What is your view of the town board?

This week the two candidates for mayor and the five for town commissioner were asked to respond to these questions.

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What is your view of the town board?

The two candidates for mayor responded:

Mayor Vivian Jones:

Over the past twenty or so years the Wake Forest Town government has developed several plans that guide us in all that we do. These plans include the Community Plan, Comprehensive Transportation Plan, Renaissance Plan, Parks/Recreation Plan, Greenways Plan, UDO. All of these plans were developed with robust citizen involvement. They have been kept updated with changes needed and new citizen involvement over the years. These plans are used by us every day in our work for the community.

The Town of Wake Forest has an excellent staff. Kip Padgett has done a good job reorganizing departments to make them more efficient. Our employees are truly dedicated to public service and providing the best possible resources for our citizens. We have made it policy through our Strategic Plan to maintain a values-based organizational culture by encouraging employees to express ideas, to provide resources for employee upward mobility and professional growth, and to ensure that Wake Forest is a competitive employer in the local government job market. Our Strategic Plan also requires us to be a safe and connected community. We were just recently named (again!) as one of the top 5 safest communities in North Carolina. Our Public Safety employees are the very best. We provide many ways for residents to become more involved in Town government and we work through Wake Forest Downtown, the Chamber of Commerce, Arts Wake Forest and many other organizations to present events that bring the community together to enjoy each other and our many amenities. We continue to maintain our excellent fiscal position with AAA rating and very low debt position.

Our mission statement has been that we are committed to improving the quality of life in our community by preserving our character, fostering economic opportunities, strengthening our neighborhoods, delivering superior services and embracing the diversity of our citizens. I believe that we work hard every day to embrace this mission; both the Town Board and the Staff.

We need to continue to work harder to bring more jobs to our community; to have a workforce program especially for young people, to develop an affordable housing initiative, and to take advantage of all the multi-modal transportation options available. We have a wonderful, caring community. Our residents love Wake Forest; they love our character and our amenities. We work every day to keep it so.

Commissioner Bridget Wall-Lennon:

The current town administrative staff has done an excellent job. All of my interactions with them have been nothing short of helpful, responsive, and professional. Given all the added responsibilities brought to our community by the pandemic, they have shown great care and concern for our citizens. They have worked through their own personal Covid challenges, and the staff kept the town functioning without gaps in services.

Since being elected in 2017, my perspective of the current Board as a governing body is that the members – for the most part – have heard me when I voiced concerns and identified areas needing changes. We have built a rapport based on mutual respect and understanding. We’ve worked through differences and found common ground to face issues of concern for our citizens.

As mayor, I will continue to be open and listen to citizens, staff, and the Board of Commissioners. I will lead an inclusive mayor’s administration: one that considers different perspectives and will be successful in governing for all of Wake Forest.  As mayor, I will lead in a way that will be more citizen focused.

I will serve as your Mayor in a Concerned, Committed and Community-focused manner.  Please join me on November 2^nd and Vote Bridget Wall-Lennon for Mayor of Wake Forest.  You may visit my website for more information at  www.BridgetForWakeForest.com/

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The five candidates for the town board responded:

Michael Molinaro:

My view of the current town government is simply we need a different vision and skill set in the mix on the Board of Commissioners. I think the current BOC has an overly amicable relationship with one another and there isn’t enough respectful challenging happening, especially when it comes to growth planning, economic understanding, and money management. I feel the current BOC has done a fair job to get us where we are today, but we need a higher business level skill set to be more proactive in setting the future success for Wake Forest, her citizens, and the need for adequate infrastructure.

We need to evaluate what current developments are in the channel, and how can we “pump the brakes”. We then can start being more strategic on how we get the road infrastructure caught up. We need to have no more than 5 top priorities, regarding safety and development, and if new projects arise but they don’t fit into the top priorities, they are postponed until we have a better handle on what we have today.

We need new leadership that is skilled in understanding complex budgets, eliminating ineffective spending, influential or being persistent with other government agencies to get state and federal assistance to keep up with our growth, and hearing “no” should not be an answer we accept from these agencies.

We need to listen to the citizens of Wake Forest and what they have expressed through the Community Plan Survey to develop our Top Priorities, encompassing:

Safety and Protection – Personal, Private and Public properties.

Carefully Managed Growth & Development – Targeting the Industrial/Commercial space and attracting mid to large sized companies.

Infrastructure – Address the current congestion and build the access to the commercial and industrial areas.

Money and Budget Management – Eliminate ineffective spending and reallocate monies to the necessary needs of infrastructure.

Preserve Wake Forest and her History

We are not Raleigh and nor do we want to be, we should be responding to the needs of the people of Wake Forest and to me it is clear what Wake Forest wants, and I am committed in doing the next right thing for you and Wake Forest!

In closing, as some of you will notice, if you have been following these weekly questions from The Wake Forest Gazette, I only participated in the introduction and now the last and closing arguments of this forum. I did this so my message wouldn’t get lost within the other candidates replies and I found myself doing just that during the introduction of the candidates. I am more than happy to speak to anyone and address your concerns, thoughts, and future of Wake Forest.

