartin.us

The top three things that I would do if re-elected to Town Council in Harrisburg would be:
1) Continue to support the UDO (Unified Development Ordinance). The UDO is the tool used by Harrisburg to manage and control growth. The UDO is more than just a zoning regulation document. It includes requirements for all aspects of developing a site. Landscaping, set backs, lot sizes, square footage sizes of dwellings, buffers, street improvements, ‘green space’ (open space) preservation, signage (for commercial), building designs, site plans, and much more. The Town can manage and control growth. Land development is a two step process. The first step is proper zoning of the property. The laws favor the property owner for zoning. The second step is the approval process for the site plan. The UDO favors the Town for site plans. The UDO also enables Harrisburg to control what is known as housing density (number of units per acre). The target housing density in the Harrisburg area is a maximum of 3 units per acre or less. There are currently areas in the County, Mt. Pleasant, and Midland that have a maximum of 2 units per acre or less and even areas that have a maximum of 1 unit per acre or less. The housing density is determined by the zoning and other specifics outlined in the UDO. So while other areas in the County may have a larger building lot requirement, we believe that we have found a ‘comfort zone’ in Harrisburg by targeting 3 units per acre or less.
2) Continue to encourage SMART Growth. SMART growth is an initiative that encourages developers of large tracts of land to design mixed use site plans. The Harrisburg Town Center is a good example of mixed use development. Mixed use developments provide the opportunity to ‘balance’ the tax base. Historically, Harrisburg’s tax base has been primarily supported by residential development. Mixed use developments take some of the tax burden off of the residents by adding commercial tax base.
3) Work with the existing business community in Harrisburg to seek out opportunities to stimulate and retain their businesses in the Harrisburg area. The Town is working hard to create a local presence for economic development. We are in the process of creating a new organization to be known as the Harrisburg Economic Enhancement Commission. Their primary goal will be business retention, expansion, and attraction. I am currently the Chairperson for the committee working to create the HEEC.

James Johnson:

MP Citizens must bring Change themselves

The word “comprise” means to be made up of something. Our Town Board is comprised of people. People who ran on a platform to represent the citizens. However, it is a small number of citizens who vote these people to the Town Board as well as the position of Mayor.

The Town of Mount Pleasant is slowly changing. People are responsible for the change. Sometimes it has only been a few people bringing about change. The part I find interesting is when people want to be part of the Change. They typically only look into Change after it impacts them negatively.

One such potential impact to the Town that was considered to be negative was Holland Farms. The Holland Farms development only focused citizens on change, but the re-zoning was the specific subject of concern that Re-Zoning could bring.

To often people do not invest time in working with their elected officials. Unless the citizens take time to work with Mayor and Town Board members, they will allow change to be managed without their input. Just as my views represent what I see, others who have the ability to bring about change have their own views.

So, if you feel comfortable with your Mayor and Town Board member’s views toward change, you need not invest your time helping then create the future of our Town. But if you feel as I do, that they do not have all the answers, you better budget some time to attend a Town Board meeting.

Should any of our elected officials tell you they feel the way they feel about change only “in their view” rather than stating they feel the way the feel about change because they have allowed for input from citizens, then we are too late to make any change

Carl Miller:
Greetings all;
I have to agree with Pleasant Guy on this. I do not have all the answers, for sure! And I detest the fact that most folks will not become active until their toes get stepped on.
And Mike. You aught to know better than to make the statement of not taxing the residents. You know Darned well, that any fees or ordence that raises the cost of building, is passed on to the consummer. A visible tax or otherwise, again we are asked to bend over. Mind you that some folks would see that as a good thing not to pay more taxes. I wish that they would lokk at things in the long run.
And this is for that person, (with no name), that attempted to rattle me, This is exactly what I mean by blowing hot air up a skirt. It sounds grate, but in the long run, means nothing.
Personaly, I believe that the area is growing too fast for our own good. In the houseing dept. anyway. The roads are not up to handle the amount of new housing. And what ever happened to building affordable homes? Heck! A person working to jobs in this area can’t afford to rent a room in these gothic barns they are putting up everywhere. We need to support the local businesses around here. That is the foundation of a good econemy, and future. Let us learn from the mill, and the speedway. All our eggs in one basket, will bring a downfall.
Well, I will stop for now, I am sure others would like to step up on the soap box for a moment. I don’t need to rant and rave all day.

