This week the Wake Forest Gazette will begin a series of articles about this fall’s election of a mayor and two commissioners. The articles will be written by the candidates as they answer questions posed by the Gazette.
For this first week, we asked incumbent Mayor Vivian Jones and first-term Commissioner Jim Thompson “What are the challenges that you can see Wake Forest will face in the next four years?
Jim Thompson: One of the key challenges I see for Wake Forest is the fact that we are running out of potential land to develop. And while we supposedly have had a focus on economic development over the last 16 years, we have failed to see that materialize. Wake Forest currently collects about 70% of its revenue from residential property tax and around 30% from commercial. If this ratio continues, we will be faced with the challenge of either reducing town services or increasing our property taxes or other fees.
During the last 16 years, the town provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Wake Forest Chamber to be our economic development arm and other than a few hundred jobs here or there, it’s never materialized.
When I ran for the Board of Commissioners, one of my big focuses was economic development. Once elected, I made that priority a reality. During my time on the Board, we hired a new town manager, who has a strong history of success with economic development. And, we took the nearly $100K a year we were paying the Wake Forest Chamber and brought economic development in house.
We have since re-launched the Wake Forest Business Industry Partnership and have actually budgeted money towards economic development.
The other challenge that we face related to economic development and available land is the fact the town of Wake Forest doesn’t have a comprehensive land use plan. This is an absolute failure in leadership in our town and explains to citizens why it appears sometimes we have no plan in how our community has grown.
The town of Wake Forest missed a tremendous opportunity to develop a land use plan while it was creating its Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), but failed to do so. The town of Wake Forest missed the opportunity to create an overlay district along S. Main Street and instead we get what we have today. Its things like that that have put our town at a disadvantage and we need to act quickly.
Think about this – when the town of Wake Forest knew that Capital Blvd./US1 would eventually be connected to 540, we should have been right there with a comprehensive land use plan and a UDO ready to meet the challenge of growth head-on. Instead, we sat back and reactively dealt with the growth.
This proves to me that Wake Forest needs new leadership and a Mayor who can Bring the Future to Wake Forest TODAY. Please vote Jim Thompson – Wake Forest Mayor – on Tues. Nov. 7. For more information, visit www.ElectJimThompson.com.
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Vivian Jones: I believe the biggest challenge in the next four years will continue to be growth. We must continually assess projects that come before us in terms of impact on infrastructure.
I do not believe growth is a bad thing. We must try to bring more jobs which will help by allowing people to work here instead of having to leave the town every day and add to the traffic on the roads. The Wake Transit Plan will be implemented over the next ten years and we will see benefits shortly. By increasing our bus service to downtown Raleigh and increasing our local service with more coverage and more frequency, we will provide a way for people to get around without driving. I hope we can add Saturday service and I would love to have some later service during the week–at least a couple of nights a week. Commuter rail is also in the plan but not for the first ten years. However, there is a real possibility that we could get this started earlier.
There are several road projects that will happen over the next ten years or so that will make an impact on our community. Turning Capital Blvd. into a freeway from 540 to NC98; Stadium Road upgrade to include 3 lanes, sidewalks & bike paths; expansion of Ligon Mill in the vicinity of WalMart; greenway connections that will allow kids to walk to schools; sidewalk projects that will allow more pedestrian access; all these things will help with traffic issues.
Within the next ten years, we will probably see Franklin Street extended from Rogers Road to Calvin Jones Highway and Ligon Mill extended all the way through to Calvin Jones. Making these connections will help with the flow of traffic. As we update our Transportation Plan in the next year, the residents will have an opportunity to let us know what their ideas are for updates and changes.
I believe we need to start discussing what we could do to promote more affordable housing, we need to continue an emphasis on using smart technology and keeping our conservative fiscal approach in using our revenues.
18 Responses
I’m familiar with the Renaissance Plan, but I’m also interested in hearing the candidate’s vision for downtown. What will you do to spark infill, revitalization, and to make sure our great old working downtown doesn’t simply turn into a theme mall.
Will you continue to protect the downtown character? How would you help get new business into vacant space on White?
Will you work to drive more restaurants, bagels, and bars into the core? How about a movie house? A dedicated venue for live music?
My point being we need more entertainment options in the town core and not all out on Capital and Rogers. That way our town center remains a unique destination that draws people in who can then support our many craftsman and artists already doing business downtown.
My final point is that there seems to be too much development of townhouses and apartments, too much focus on generic strip malls and fast food out on Capital and Rogers, and not enough energy focused on developing our downtown and taking an already amazing district to the next level in a thoughtful way that will meet the needs and expectations of an exploding population.
Thank you JS for your comments. I hope you and others similarly interested in your ideas can attend this Thursdays Downtown Summit at Event Gallery at Cotton Company – starting at 6 p.m., free refreshments too. I think you will be delightfully surprised to discover there are many who think as you do, and better than that, they are bringing in what you like and will show you actual plans. Many of us are with you in your aspirations for downtown. If you can make it be sure to say hello and mention your letter here as love to fill you in even more.
Just an note that most people don’t realize… Jim is the one who has been able to vote for or against development and transportation projects while he’s been commissioner. The Mayor is only able to provide influence.
Actually, the Mayor cast the deciding vote for Wake Forest’s participation in the transportation plan. One of the commissioners was absent for that vote.