Please visit my website to learn more about me and to reach out directly – https://molinarofornc.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/MolinaroForNC

If you want someone to address infrastructure straight on, then you should vote for me.

Vote Mike Molinaro for Town Commissioner on November 2^nd.

Thank you!!

Keith Shackleford:

Keith Shackleford did not respond.

Patrick Griffin:

I feel there a lot of great things going on with our town.  Top notch facilities, excellent transparency and communication in regard to real time traffic updates/closures, and lots of outdoor activities/opportunities.  But there could be more and there are areas for improvement.

Last October the town went out and collected basketball goals from residents’ property.  A letter did go out warning the residents who have the goals on the edge of their property overhanging into the street they had 5 days to remove the goals.  I think there should have been more time/notice to get the goals removed for starters.  Also, was it right for your property to be taken away that quickly?  I don’t think so.  If this is such an issue and there were 130 goals that were targeted and would have been removed obviously there is a need for more basketball courts.  I’ve counted 14 tennis courts. 8 with pickle ball lines, 4 dedicated outdoor pickle ball courts, and 2 indoor pickle ball courts compared to 4 basketball courts throughout the entire town park system.

If we’re going to tell the residents that they can’t play basketball in the streets in front of their homes we need to accommodate and offer more basketball courts.  With the influx of residents coming into our area they have children who need a place to play.  We need to accommodate the growing needs of our children so they can have a place to play!

I have other ideas, interactions, and stories that I can share further at:

https://www.facebook.com/ Patrick-Griffin-for-Wake- Forest-Commissioner- 103715032045088/

Nick Sliwinski:

In my time in Wake Forest, I have been impressed by our town government.  We are lucky to have a dedicated group of individuals who choose public service.

Wake Forest has adapted using technology to better inform, and provide service to, our community.  The Wake Forest Town App allows residents to report issues needing attention.  Additionally, you can find past Planning Board and Commissioner’s meetings, promoting transparency and accountability for our town officials.

The Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department does a great job at providing events, maintaining our parks, and giving our youth the opportunity to participate in sports.  The Planning Department has been outstanding any time that I have had an interaction with them.  Our downtown is at the heart of our character and small-town charm.  The town has done a great job revitalizing this area while still bringing our town into the 21st century.

As our population increases, Wake Forest needs to keep striving for excellence in all areas of government.  We need to maintain what makes Wake Forest such an appealing place to live.  If elected, I will use my experience in purchasing to assess what savings can be found with our increased buying power as we continue to grow.  This can be done by reviewing contracts and contracted services, looking at how to work with vendors to streamline and consolidate purchasing, and looking for ways to reduce overall costs.  Additionally, I will look back on what has been happening with our growth over the last several years to identify what was done well, and what could be improved on.  This information will allow us to make better decisions that allow a proactive approach to potential issues that may come up.

Commissioner Liz Simpers:

I have learned so much about how town government operates in my first four years on the Board of Commissioners. Many things that you and I are frustrated with like traffic, rate of growth, clear cutting of trees – are not things that the town can mandate on our own. Most of these items are decided on the county or state level. This VERY reason is why strong relationships with county and state lawmakers make a difference.

Our town staff is amazing. We are actively updating our community plan and developing a land use plan to account for the pace of our growth. We have connectivity to over 50 miles of greenway and have over 1,000 protected acres of community parks and open space.

You may hear other candidates say we need to be more fiscally responsible as a town. Only 9 of the 552 municipalities in the state hold the highest possible rating from all three national credit rating agencies, and Wake Forest is one of them! That means we are fiscally strong, financially flexible, and have one of the most responsible budgets in the state. And we have done all of this while still lowering the tax rate by 5% this year! In fact, our taxes are lower now than they were more than ten years ago!

I look forward to continuing to work for our great town. I would be honored to have one of your two votes for town commissioner as the only incumbent, and the only female running for the board.

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Wake Forest voters will elect a mayor and two commissioners on Nov. 2 because the town follows a staggered schedule. Two years from now, in 2023, voters will elect three commissioners.

There are no voting districts in Wake Forest so the top two candidates for commissioner seats will be elected.

Officials are paid; the mayor’s salary is $10,000 and the commissioners are paid $8,000 each.

The town operates under a council-manager form of government with the town’s residents electing a mayor and five commissioners as the governing body with the town manager selected by the board acting as the chief operating officer administering all the municipal affairs.

Town Manager Kip Padgett prepares a budget each year with input from all the town’s departments and Chief Financial Officer Aileen Staples. The town board – the mayor and the five commissioners – examine it, hold a public hearing about it, make any changes they feel necessary and then approve it. The fiscal year begins on July 1. State law requires the budget to be balanced.

The Gazette was wrong in stating that there is no early voting for this election. There is early voting but not in Wake Forest. Instead, on or after Thursday, Oct. 14, voters can go to the Wake County Board of Elections Office at 1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh, NC 27610 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. any weekday. The telephone is 919-404-4040.

Go to Wakegov.com, click on Departments and then on Board of Elections for full information about voting by mail and the election.

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