2005 Cabarrus Candidate Challenge IV: A Question of Preparedness - For the city or town that will be electing you, what are you planning to do to address the level of emergency preparedness in your city or town?

Mark Martin, Councilman
Town of Harrisburg

www.MarkMartin.us

The Town of Harrisburg has contracts in place for fire/rescue and law enforcement services within the Town limits. We currently do not have municipal emergency management departments. The Town works with the County and follows their guidelines/procedures for emergency preparedness. We have a very good working relationship with the County and the Emergency Management Services group within the County.

Paul Bessent:
For the city or town that will be electing you, what are you planning to do to address the level of emergency preparedness in your city or town?

I believe that we sometimes get complacent in our security. Katrina should act as a “wake-up call” for all of us. First, this is the perfect time to constructively evaluate ourselves and review our emergency preparedness plans, including coordination with the county and state emergency management plans. Obviously we cannot anticipate all possible responses to all possible circumstances that may present themselves in an emergency. We work in cooperation with other governmental and emergency agencies and our plan interfaces with their for maximum effectiveness.

Second, leadership in crisis is a critical factor. If there is one lesson to be learned form the mistakes of the Katrina situation, it is that no clear single source of leadership emerged in a timely fashion. Who leads is a question that must be determined before the emergency occurs. Our plan clearly spells out who is “in charge”. As I have said in many situations, the first leadership role is to determine who leads, who follows and who stands aside.

Kannapolis’ police and fire departments are well trained and well equipped professionals who I have seen respond to a variety of emergencies from fires to chemical spills. We have a plan that has proven effective and is reviewed and improved regularly. The plan has been activated most recently during the ice storm.

We will continue to review and tweak as new innovations and information become available. There is much to be learned from the Katrina tragedy. This information should be incorporated into our plan as soon as practical and coordinated with the agencies with which our plan interfaces.

A good question, with no simple answer. All fine and dandy that one relies on current programs and plans, but as in LA., it is clear that a plan is of no help. In a smaller happenstance, a plan is great, but one will still be flying by the seat of their pants. I hope that we never get into a situation like LA.. Of course, common sence would tell you that to impliment a plan, one will need manpower to carry it out.

I would have to see all the current plans in order to form a complete opinion, but from what I have seen so far, there is no plan for total destruction.

The only helpful statement that I can say at this point, is that I own a shovel, and other impliments, and I am not afraid to use them. All hands on deck!

2005 Cabarrus Candidate Challenge V: The Big Story - Now that David Murdock has made his big announcement, how will this effect the future of the community? How will your municipality need to change its response to growth and development to accomidate the new campus?

Mark Martin, Councilman
Town of Harrisburg
www.MarkMartin.us

The impact that I would like to see in Harrisburg from the plans in Kannapolis is the opportunity to attract a few ’support’ businesses in Harrisburg. We have commercial office space available in the Harrisburg Town Center with retail support. A development as large as the proposed research campus will bring many smaller ’supporting’ businesses with it and Harrisburg offers great location with a small town charm.

2005 Cabarrus Candidate Challenge VI: A Question of Savings - 1) If elected, what do you propose cutting to save money for your taxpayers?

2) At the June 13, 2005 Kannapolis City Council Meeting Harold Smith proposed having city workers pay a greater share of their health care benefits. Do you, as a candidate, support this idea to save money? Would you implement this idea if you were elected?

[No Response]

2005 Cabarrus Candidate Challenge VII: The Final Question - Do you see a need for your community to fund and plan for mass transit? If so, what types do you think would be best for your community?

Mark Martin, Councilman
Town of Harrisburg

www.MarkMartin.us

Mass transit plan for Harrisburg: While I don’t see the need for Harrisburg to create it’s own Mass Transit system, I do believe that Harrisburg will need to be involved in Mass Transit plans for the region (Charlotte & Concord). That involvement should include ‘Park & Ride’ capabilities for Harrisburg residents to access Charlotte and/or Concord Mass Transit (both bus and light rail).