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There’s lots of competition for the mayor and one town council seat open on Town of Pleasant Garden’s government board.

Tuesday’s primary will narrow the mayor’s race from three candidates to two and the town council race from four to two.

Mayor Anne Hice will defend her seat against Town Councilman and former mayor Rick Wallace and newcomer Bill Greene.
This is the first year the town will get to vote for mayor.

Greene said changes he’d like to oversee as mayor include placing the soccer program back under the supervision of the recreation board and removing $15,000 for a future town library from the budget. He said surveys about the library represented a small portion of the community and did not verify if respondents were town residents.

Greene said his opponents don’t properly prepare for budget planning. He also believes the town has not been progressing in the direction of growth.

Hice believes the board’s progress has been good and the council should continue to protect the residential and agricultural nature of the town.

Hice wants to keep property taxes to a minimum and said she has helped lower the tax rate 50 percent.

One of Wallace’s biggest concerns is a lack of communication on the board. He also wants to see the town handle taxpayers’ money more responsibly, keeping town taxes low.

Wallace said the town should continue educating residents about gang- and drug-related topics. He wants the town to prevent these issues now, not wait until a major problem exists.

Four people are vying for the one open council seat — Alan Marshall, Carla Strickland, Ron Surgeon and Henry Tripp.

Strickland wants to see a council that works together and doesn’t manage the day-to-day affairs of the town’s staff and appointed boards.

Strickland said the $15,000 allocated for a future library should be spent elsewhere. She doesn’t believe there’s enough support for this program and said funds would be better spent hosting concerts at town hall and expanding the farmers’ market.

Surgeon, who has served on three councils for a total of six years, said taxpayers’ money is being wasted and the town council spends too much time micro-managing staff. He said there’s $20,000 in the current budget being spent on pet projects, which he said are nice but could be done without spending taxpayers’ funds.

Surgeon also believes the soccer program should be returned to the recreation board’s supervision.

Tripp isn’t running on a platform of change. He thinks the town needs to continue to maintain low-density growth and continue to keep taxes low.

One change Tripp would like to see is the return of the flags to the poles outside of town hall.

Marshall did not respond to the News & Record’s requests for a completed questionnaire.

According to his web site, Marshall would like the council to be required to read expenditure requests that are $5,000 or more at two consecutive meetings before voting. Those votes would also require a super majority vote, or four council members supporting the amendment.

Marshall would also like to see the recreation board regain oversight of the soccer program and similar programs that may be created. He wants committees to be open to both residents and non-residents.
 

Contact E.A. Seagraves at 883-4422, Ext. 241, or elizabeth.seagraves@news-record.com