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.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/46443
ELECTION Guide 201 cellphone. I live a meager life style, so I can somewhat relate to those who are in that condition. I have strong conservative moral, social, fi scal, judicial and theological credentials. I am very compassionate towards those who have suffered at the hands of fate. I have not one iota of compassion for those who rely on the public dole and criminal enterprise to support their life style. District 4 D.J. Haire (Incumbent) My three top priorities are improving transit, crime and the Murchison Road Corridor. I will continue, along with my fellow council members, to have discussions with our surrounding Cumberland County cities and towns, to see what they are willing to offer to help put bus routes in more areas that citizens need. Improving our transit has to be a collaborative effort. As far as purchasing future buses, I'll continue to suggest that we look at using the smaller passenger buses/vans, since the cost is less versus purchasing the larger passenger buses, and then we should be able to explore extending new routes since the smaller buses are not as expensive. Staff does a good job on exploring all types of grants and I would continue to be in favor of those efforts. Fighting crime is an on going job. Our data shows that those neighborhoods that have organized Community-Watch groups have less crime versus those that don't. I would continue to pursue our neighborhoods without a Watch Group to organize their community with one, as I'm presently doing. I would also be in favor of increasing our police force size. I strongly support improving and investing in our Murchison Road Corridor, from the Fort Bragg city limits to Rowan Street. We have several catalyst sites that our planning advisors have recommended for improvements, so let's have a round-table discussion fi rst with our very own home and commercial builders. Let's discuss with them what they would like to see offered from the city and county that would interest them in investing along this corridor. I've had major community meetings in the past, I would like to have another, let's get the citizens and local business owners involved, let's hear their thoughts on what they would like to see on their corridor and how we get there. There are many ideas throughout our city, I would like to hear them also. District 5 Bobby Hurst (Incumbent) What are your top three priorities for your district and how do you intend to address them? 1. Improving our economic base. With unemployment more than 10 percent in Cumberland County, job creation should be our number one priority. Unfortunately we rely too much on property owners for our tax base. We need to be more aggressive in promoting what Fayetteville offers manufacturing and industry to locate here. As policy makers we should create an environment conducive for expanding existing businesses and attracting new industry by maintaining a low tax rate, low crime, a clean city and a quality workforce. 2. Property crime. There has been a recent increase in property crime. We should encourage our Community-Watch groups and support their efforts. We should support our police department with the tools they need to deter crime. Specifi cally, I strongly support Chief Bergamine's formation of a Burglary Task Force to focus on property crimes such as breaking and entering. I have served as the community liaison for Operation Ceasefi re, the local initiative to reduce gun and gang violence, since 2003. 3. Neighborhood Blight. The passage of PROP II will be an effective tool in enforcing the code violations of unsightly rental properties and the reduction of criminal activity. As chairman of Fayetteville Beautiful, I will continue to encourage our citizens to create and maintain a cleaner more beautiful Fayetteville through waste reduction, litter abatement and beautifi cation projects. The key is instilling pride and taking ownership of our community. 14 UCW NOVEMBER 2-8, 2011 Tony D. McKinnon Sr. Thank you for the opportunity to address the issues affecting residents of District 5 and share my strategies to improve these conditions with your readers. My endeavor to become District 5 City Councilman is driven by my passion to positively impact the lives of others. The citizens of District 5 and Fayetteville itself deserve a leader who will hear them, see them and move on their behalf. Throughout my campaign I've had the opportunity to hear the concerns of so many District 5 citizens. The issue of safety and security of their loved ones and property is the fi rst item they discuss with me. It doesn't matter where in District 5 they live, safety is a key issue. Therefore, it is the fi rst plank in my platform. I plan to heighten police visibility by advocating for more police sub- stations co-located in more communities using pre-existing municipal buildings. The second plank follows safety but affects people in several ways: the plight of the homeless. There are many, including veterans and families, who are without one of life's very basic necessities — shelter. I would like to partner with existing organizations, professionals and academics who are dedicated to addressing homelessness. The partnership would be a concerted effort to join resources, skills and abilities to decrease the number of homeless on the streets and underpasses of District 5. My third plank is improvement in public transportation. It is critical to enhance the public transportation infrastructure with a plan to provide not only District 5 citizens, but the city of Fayetteville and its sister communities a safe and effi cient means of transit. This plan would develop a metropolitan transit system to include area hub stations in order to meet the growing demands of Fayetteville, while partnering with its sister communities, such as Spring Lake, Hope Mills and Raeford. I wish to thank the editors of Up & Coming for the opportunity to share what I consider the top three issues within District 5 and my strategies to address them. District 7 Valencia (Val) Applewhite (Incumbent) Crime: Continuing to fund our police department and push for innovative solutions are key. Crime requires a collaborative solution: Our city and county have expended signifi cant resources to address this issue but the results have limitations. The county can never build a large enough jail to keep criminals off of our streets and the Fayetteville Police Department cannot arrest our way out of this situation. The real key is to address the social issues that create the environment for criminal activity; and a judicial system that meets the needs of our community. Citizens are an important part of our Community Policing Strategy; they must have some level of responsibility and effort in keeping our community safe. Job Creation. Continuing to refi ne our expectations and relationship with the Chamber to attract new businesses must continue. Creating a supportive environment that helps local businesses thrive will help to create local jobs. Other communities have seen great success with sustained "Buy Local" campaigns; this could be a success in Fayetteville. Workforce development is crucial; partnering with our school system and higher educational systems has to be a community discussion. We are fortunate to have the military to fuel our available workforce; however many citizens are not equipped to compete in an environment that requires relevant skills. We cannot expect businesses to choose Fayetteville if we do not have a viable workforce. Economic Development. Perhaps for the very fi rst time, Fayetteville is recognized as a critical part of North Carolina's economic success. We've made signifi cant progress in attracting investment to our community even in the midst of a national economic recession. Refi ning our expectations and relationship with the Chamber will be a big part of our continued success. We also need the continued support of Raleigh and Washington to capitalize and expand on the economic opportunity that Fort Bragg represents. As a community, we have relied far too much on property taxes for revenue. We are in the spotlight and must seize the moment to diversify our tax base. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM