news-record.com

Victor G. Gilliland

Office you seek: Town Council, Town of Jamestown

Occupation: Retired military

Age: 73

Education: bachelor’s of arts, history and classical studies, UNCG; associate’s in applied science, law enforcement technology, GTCC; masters of arts, liberal studies, UNCG

Address: 204 Arlington Drive, Jamestown

Email address: vggilliland@aol.com

Previous elective experience: Jamestown councilman (1997-99)

Other relevant experience: Current member of the Jamestown planning and zoning board and Pinecroft/Sedgefield Fire Department’s board of directors

Why have you chosen to run for this office? I love Jamestown and desire to make this the best town for all the residents. I believe my years of experience on the Jamestown planning and zoning board provides a good background in making qualified and sound decisions on the future growth of Jamestown.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job:

• Government -- councilman in Jamestown
• Community growth — nine years of experience on the Jamestown planning and zoning board
• Law Enforcement — former deputy sheriff with the Guilford County Sheriff’s Department
• Fire and Safety — member of the Pinecroft/Sedgefield Fire Department’s board of directors. (Fire protection for the Town of Jamestown is provided by the Pinecroft/Sedgefield Fire Department.)
• Leadership — Retired officer from the U.S. Marine Corps, 34 years of military service.

Family: Wife, Patsy Gray Gilliland, and four adult children

What distinguishes you most from your opponents? I am committed to the residents of Jamestown. I will strive to promote the growth of our town in a manner that is beneficial to everyone.

Please list the top three issues in Jamestown and your stances on those issues:

1. Employee moral: Ensure the employees of Jamestown receive recognition for good works and deeds.
2. Ecological: Present to Duke Energy a town resolution to refrain from the use of chemicals for defoliation within the Jamestown town limits.
3. Transportation: Establish selected bus stops within the town limits of Jamestown. Currently there are no designated bus stops in Jamestown for the cities of High Point and Greensboro transportation systems.

If you were to give Jamestown a letter grade on its effectiveness in managing growth, what would it be? B. Hopefully a higher rating will be forthcoming. A town planner was recently hired and the effective management of current and proposed growth has increased significantly.

What vote or decision of the current council would you overturn? Why do you disagree with the decision? The town manager proposed a 2 percent raise for town’s 30 full-time and 21 part-time employees during the presentation of the 2009-10 budget to the current town council. A member of the council state at the meeting that “the employees did not deserve a raise.” Result: 3-1 vote to deny a 2 percent pay hike.

The town employees, from the man on the garbage truck upward through the ranks, strive to provide excellent service to the residents of Jamestown. They search for ways to save money and are conscious of the need for time management in their daily work schedules. Unfortunately, little credit has been acknowledged by the current council for documented monetary savings, based on employee ingenuity.