Round 2: Candidates meet again

Mooresville residents got another chance this week to hear their candidates tackle the issues. But this time, the issues they discussed pertained primarily to one of Mooresville’s most historic neighborhoods: the Mill Village.

About 50 people, and almost all of the candidates on the Nov. 6 town government ballot, turned out Monday night for the 2007 Candidates Event, hosted by The Mooresville Mill Village Assembly.

The election season’s second candidates forum took place at Assembly member Janice Notestine’s East Wilson Avenue home and was mediated by Assembly member Yvonne Hart.

Residents bearing lawn chairs, blankets, and food filled Notestine’s backyard to hear the candidates talk about the three issues most relevant to century-old community: code enforcement, crime, and a vision for the future.

Mayoral candidate Larry Gregory, At-Large commissioner candidate Miles Atkins, At-Large incumbent Danny Beaver, Ward 1 incumbent Mitch Abraham, Ward 1 candidate Carla Fassbender, and Ward 2 commissioner Thurman Houston were in attendance.

Mayor Bill Thunberg was at the N.C. League of Municipalities meeting in Fayetteville and was unable to attend the event. He was represented by his wife, Denise. Ward 2 candidate Gary Lewis was also out of town on business and sent his mother, Sylvia Lewis, on his behalf.

Candidates were asked to answer two questions – one relating to the candidate’s vision for the Mill Village, and one relating to problems with code enforcement and crime. The first question was given to the candidates in advance of the event, and candidates were allowed five minutes to respond.

The second question was given to candidates with no preparation and candidates were given two minutes to respond. (For the full text of the questions, see mooresvilletribune.com)

Candidates were also kept sequestered in Notestine’s house and were brought outside one by one to answer the Assembly’s questions.

Mayor
Denise Thunberg read a statement prepared by her husband in answer to the first question about his vision for Mill Village. Two of the most important elements in the future of the Mill Village, wrote Thunberg, are the ability for its residents to feel safe and their ability to own their own home.

“First and foremost, I would like to see the Mill Village be a safe and healthy neighborhood for the residents to live, work, and play,” he wrote. “Home ownership is an important element in creating that kind of feel in the neighborhood – any neighborhood. It is the pride of ownership that empowers residents to make things better.”

Thunberg wrote that, in the quest to fulfill that vision, he has met with the director of Freddie Mac, the federal agency that works with mortgage lenders to ensure low-interest loans for homeowners, and has worked with the Community Housing Development Corporation to provide homebuyer education.

“The current mortgage problem in the economy may make it harder to achieve both of those goals in the near term but we can continue to try,” he wrote.

Gregory said his vision for the Mill Village was “kind of multifaceted. I believe in the rights of people. I believe in you keeping your money.”

Gregory said he was opposed to the rising water rates and the town’s proposed cable deal and would do his best to be “a conservative voice” for his constituency.

“We’re not in the business of having government take care of us, but the government can at least get out of the way,” he said.

In order to make it easier on code enforcement officers and to keep down crime in the neighborhood, Gregory said he would “get more laws on the books” to encourage landlords to take care of their houses.

Ward 2
Ward 2 challenger Gary Lewis, in a statement read by his mother, Sylvia, wrote that part of his vision for the Mill Village was to help restore the community, which he called the “southern gateway” to Mooresville, to its former glory.

“The historic Mill Village represents part of what made our town of Mooresville what it is today,” he wrote. “Rich in diversity, promise, and history, the Mill Village represents the very best in Mooresville values: family, community, vitality, and prosperity.”

In order to preserve that, however, Lewis wrote, the town must make sure the residents’ needs are met. A big part of that, he wrote, would be increasing police presence in the community, improving the area’s water service, and improving the infrastructure, including roads.

“It is obvious Village citizens are involved and activated, but they cannot act alone,” Lewis wrote.

Ward 2 commissioner Thurman Houston said a few of his biggest goals for the Mill Village were also to improve infrastructure, sidewalks, water, and erosion control.

“I’m real concerned about this ward,” he said.

Houston said he hoped not to have to raise taxes, but to be able to explore the possibilities of securing government grants to help homeowners improve their homes.

“That would be a big plus to the homeowners,” he said.

Houston said another way to improve the Mill Village would be to make landlords “responsible for who they put in their houses.”
“I’d like to see stricter rules enforced on these landowners and their property,” he said.

Ward 1
Carla Fassbender, candidate for Ward 1 which includes Mill Village, said she wanted the neighborhood to “become a place where families can live.” The key to achieving that, she said, is to find ways to attract more homeowners and stable renters.

Sidewalks and street improvements, said Fassbender, are also very important to improving the quality of life in the neighborhood. “My biggest vision is that we can improve the infrastructure of the Mill Village,” she said.

Fassbender said the only way to solve the code enforcement and crime problems are to report them. “It’s not going to get any better if we don’t report (the problems),” she said.

Also crucial, she said, is to make sure that landlords are renting to reliable and law-abiding tenants. If elected, she said, “I would make sure the town does pay attention to the Mill Village.”

Ward 1 incumbent Mitch Abraham said that, in the past four years, a great deal has already been done to fulfill the vision of the Mill Village. Reducing speed limits, securing the redevelopment of the former Burlington Mill, and forming the Mill Village Revitalization committee and the Mill Village Assembly have all been part of that plan.

The continued vision, he said, is “to help guide the revitalization of this grand community.” In order to return it to a “strong, safe, community,” he said, the town will offer more policing of the area, stronger code enforcement, and continue to push Cherokee Investments to move ahead with the mill property’s redevelopment.

Right now, said Abraham, code enforcement is “kind of a Band-Aid situation. Sometimes it works, most of the time it does not.”

As commissioner, he said, he will continue to implement change at the top and allow the staff to carry it out. “We really need to let them run the show,” he said.

At-Large
At-large incumbent Danny Beaver said the real question should be, what is your vision for Mooresville? The four main issues on his election platform, however – quality of life, managed growth, economic development, and affordable taxes for all –- and he said, apply directly to life in the Mill Village.

Beaver said that better oversight of the area’s landlords will significantly help with some of the Mill Village’s biggest problems. “A lot of the problems, a lot of the crime comes from absentee landlords,” he said. “When we hurt them in their pocketbooks, which we intend to do, we can make them clean up the area.”

A big boost, said Beaver, will also come when Cherokee Investments completes its redevelopment of the mill. “It will totally fill a void that’s been there since the Burlington Mill closed,” he said.

At-large candidate Miles Atkins said he believes in “a shared vision” for the area. His portion of that vision, he said, is community pride in the historic downtown region as a whole, which has a range of options for housing and walkability.

“I look at our historic neighborhood as a great example of what Mooresville has to offer,” he said.

Atkins said his goals for the town as a whole also fit well with what Mill Village residents want for their neighborhood – smart growth and historic preservation. Part of that, he said, would be “putting teeth” into code enforcement to target landlords not caring for their properties. He suggested having targeted home inspections between tenants and a program that declined to turn on utilities for landlords who are habitual violators of the town’s housing codes.

“What’s good for the Mill Village is going to be good for all of us,” Atkins said.

For pictures and video of the 2007 Mill Village Candidates Event, visit http://www.mooresvillemillvillage.com.

-By

Posted on 10/17/07 at 08:41 AM
Mooresville •Mayor •Town Council •At Large •Ward 1 •Ward 2 • (0) Comments

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