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Office you seek: Elon Board of Alderman

Occupation: District Manager for Duke Energy

Age: 56

Education: BS in Business and Economics

Address: 109 Longbrook Drive

Email address: Davis.Montgomery@duke-energy.com

Previous elective experience: Elon Board of Alderman

Other relevant experience (boards and commissions, etc.): Alamance Chamber of Commerce, Elon Parks and Recreation Commission, Greensboro Chamber Operating Committee, Rockingham County Economic Development Partnership, Carolina Theatre, UNCG Board of Visitors, UNCG Corporate Relations Committee, Greensboro and Alamance Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee, NC Cooperative Extension Advisory Board, Guilford Education Alliance, Guilford Merchants Association, ARMC Charitable Foundation

Why have you chosen to run for this office? I have served one term and I am very interested in helping shape the future of Elon. All around us things are changing and we have to strike a balance between preserving what is good about our town and making changes that will keep Elon a place where people will want to live, go to school, shop, eat out and raise their families.

Key qualifications you would bring to the job: Diverse business experiences and personal experiences from having lived and worked in several towns in North and South Carolina.

Family: Wife Cindy and daughter Jordan

What distinguishes you most from your opponents? I am still actively employed and have the daily experience of making decisions related to business, economic development, budgets, municipal and county government, community support, communications, negotiations and compromise.

Please list the top three issues in Elon and your stances on those issues:
1. Finances and Budget should be our top priority as we successfully manage our way through the current economic environment.
2. The library, it is important to our community and our county, and as a major project, it will define us in the near term.
3. Cook Road widening will change our community physically and aesthetically. It is a main corridor into Elon and gives people one of their first impressions of our town.

If you were to give Elon a letter grade on its effectiveness in managing growth, what would it be? A- We have done an excellent job with our first development ordinances. It gives us a guide for making sound, consistent decisions in development issues, but again, things are changing around us and we need to review our plan and make adjustments where needed.

What vote or decision of the current council would you overturn? I don’t think it is productive to rehash or second-guess a past decision. You gather your facts, seek guidance and counsel from others, make your decision and present your case. Once the decision is made by your peers, then you need to get on board and support it in the best way that you can.