Younger candidates encouraged to run for Franklin board
It was clear from the 2013 election results in Franklin that voters wanted change. The 2015 Franklin election will determine whether voters want to continue in the direction the mayor and board of aldermen have been taking the town.
The 2013 race had 12 people running for two aldermen seats while two incumbent aldermen decided to run for mayor. This year, a few names have been floating around but otherwise the town is unusually calm and quiet leading up to the election.
“I think a lot of things people were unhappy with are now in the past,” said Alderman Verlin Curtis, who is up for election this year. “I haven’t heard anything about who is running — it’s kind of been eerily quiet this year.”
While a non-contentious race would make it an easy run for incumbents, first-term Mayor Bob Scott and other aldermen want to see continued participation in the election process. Scott said it was encouraging to see so many younger folks running for office in the last election, and he hopes that continues this year. Even if they don’t run for a seat on the board, Scott encourages the 20-to-40 age bracket to get involved in their community.
“I’m aging out pretty quickly,” the 74-year-old joked. “I think there’s a reluctance to get involved in political office because people equate local politics with the mess we have in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.. Young people see that and don’t realize that’s not the issue at the local level.”
“I haven’t heard a thing this year about who may be running,” said Alderman Barbara McRae. “I thought it was great to see all those young people jumping in last time and I’d love to see that again.”
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Scott plans second run
When asked if he planned to run for another two-year term as mayor, Scott didn’t hesitate to give an enthusiastic “yes.” As a former newspaper reporter turned law enforcement officer, Scott has been on all sides of local government issues, but he thinks he’s best suited for his current role.
“I absolutely enjoy it … it’s very satisfying when you can help somebody solve a problem,” he said.
Scott served on the board of aldermen for 10 years before deciding to run for mayor. He was typically the dissident on the board and said he was likely the underdog for mayor in the last election against Sissy Pattillo — another longtime board member. He received 493 votes to Pattillo’s 181 votes.
Pattillo said she had no plans to run for mayor this year. She just hopes people who decide to run will have the best interest of the town at heart.
Scott ran on a platform of a transparent government and set out to accomplish a number of goals in his first years in office. Since being elected, he has made sure all the town’s boards and committees are adhering to the state Public Records Act and Open Meetings Law; reorganized the Main Street Program; worked to improve the town’s water and sewer infrastructure; encouraged businesses and residents to be involved in the town’s progress; and worked to beautify downtown.
“I’ve tried to make the town more welcoming and friendly — we’ve encouraged local businesses and new entrepreneurs to be involved,” he said. “I feel good about that but there are still things I want to get done.”
Scott said he would continue to improve parking and crosswalks downtown; try to slow traffic coming down Main Street; beautify downtown and outlying areas of town; and emphasize the town’s festivals to increase tourism.
Because the Main Street Program board has gone inactive until it can reorganize, the town has taken over responsibility for four festivals — Fourth of July, Pumpkin Fest, Veterans Day and Winter Wonderland.
“I’ve been a little disappointed in a couple of festivals that went by the wayside, especially the (Franklin) Folk Festival,” Scott said, adding that these types of events get too large and don’t have enough volunteers to keep up the momentum. “The town just doesn’t have the resources to take them all over.” On the other hand, he said festivals like the Taste of Scotland, which occurred Fathers Day weekend, was a huge success once again.
Ironically, Scott said his biggest challenge as mayor has been the North Carolina General Assembly. This year, legislators attempted to push for a bill that would make municipal boards hold partisan elections. If that ever passes, he said he wouldn’t run again.
“That’s the worst idea I’ve ever heard — 98 percent are non-partisan and it should stay that way,” he said. “I don’t want to have to answer to a political party.”
The General Assembly is also looking at changing the sales tax distribution formula, which would strip small towns like Franklin of a dependable revenue source. Paired with shrinking state Powell Bill funding for road repairs, Scott can’t help but feel like the Legislature isn’t a proponent of small or local government.
McRae, who still has another two years as alderman, said she thinks the public is responding favorably to Scott, who has taken on the role of an active mayor.
“I think the mayor is doing a terrific job. He’s working so hard and he’s energetic about leading the town because he really cares about it,” she said.
Board incumbents on the fence
As of Monday evening, Aldermen Verlin Curtis and Joyce Handley hadn’t decided whether they would seek another four years in office.
Curtis has already served three terms on the board and currently serves as the vice mayor.
“I don’t like to make a quick decision, but I feel like I’m mentally capable of doing the job even though I’ll be 80 this year,” he said.
Handley, who has served two terms on the board, is still contemplating another run for office. With a lot of other things happening in her life, she said, “I’m leaning toward ‘yes’ but I haven’t made a final decision, but I’m looking forward to seeing who all is going to get into it this year.”
Alderman Farrell Jamison is also up for reelection but did not return phone calls seeking comment about whether he would be running again.
So what’s at stake in this election? Well, that depends on who runs. Scott and other aldermen feel like the board has a great working relationship right now with no insurmountable obstacles in front of them. However, the possibility of three new board members and/or a new mayor has the potential to change everything.
“I think the town has really moved ahead in the last two years,” McRae said. “I’m very excited about the fact that the board members get along so well. We don’t always agree, but we have a lot of respect for one another.”
Curtis said the board has definitely had a better relationship in the last four years than it has in the past.
“In the last four years I think we have went through a great learning stage and I think we’re on the road to making progress while keeping the tax rate low,” he said.
While water and sewer infrastructure improvements may not be a sexy topic, it’s an important part of running a town government, aldermen say. The town recently received a $3.5 million loan to make upgrades to its water treatment plant.
“The biggest issue will be maintaining our infrastructure — without good infrastructure you don’t have a town,” Scott said.
The mayor and aldermen also agreed that Town Manager Summer Woodard and the town employees have made a big difference in how the town and the board operate.
“Summer is doing a great job,” Curtis said. “She has a vision about things — she’s a thinker.”
Looking to the future, McRae said her goals for the next two years will be to revitalize some of the older rundown neighborhoods and work to preserve the town’s historic buildings. In the meantime, she is just happy to see progress being made downtown and cooperation between merchants.
“I feel like people are working together now when two years ago we had a lot of splinter groups,” she said. “It took a lot of energy, but people are more on the same page now.”
