|
Dillsboro candidates speak out on issues facing town
By Lynn Hotaling
As is the case in three of four Jackson County municipalities, the race for the five seats on Dillsboro’s town board is a competitive one this year.
The contest is equally divided between incumbents – Jim Cochran, Mike Fitzgerald and Bud Smith – and newcomers – Jimmy Cabe, Jim Dukes and John Faulk.
|
|
|
|
|
Jim Cochran
|
Mike Fitzgerald
|
Bud Smith
|
|
|
|
Not Pictured
|
|
Jimmy Cabe
|
Jim Dukes
|
John Faulk
|
|
Cochran is 62 and has lived in Dillsboro since 1996. He has served two terms on the town board and is currently Dillsboro’s appointee to the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority Board.
Fitzgerald, 53, has lived in Dillsboro for 10 years. He’s the owner of Fitzgerald’s Shoe Shop in Sylva, and he was appointed to the Dillsboro board about six months ago, following the resignation of David Jones.
Smith is 59. He’s lived in Dillsboro for 16 years and has served one term on its town board. He co-owns The Golden Carp on Webster Street.
Cabe is 42, and he was born and raised in Dillsboro. Though he left for a time, he has been back in town for about four years. He’s self-employed as a carpenter.
Dukes, 34, has lived in Jackson County for six years and in Dillsboro for three. A land-use planner, he is co-owner of Grindstaff Cove mixed-use development in Sylva and also co-owns Dillsboro Crossing. He currently serves as chairman of the Jackson County Greenways Commission.
Faulk is the former owner of B and Al’s hot dog stand in Dillsboro and currently owns and operates the Burger Shak in Sylva. He and his wife also own Dillsboro’s Applegate Inn, which was damaged during the September 2004 flooding that followed Hurricane Ivan, and is not currently open. He is a member of Dillsboro’s appointed planning board and is a Sylva appointee to the Economic Development Commission of Jackson County.
Five of the six candidates were interviewed during the past week. The questions they were asked and their answers follow.
Faulk, who survived a challenge to his candidacy (See related story, page 1A) when the Jackson County Board of Elections ruled that he is a Dillsboro resident, was approached twice for this story and declined to be interviewed each time. He also failed to return Tuesday evening telephone calls.
What is your position with regard to the Dillsboro Dam?
Cochran: I, as a member of the town board and a resident of Dillsboro, would like to keep the dam. I don’t want the dam taken out, and I think that’s the consensus of the current board and mayor.
However, I think Duke Power is going to do what Duke’s going to do, and fighting, from Dillsboro’s point of view, was a losing battle. The county is fighting it, and we pay taxes. We didn’t think Dillsboro should pay, too.
When the Settlement Agreement was signed by the mayor, the board agreed that was what we should do.
Fitzgerald: I’d like to see the dam stay, but there’s much more involved. We signed on to the agreement so that we wouldn’t be without recourse. Dillsboro is so small that we don’t have much clout. If the decision about the dam had been up to the city, we would have decided to keep it, but the matter is in the hands of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Smith: I don’t want to see the dam go; I’d like to see it stay. We’re a small town, and we’re hoping we have the last say, but we don’t know if that’s the case.
Cabe: Really and truly, I’d like to see the dam stay. My grandfather was the power plant superintendent back when the dam was owned by the Dillsboro and Sylva Electric Co.
But I don’t know if it’s up to anyone but Duke. If I’m elected, I’ll look into ways to save the dam, and if I can do anything to save it, I will. If not, I’ll be sad.
Dukes: The dam is not a big issue with me. The town board has already gone through the process with Duke and the county.
I feel like trying to do anything counter to what’s been done would be wasting time; I would deal with issues as they arise.
What is your opinion about plans for Dillsboro’s Monteith property?
Cochran: The move in obtaining the property was a good move. I think it will be a good thing for Dillsboro, the county and the area.
The house restoration and the amphitheater will be good things, and we’re getting the financing to do it without it being a burden to the town. Buying the property was an investment, but we haven’t been able to make things “jell” as fast as we’d like to.
