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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NOVEMBER 2-8, 2016 UCW 11 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM County Commissioner James K. Keefe UCW: Specifically outline your ideas to bring economic development to the community. I have been disappointed in the results of our economic devel- opment efforts in Cumberland County. I believe there have been some struggles in the structure of the organizations and there has not been a clear understanding or focus from their leadership or the leadership of the elected bodies. We need to re-focus our core strategy for marketing to specific companies and organizations that can increase the average wages. Currently, we have one of the greatest needs in the medical field and struggle to find qualified nurses and medical personnel in our region. Our military neighbors have a large number of qualified individuals leaving the service every month that have leadership, technical and human services skills that are highly needed in the civilian work force. I am very excited about the residency program that we have established between Cape Fear Valley Health System and Campbell University. This will be one of the most significant programs in many years for additional job opportunities. FTCC has continued to be a real asset to our community and plays a major role in providing educational training for individuals and new companies requiring specific skill sets. Finally, we need to market ourselves and let potential companies know what a great community we are and that we have a lot to offer them. UCW: What issue do you think is most important to the county over the next four years? There is no more important issue in our community than obtaining jobs and employment opportunities to the citizens. We have struggled with a cycle of poverty in our community that affects families and neighborhoods for generations. Communities that thrive and grow economi- cally have jobs and opportunities for every person who wants to work. Regardless of their educational level or skill set, there are options for employment. In order for any community to grow and prosper, there needs to be balance of jobs and opportunities. Non- and Low-skilled workers will need opportunities for employment, just as blue collar, technical, administrative, professional and corporate personnel. If there is not the option in a com- munity, the government must provide services for these individual and families. Cities and counties with low employment almost always have low crime, better per- forming school systems, higher quality of life, more arts and entertainment options and see significant increases in companies and organizations relocating and growing their business here. UCW: How can the county better work with the city? Cumberland County works very well with the City of Fayetteville and all of the other towns and municipalities in our county. A very good example is the cooperation between each of the elected government bodies during the hurricane and its aftermath. There are many other examples of working together that have been successful; Parks & Recreation, the Red Light Camera agreement, the new baseball stadium and economic development. The idea that we do not work well together is really not true. UCW: How can the county address the homeless issue? Cumberland County and the city of Fayetteville have dedicated funding and resources to address homeless- ness in our area. To simply take a broad brush and say, " we need to fix homelessness," is not compassionate, smart or fiscally responsible. Personally, I believe that we need to take the issue of homelessness and break it down into four categories and measure ourselves on this parameters; Economic, substance abuse, mental health and choice are all reasons for homelessness and we need to address them individually. Frankly, persons that are homeless for economic reasons are the easiest to ad- dress, but they get lumped into all the other groups and are quickly lost in a government programs that do not focus on getting them back on their feet and economi- cally stable. UCW: What are the sacred cows in the county budget that cannot be touched and why? There should be no sacred cows. In fact, many programs are outdated, archaic and do not use technol- ogy to its fullest extent. A number of mandates that the county is responsible are directives by the State of North Carolina and we are required to fund, staff and maintain the program. Over the past few years, the Board of Com- missioners has initiated a "Business Intelligence Com- mittee" to investigate protocols and procedures within county departments and transform them to be more efficient, customer friendly and more economical. This has been a great success, saving the taxpayer millions of dollars in work hours and unnecessary paperwork. UCW: Crime is growing in the community how can the county work with the Sheriff's Department to address security in the county? The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is respon- sible for enforcing law in the unincorporated areas of the county and in small communities. There is a very healthy relationship between the Sheriff's office and the municipal police departments in the county. As county government, we have increased the capacity of our detention center to keep more criminals off the street while awaiting trial and have worked with the court system through Veteran's Court and Drug Court to help individuals receive counseling that do not need to be detained. We have one