What are your top three priorities for enhancing economic growth opportunities throughout the
city?
Improving Policies and Procedures, Enhancing Public Safety and Supporting our Partners at FCEDC
and The Greater Fayetteville Chamber, as well as the city's Economic Community Development
dept. As a councilmember I shall continue to support reviewing and improving policies and
procedures through committee(s), peer city comparisons, and third-party reviews. As a CM I will
continue to support our first responders with the tools they need to successfully carry out their
mission(s) and their duties, in addition to aggressively maintaining their compensation at or above
market in our state and region. As we all know, government can not do it all alone. While the city's
ECD does the Herculean task of identifying, applying for and receiving grants, and then puts that
funding to work in the community while ensuring all guidelines and restrictions are adhered to, I will
also continue to support our industry recruiters at FCEDC, and the GFC, which is Fayetteville's
largest representative for small, medium and large businesses, in their mission of advocacy,
education and networking.
What are the most pressing issues facing the City of Fayetteville? How will you work to solve
them?
Public Safety, Attainable Housing and Infrastructure. Every resident of Fayetteville deserves to feel
safe. Therefore we must continue supporting our first responders with the tools they need to
successfully carry out their mission(s) and fulfill their duties, while compensating them with pay
and benefits they deserve. We must streamline our (re)development policies and ordinances so that
they are not an unsurmountable burden to property owners and small businesses, and to ensure we
are not so restrictive as to position ourselves at a negative disadvantage when compared to our
peer cities. Furthermore, we must continue to ensure our processes are efficient. And finally we
must continue to improve our walkability by enhancing our sidewalks, multi-purpose and bike lanes,
and crosswalks. We must also continue to enhance our streets and roadways, and we must
continue to improve our Storm Water infrastructure.
What makes you the best candidate to represent the City of Fayetteville?
Experience. The City of Fayetteville's Code of Ordinances is 30 Chapters. For the last decade or
more I have emersed myself in the study and understanding of those Chapters. For the last 3.5 plus
years my days have consisted of meetings from 8am to 8pm Monday thru Friday. From PWC
Commission Mtgs, to Storm Water Advisory Board (resident volunteers) and then Committee
(council) I have Chaired both, to FCEDC, Homelessness & Mental Health, to County-City Liaison, to
Audit and Appointment Committees I have served. I served on Mayor Colvin's UDO Task Force, and
attend boards and commissions from Airport Commission, Parks & Rec, Fair Housing,
Redevelopment, Planning, Fayetteville Next, Fayetteville/Cumberland Human Relations
Commission, to Wrecker Board, Woodpecker's Advisory Board, to Zoning Commission. I have
served on FAMPO (Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) for three years, chairing
that regional board for the last year, have been a part of NCDOT's consultants' Steering Committee
for Corridor K working to land the future I-685 route through Fayetteville and Cumberland County. I
have been to Capital Hill and met with our Federal and State delegation(s) to thank them for their
support, and for additional funding and support for programs, initiatives or projects. From Longleaf
Pines Association of Realtors (LPR) Board of Director, to EDC Chair and Legislative Committee
member, The Salvation Army of the Sandhills, the Home Builders of Fayetteville (HBAF) Government
Affairs Committee, to the Greater Fayetteville Chamber's (GFC) Government Relations Committee, I
have served. Often I am asked: why do you attend so many meetings, many of which you are not
even required to attend? To me the answer is simply to be the best representative of the residents
of Fayetteville that I can be. If I learn one thing, if I can take away one new nugget of information
that I didn't have prior to attending, then the investment in time is worth it.