In 1999, the Town of Wake Forest and the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce, via the Business and Industry Partnership, developed an economic development arm housed at the chamber. The Town gave around $40,000 per year at that point. For the first few years, significant successes occurred, one of which was the creation of South Forest Industrial Park (all parcels were purchased in Phase 1 by light industrial and spec builders; phase 2 was later purchased by Scott Carle of East Coast Drilling and he subsequently developed and sold lots in Phase 2). Since then, the park has further grown significantly. The tax base for Wake Forest in 2000 was $600M (I may be off $200M) and by 2010, our tax base was well over $1B. At that stage of Wake Forest life, we also did not have much in the way of retail (grocery stores and more). Retail is certainly not the sexy economic development successes of say Novo Nordisk’s $1.2B expansion, but for smaller communities (2000 census, Wake Forest population was 12,800 and some change), economic development is a phased program. You can’t seek retail without rooftops (introduction of Wakefield and Heritage spurred significant retail development). Before more professional and light industrial businesses make their way to town, they, too, need to see our demographics and rooftops improve. I don’t think it is fair to imply that economic development was not successful over the last 16 years. It was a different time with different emphasis, getting to where we can compete more at this time. That said, and having had a role in supporting two of the largest economic development projects in NC among numerous other projects, our town still struggles with product. Rather, the types of product in which Wake County Economic Development and the Economic Development Partnership of NC regularly courts per business recruitment, retention, and expansion efforts. This is, in no way, a reflection of our economic development director or anyone who has held that position in the past.
The rapid growth we have had is a blessing that most communities in NC and across America would love to have. On that point, we are incredibly fortunate. The points were made that growth presents multiple challenges. That’s correct. We have multiple areas in which we can focus on to further the great successes of the past accomplishments. After all, growing and development is an incremental process.
I believe our town is going to continue to grow and more and more people will want to come and live in our community. Addressing some challenges as was mentioned like affordable housing, updating our town’s land-use plan (as appropriate), and infrastructure needs (short-term and longer-term) will be a constant act as long as our community and region continues to grow as we have. …Definitely not a one-and-done.
I know both candidates well and have tremendous respect for both Mayor Jones and Commissioner and Mayoral Candidate, Thompson. Both are honorable people. WE, the citizenry, are very fortunate to have two very qualified, fine, and respectful individuals running to lead our town.
We are, indeed, fortunate to live in our growing town.
Jim Thompson is for the realtors and big money the growth brings to this area. I see more signs out for him than you can shake a stick at. Follow the money folks….
While previous leadership is saluted appreciated, it is clear that Jim Thompson has the vision, drive, energy, and leadership to move Wake Forest forward. Proactive and Unity go a long way towards shifting a city towards it’s destiny. This election represents the opportunity to bring about a new choice in leadership.
I would like to know what the candidates are going to do to protect the people that originally lived here from the extreme influx of people moving from New York and New Jersey that are driving out to lower and middle-class.
I guess we could build a wall
?
Seriously?
The people moving in come from all over.
If I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you were asking about affordable housing initiatives… for all residents.
You mean Native Americans?
As a recent transplant, it seems to me that everything WF has done the past 10+ years was done to attract families like mine to the town. The road improvements, the street beatification, walkability improvements, greenways, schools, and housing all say to us outsiders that WF wants us here.
I mean, people have the choice of living anywhere within the greatest nation in the history of civilized man and the fact that so many of us are choosing Wake Forest should be a source of pride.
Most everyone we’ve met since moving here have been wonderful and welcoming. I have to assume this anti growth sentiment in this post is in the stark minority.
We love WF and are so thankful to have moved here. It’s our goal to be thoughtful neighbors and good citizens.
As someone new to the Wake Forest area, it definitely appears to me that Jim has more of a handle on what needs to take place to solve some of these problems than Vivian does. I know she has done a lot for the town in the past. And I have personally spoken to both them at WF events at Joyner Park. I personally feel like Jim has more energy and a good grasp of vision than Vivian, even though she was very nice.
The only jobs brought in are minimal pay jobs. Is any effort being made to bring tech or other high paying companies here? And the housing situation is bad. All the high priced homes and apts. You shut out a group of people who can’t afford to live here. I personally think a change In leadership is needed.
Vivian has done a tremendous amount for Wake Forest and I thank her for that.
Bus service is great for those that need it but I do not think it will cut down on traffic. If I need to run to the grocery store, I am going to hop in my car…not the bus. My husband works in downtown Raleigh and tried to make the bus work. The timing wasn’t right and he spent way to much time sitting and waiting.
Parents won’t even put their children on school buses because “bad things happen on the bus”. Do you really think they will let them use the greenways to walk to school?
Nicely stated Jennifer. Agree 100% that we are a car crowd not a public transit crowd. The buses here were originally free and no one got on other than a handful of folks who went to work then back at 6 p.m. This was FREE. So now we only get buses twice a day for those times is what I see. No one is riding the buses and to do it all day is not needed or wanted and is a waste of taxpayer money. We would be better served by paying Uber to move a few people directly to destination and back versus running buses back and forth empty.
Sounds like Vivian just wants more of the same ok same ol. We need fresh vision and strategic planning. Not just sitting idly by and letting development dictate how we navigate into the future.
Sounds like the other guy just want to bring New York and New Jersey here to wake forest
So long as RDU shows up in real estate guides and travel glossies as one of the Top Ten Places in the US to Live, folks from NY and NJ are coming here no matter who is mayor. The question then is not “how do we shut off the flow” but rather “how can the town adapt its infrastructure to better manage the flow of traffic and people?” The town has been slowly reactive in adapting to growth for the past decade, resulting in the traffic snarls we have today. 🙁