Candidates disagree on growth

Tuesday evening two of the five Wake Forest Town Board candidates, Chad Casale and Brian Clemson, urged sustainable residential growth, Brian Pate spoke of managed growth, and the two current commissioners, Greg Harrington and Anne Reeve seemed content with the town’s current rate of growth. All five want to encourage economic development, more commercial uses, and Clemson pushed for enticing more high tech companies to town.

There were about 50 people in the second-floor meeting room in town hall, and the forum was televised live and will be repeated, unedited, at noon and 6 p.m. on Channel 10 every day until the Nov. 3 election. It was sponsored by the Wake Forest Area Chamber of Commerce and the Town of Wake Forest.

Harrington and Reeve also did not agree with the characterization in the chamber’s question that budgets are being “tightened.” “I do not necessarily agree that we have a tightening budget,” Harrington said. “We do quite a lot with the monies that we have.” He said his priorities for budgeting are public safety (he was the police chief for 16 years) and pay and decent benefits for town personnel.

He said one item might be unnecessary. “I’m not big on greenways, believe in sidewalks and streets. I think we have a great greenway system and know people enjoy them. I wouldn’t necessarily vote against them.” Later he said he thinks the town needs to connect and enhance the greenways.

Since he mentioned them so often, there was general amusement when the only question from the audience asked if the candidates would provide additional funding for greenways. It was Harrington’s turn, he looked surprised, and said, with loud laughter, “Yes, but it is not a top priority with me.”

Pate said there must be a balance of priorities but Wake Forest provides a quality of place because of the greenways.

Reeve pointed out that it costs $1 million to build one mile of greenway, which then must be maintained constantly for decades. Bridges over the town’s several streams and wet areas cost even more. “It is a great amenity.” She said the town has been fortunate in having a young woman in the planning department who has been able to get a number of grants to build the greenways.

Casale, who rides his bike on the greenways, said he was grateful voters overwhelmingly approved bond money for greenways. Clemson said he and his family use the greenways, want to see connections between neighborhoods and want connections, “as funding permits.”

There was disagreement about the Rogers Road bridge replacement. “It’s what got me involved” in running for the town board, Casale said. He repeated the apparently widely circulated story that Andy Ammons “was supposed to build the bridge and widen the road.” (See related article.)

Casale suggested using a central location for carpooled students with buses to carry them to the schools and placing a temporary fire station and ambulance near the two Heritage schools west of the bridge because responses from fire and police units could be delayed because of the traffic.

Clemson suggested building the new bridge beside the existing one while it is replaced and wished there was another road for the traffic

“We don’t have any control over what DOT does,” Harrington said. “It’s just one of those bad situations.”

“I’d rather go ahead and get done with it,” Pate said. He said people should focus on how great it’s going to be when it’s done. “Slow down, pay attention and watch out for the other guy.”

“We aren’t in the bridge-building business,” Reeve said. “This is part of the infrastructure that’s being fixed. It takes time, it takes effort, not being aggravated and mean. Inconvenience, that’s part of life.”

Campaign finance

No one is showering millions, not even thousands on this campaign. Three of the five chose to tell the Wake Board of Elections that they intend to raise and spend less than $1,000 on their campaigns: Casale, Harrington and Reeve.

At the end of September, the most recent campaign finance reporting period, Clemson had raised $740 and spent $685. Pate had raised $515 and spent $466.