news-record.com

REIDSVILLE — Mayor James Festerman said residents want him to “keep on keeping on” with the changes that have occurred in the city. Donald Gorham said it’s time for change. And Chuck Faint said both men are out of touch, and the city needs a businessman to lead it.

The three Reidsville natives are all seeking the mayor’s seat.

Election Day in Reidsville is Oct. 6.

James Festerman

Festerman is the city’s current mayor and former police chief. Before becoming mayor, he served two terms on the Reidsville City Council.

The Reidsville native said he responds to his constituents’ concerns and cites numerous accomplishments under his leadership.

He has sat on the Governor’s Crime Commission for about a decade and said he’s advocated for Reidsville during that time. Festerman said Rockingham County has received more than $2 million in grants through that commission. Some of that money has helped support the Reidsville Teen Center, which opened in 2007.

“We’ve got a beautiful teen center that’s being utilized,” Festerman said. He said other money received from the commission has been used to put more police officers on the street.

Festerman said residents have expressed pleasure over the improvements that have been made downtown, as well as the work being done in the Reidsville Industrial Park to prepare it for more businesses.

Festerman said other issues he’s working on include cleaning up Jaycee Park and relocating the senior center. Festerman said he appointed a committee to look into upgrades at the park. Renovating the city’s parks and recreational facilities is an issue over which many of the council candidates have expressed concern. Festerman said he anticipates the committee will make recommendations by early November.

Donald Gorham

Gorham is mayor pro tem. He is a Reidsville native and longtime educator who retired as principal of Lawsonville Avenue Elementary School.

Gorham said he’s sacrificing his seat on the City Council because it’s time for “effective change.” There will be two new faces on the council regardless of the outcome of the mayor’s race.

But Gorham is not counting himself out. “The pulse of the community indicates that I’m doing pretty well,” he said of his campaign.

Gorham said there are a couple of issues that keep popping up in his talks with residents: the number of police in neighborhoods and the number of abandoned houses occupied by squatters.

Gorham said those issues should be addressed with additional officers hired with federal stimulus money.

Gorham said he wants to maintain the progress the city has made.

Residents have been concerned about the amount of money spent downtown, he said. But those improvements, Gorham said, had to be a priority for the city to compete for business and industry.

Market Square, which opened in August and houses the city’s farmers market, is an example of those improvements.

“It’s a showcase, and it’s something that I don’t want to see go down,” Gorham said. “I want to see it continue to be vibrant. I want the downtown to continue to be vibrant.”

Yet, Gorham said, the city “may have gone a little overboard” with the project.

He said its construction reduced the number of parking spaces downtown and, at about $1.5 million, was over budget.

Gorham also said he’s been concerned about moving the Senior Center for the past four years.

He wants to find a suitable spot for senior activities with adequate parking.

Chuck Faint

Faint is a 45-year-old Reidsville native and owner of Chuck Faint Realty. He ran unsuccessfully last year for a Rockingham County commissioner seat.

He said he’s running for mayor because residents are concerned about decisions made under the current leadership, such as property taxes being raised in 2007.

“A lot of property owners have come to me upset and wanting somebody with some backbone to do something about it,” he said.

Faint said the city needs a businessman as mayor who knows the answer to everything does not lie with raising taxes. If he is elected, he said, residents will get “the most for their money.”

“I’m in tune and in touch with what’s going on in Reidsville,” Faint said.

Faint said it’s a “crying shame” city leaders can spend money on Market Square but can’t build an outdoor swimming pool for children whose families don’t belong to private clubs. He wants to see three such pools built in the city.

He also said improvements made downtown need to be spread across the city.

“The focus needs to be on the whole city, not just a few little areas.”

Contact Jonnelle Davis at 627-4881, Ext. 126, or jonnelle.davis@news-record.com