Up & Coming Weekly

October 31, 2017

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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18 NOVEMBER 1 - 7, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Nat Robertson UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city's baseball stadium. What will you do specifically to create better commu- nication and cooperation between the two governing bodies? Robertson: Soon after being elected as Mayor in 2013, recognizing there are many issues between the City and County that needed reconciling, I re-es- tablished the City/County Liaison Committee. A contingency of City, County, School Board and Ft. Bragg representatives who can talk about and present ideas back to our respective Boards. We have discussed many common issues and problem solved on issues involving both bodies. A couple of successes from this Committee have been; the creation of the Fayetteville/Cumberland Youth Council and the red light camera agreement. Both government bodies have different responsibilities, different chartered tasks and different missions to fulfill for our residents. We come together and work toward a common goal when we can. Often time, while best represent- ing our own residents, our jurisdictional responsibilities don't fit together. This may often appear that we are not able to get along, but that's not true. As two government bodies, I feel our relationship is as strong now as it has been in decades. I look forward to continuing transparent and open discussions with the County Commissioners both on an individual personal level as well as collectively as governmental bodies. UCW: The city's tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayette- ville's lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development? Robertson: We have had many successes over the past couple of years with attracting jobs to Fayetteville. Since being elected, we have lowered our un- employment rate from 8.9% to 5.6%. This means more people are working and our local economy has picked up. Good news! But, we still have work to do… I continue to work with the Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Development Corporation to court companies and industry to look at Fayetteville for their future home. And for those business who are already here? I continue my pledge to make our City a friendlier place for businesses to do business. When our local businesses grow organically, we all win! Mitch Colvin UCW: Elected city officials and Cumberland County Commissioners have not been able to agree on who would operate a joint 911 emergency center and continue to be at odds over which sales tax distribution method the county should implement. And now, the county seems to be pushing back on how much money it should devote to the city's baseball stadi- um. What will you do specifically to create better communication and cooperation between the two governing bodies? Colvin: A harmonious relationship between the governmental bodies is critical in any community. The problems of community are too large for any one governing body to handle alone. In order for our city to be successful we must work together. During my four years on Council I have witnessed first hand the disconnect between the City and the county. As a result I have made this my number one platform issue during the campaign. If I am elected Mayor, I would propose a joint committee consisting of the leaders from the City Council, County Commission,School Board, Fayetteville State, Methodist College, Fayetteville Technical College, Cape Fear Valley Health system and Ft.Bragg to discuss the direction of our community. Furthermore, I would encourage Council to ask the County Commissioners and the School Board to Annual Joint strategic planning meetings. Areas like joint purchasing in our procurement and service consolidation could save tax payers Billions of dollars over time. This lack of coordination has and continues to cost our citizens millions of dollars in loss opportunities. Projects like Rooms To Go and Sanderson Farms have cost us thousands of Jobs. The divisive politics that has existed with some of our leaders has to stop. We must have leadership willing to build bridges not walls. UCW: The city's tax base is more dependent on residential properties than any other major city in North Carolina. This is primarily because of Fayette- ville's lack of economic development and our continued failure to attract large corporate headquarters, technology companies and manufacturing firms. What role do you feel the city plays in local economic development? Colvin: To correct this problem we must use a comprehensive approach. We Must first begin by updating the 2012 Garner Report. This was an in depth analy- sis of our community highlighting our strengths and weaknesses. This report also tells us the areas and the industries that work best with our population's skill set. We should begin to aggressively go after companies in these areas. At the same time I would convene a Work Force Summit to begin to strengthen our work force. Thai is critical in the recruitment of industry. Our steady supply of trained laborers from the military has not been marketed in an effective way. Also we have failed to take advantage of our location. We are only 83 miles from Wilmington. An inland terminal to distribute goods and cargo would provide a boost to our economy. For example, Atlanta/Savannah, Charleston/ Dillon, are a few examples. Furthermore, I would also advocate for an expansion in the cargo f lights in our airport. The abilit y to move merchandise around is ver y attractive to large industr y. Finally, the city must rebrand and redefine who we are regionally. All of our municipal peers have a regional identity. For instance, Charlotte/Mecklenburg is the Financial Hub, Raleigh/Durham Tech and Medical, etc. Once we define ourselves we promote the brand, nationally and internationally. After all we live in a Global economy. The Mayor should be on the front lines with our economic development team as an ambassador for our city. Let's get started. Election 2017 Fayetteville Mayoral Candidates Up & Coming Weekly keeps the community informed about elections. As in years past, we've reached out to the candidates to give them an opportunity to make their case to you, the voter. In the following pages, you will find their responses. You will also find that not every candidate is represented. at was a choice by the candidate. e Fayetteville And Hope Mills candidates were all given the option to participate. Each candidate vying for similar office was asked the exact same set of ques- tions. We have not altered or amended their answers. Because we believe so strongly in the privilege of voting, we wanted to ensure that you have all the information you need – not only about the candidates and the issues – but also about where, when and how you can vote. For Cumberland County voters: • Early one-stop voting is ongoing. • Saturday, Nov. 4, one-stop voting and same-day registration ends. • Tuesday, Nov. 7, is the big day. Polls open at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Learn more: www.co.cumberland.nc.us/election_board/voter_info/guide.aspx

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