of the most aggressive programs in the state of North Carolina to work with trained law enforcement, mental health providers and our hospital system to help person with mental health issues. None of these programs will fix our crime issue by itself, but a program of education rather than incarceration seems to be successful in our community. County Commissioner Marshall Faircloth UCW: Specifically outline your ideas to bring economic development to the community. In addition to the Cape Fear Valley Health System/Campbell University partnership to bring a full-fledged medical residency program to Cumberland County, Commissioners can be of the greatest benefit by properly funding and supporting the newly reorganized Fayetteville Cumberland Economic Develop- ment Corporation. UCW: What issue do you think is most important to the county over the next four years? There is a growing need/desire to improve the overall livability of the community in a way that citizens encoun- ter when visiting larger cities. This is doable to a reason- able extent but will require funds not currently available to local governments. The challenge will be to provide funding for quality of life enhancements that will result in a future payoff as our young people find economic and leisure opportunity in their own community rather than having to move elsewhere. UCW: How can the county better work with the city? Over the past year, the County has worked extremely well with its municipalities and will continue to do so. As Fayetteville, in particular, has reached out to the County for assistance, such as the minor league ballpark, joint 911 facility co-location, and homelessness issues, the County has responded very favorably in doing its part. UCW: How can the county address the homeless is- sue? These matters are being undertaken jointly by Fayetteville and Cumberland County. The current stage of this effort is to identify who the homeless are and why they are in that circumstance. The next stage will be to bring resources to those who can in fact be helped. UCW: What are the sacred cows in the county budget that cannot be touched and why?Unless you are talking about funds that are mandated by law or contracts, I'm not aware of any. UCW: Crime is growing in the community how can the county work with the Sheriff's Department to address security in the county? The Commissioners' legal authority over the Sheriff's Department is limited to the budget. If the department has a funding need for a specific project that will reduce the crime rate, it can be considered at any time. All correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the N.C. Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. N.C. District Court Judge Mike Hardin I have dedicated my life and my career for nearly two decades to public service. I have been a child sex offense prosecutor for 18 years. I have worked with children from the day they told someone they were physically or sexually abused, until years later when their cases went to trial. I have seen these same children later as adults and know person- ally the impact these cases have had on their lives and the lives of their families. Cumberland County has over 900 cases of abuse, ne- glect, and dependency pending. Many of these children are in Foster Care. Eventually a district court judge will have to decide where these children. Cumberland County has a high number of domestic court filings, including divorce and child custody. A dis- trict court judge will have to decide which parent these children will live with, visitation, and other important decisions that will affect these children for the rest of their lives. I believe my experience and my commitment to chil- dren and families are the reasons I can make a difference as the next District Court Judge in Cumberland County. I am the only candidate that has a family of his own. A district court judge will have to resolve family issues on a daily basis. Although, it is not necessary to have a fam- ily to be a judge, I believe that having a family gives me unique insight into how a family works on a daily basis. Cumberland County has had a steady violent crime rate. A district court judge has the power to set higher bonds to keep the public safe from repeat and violent of- fenders. I have been a violent crimes prosecutor for over 20 years trying cases involving rape, robbery, kidnap- ping, and murder. I am the only candidate with this type of experience. I believe I have unique insight into how to protect the public. A district court judge must be able to understand what the victims of crime experience. My family and I have also been the victim of crime. My wife and son were assaulted by a sexual predator in a parking lot down- town. My family experienced the court system from the magistrate's office to a jury trial. I believe myself and my family have a unique insight into what the general public often experiences. A district court judge essentially presides over tri- als and the courtroom. A judge should therefore have substantial trial experience of their own if they are going to tell other lawyers how to try a case. All lawyers learn the law in law school, but you don't have real experience until you have practiced law. I unquestionably have the most trial experience. I believe that my extensive experience inside and outside of the courtroom, and my overall life experience makes me the best choice for District Court Judge. I am committed to continuing my career as a public servant, serving the citizens of Cumberland County. Election Guide Updates