news-record.com

Becky Strickland

Summerfield Town Council candidate

Occupation: Retired Paralegal Specialist from the federal government

Age: 59

Education: Bachelor of Administration. Science degree in Justice and Policy Studies from Guilford College; also hold an active NC Real Estate Broker’s License (non-practicing)

Address: 3220 Pleasant Ridge Rd., Summerfield, NC 27358

Web site/blog/email address: www.beckystrickland.net

E-mail: stricklandbecky@hotmail.com

Previous elective experience: Four years on Summerfield Town Council from 2005 to present

Other relevant experience (boards and commissions, etc.): For eight years, served on Board of Directors of a 138-unit non-profit homeowners’ association whose responsibilities included budgeting Association member dues to maintain and preserve the value of their properties while keeping costs and monthly dues contained; currently serving on Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1799 Fund raising Committee to help build their Memorial in Summerfield Community Park; currently participate in fund raising and support of local Tabitha Ministries, Inc.

Why have you chosen to run for this office? To keep government small, open, and honest; to keep basic services private; to preserve the rural character and quality of life here; to keep low to no taxes; and to keep government out of citizens’ private lives as much as possible—all founding principles on which Summerfield was incorporated in 1996.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job: My legal background and knowledge of contract law and business law, real estate law, criminal and civil law, municipal law-especially the North Carolina Public Records Act and Open Meetings Laws--knowledge of government personnel policies; my ability to draft and edit policies and procedures for the Town thereby preserving public funds, and my extensive knowledge of the NC Non-profit Corporations Act along with parliamentary procedure.

Family: a daughter – married and a biologist in biotherapeutics

What distinguishes you most from your opponents? My tenacity despite constant adversities; preparedness for each meeting; my conviction to stay true to the founding principles of Summerfield despite 4 years of non-stop criticism publicized by the same small core group; and my protective stewardship of all the taxpayers’ money.

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

1. excessive spending of public’ money by the majority on Council with little concern for the well-being of the whole, the current economy, or the unemployment rate;
2. polarized division in the community; i.e., the “spend it because you have it” group versus the masses who revere the founding principles;
3. general public perception of a majority government non-receptive to their concerns about Summerfield’s becoming a “little Greensboro.”

If you were to give Summerfield a letter grade on its effectiveness in managing growth, what would it be? For the last four years since I have been on Council, an “A” because of my educating the public about their right to file Protest Petitions regarding rezoning applications directly affecting their properties, thus invoking the super-majority rule.

What vote or decision of the current council would you overturn? Why do you disagree with the decision? Past council votes that I would overturn would be the town property tax levies given the reserves already on hand, interest income, and other types of revenue resources incoming to the Town without a tax. I am extremely happy for this year’s “Property Tax Holiday” which passed by a 3-2 vote, but should a tax return, I hope at a much lower rate than ever previously imposed by the current council majority.