I think the property will be self-supporting once the facilities are completed because other groups will pay to use them, and we may charge for parking.
Though the details aren’t complete, I support the plans for the property and think they are exciting for the town of Dillsboro and for the whole area.
Fitzgerald: It’s a great idea, a great thing. The town can really use more parking. When it’s finished, the Monteith property will be an asset to the area. It will have parking, a museum and an auditorium/theater, and there seems to be a wise plan in place.
Smith: I’m all for the current plans to develop the Monteith property. We’re looking at grants for the refurbishment of the house. We plan to restore the house and are hoping to use it as a museum and possibly even move the town hall over there.
That property is a part of the town’s history – the railroad goes through there and the greenway will also. We plan a theater and are trying to make it an attraction so people can enjoy it
Cabe: I’ve seen the site plans once. If it’s done right, I think it will be a good idea. I don’t really know enough about it yet to comment. I think they have good plans, but I want to learn more.
Dukes: I think it’s a good idea. I’ve been involved with it since the beginning through the Greenways Commission.
I really like the way the plan is coming together – I like what they’re proposing. I like the idea of the property as a needed enhancement for the town, and I think it will be a positive for the future of Dillsboro.
What other issues do you think will impact Dillsboro during the next four years?
Cochran: One thing I’d like to see is more unity within the town board. When you’re part of a board and disagree, you don’t need to be nasty and belligerent. I’ve served on a lot of boards, and my hope for the next board would be a little closer comradery – to agree to disagree and move on and not undermine the actions of the board.
I have no personal agenda. I was attracted to Dillsboro because of its ordinances and zoning. Having the protection of ordinances is a good thing for homeowners, though not everyone would agree. I think Dillsboro’s zoning is one thing that attracts people, and I think we need to continue it.
Fitzgerald: Hopefully there will be plans for a new post office, though that hasn’t been discussed yet. We’re trying to maintain the quality of life in Dillsboro. We have discussed the possibility of the town becoming an historic district.
Smith: Beer and wine sales, which will be on the November ballot. I totally support them. We’re only asking for sales in restaurants. I think Dillsboro needs more revenue without raising taxes.
Cabe: Dillsboro is a great little town. You’d have to look hard to find ways to improve it. More parking maybe, but the Monteith property may take care of that.
I’d like to make Dillsboro better for everybody and not make it worse for anyone.
Dukes: I just want to serve the population. I want to learn what it is that the residents and merchants think and how I can help. The town board is there to help merchants and residents with what they want and how they want to grow.
Why would you be the best choice for the town board?
Cochran: I’m a loyal person to the residents of the town. I’m able to use the knowledge I’ve had for budgeting to assist the town of Dillsboro. I work closely with the town clerk on finances, and the town has ended with a surplus for the past several years.
I feel like I’m a team player, and I think that’s important.
Fitzgerald: Because I have to live there, decisions I make will affect me, too. I think everyone who serves on the board does it out of civic duty, and I think we have a good group on the board right now.
Smith: For the reasons as when I ran before. I’m a business person and a resident. I like this town and want to see it prosper, though I’m not sure what will happen without the beer and wine revenue.
Dillsboro needs to grow. I think its residents and business people have lots of good ideas, and I’d like to see more of them get involved.
Cabe: I’m not a politician; I’m running because a lot of people asked me to run.
I don’t know that I can offer any more than anyone else, except that I was born and raised here. I don’t have any kind of agenda; no one currently on the council has done anything I don’t like.
People I respect asked me to run, and I’d try to do a good job.
Dukes: I’m an objective listener who is good at problem solving and understanding both sides of an issue and who has no problem making decisions.
Through my business and experience, I feel like I’ve got a lot to put into the board to help steer the town in the direction it wants to go.
At this point, the town of Dillsboro has a lot of potential. It’s the town board’s responsibility to figure out that potential and the desires of everyone to make the town the best it can be.
(Editor’s note: This is the third installment in a series on Jackson County’s upcoming municipal elections. Next week’s paper will include discussion of Webster candidates; Sylva candidates will discuss issues in the Oct. 29 newspaper.)
|
