The Smithfield Times will be taking a different approach to Smithfield Town Council candidate questionnaires this year. Rather than sending a list of questions and publishing all questions and responses in the same print edition and online, the Times will send the candidates a single question once per week.

There will be 12 questions in total, with two weeks and up to 250 words to respond to each, through Oct. 23. For the first week, we asked, “What will be your top priority if elected?”

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Mary Ellen Bebermeyer

My top priority if elected to the Smithfield Town Council will be talking with citizens, listening to their concerns and offering reasonable solutions.  I have no personal agenda, other than to ensure Smithfield retains its charm and remains economically viable. Residents are concerned with traffic, excessive growth, and the extra costs that follow, I share those concerns.  Residents want to know that their concerns are being heard, that town leaders understand their concerns and are willing to find mutually agreed upon solutions. Small business owners want a town government that makes it easier to operate without complicated, hard to understand regulations.

Every decision I make on Town Council I will ask: ‘how does this impact the residents of Smithfield?’ and ‘will it make Smithfield a better place to live and work?’

Citizens should be able to trust their local officials and I promise, if elected to Town Council, I will be open and honest with the people I represent.

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Jim Collins

An area of focus that I have started and will continue to dive into further is the inner workings of the town’s finances.  As mentioned during previous Council meetings, I have been researching various reports that detail the financial health of our town.  What I have been finding is incredibly interesting.  After fully comprehending the amazing financial position our town is in, I want to further work to shape the goals and management efforts of the Fund Balance, which is the Town’s reserves or “rainy day funds”.  As an example, the Council recently voted to adjust the property tax rate in connection with the latest assessments which translated into an overall tax increase.  Given our financial position, was that necessary?

 

My overall goal is to make each decision that comes before the Council from a foundation of knowledge and understanding.  I am a big supporter of doing my own research and fact-finding to make the most informed decision.

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Darren Cutler

I would like to thank the Smithfield Times for the opportunity to participate in discussion about our wonderful town!

I cannot limit my response to a single priority for our town as there are too many items of concern in our local government to say I have just one, however some of my top priorities are: 

1. Transparency – Government must operate in an open environment and the current level of transparency at the local level is severely lacking.  This needs to be corrected to give constituents the requisite insight into governmental operations they deserve from elected leaders.  This must change IMMEDIATELY.  
2. Growth – I vow to be THE speed bump to uncontrolled growth.  The town has a comprehensive plan yet the Planning Commission and some members of Council seem to completely disregard it in favor of developer profits.  This MUST change to protect the integrity of our town, its neighborhoods, and to serve the interests of current tax payers living in the infrastructure we have today.  I SAY NO to waivers that enhance developer profits while increasing density and burdening unfunded infrastructure.
3. No Taxpayer Dollars to Private Ventures – There is no place for the hard-earned money of our citizens to increase the wealth of non-citizens.  I will fight against any money grab disguised as a donation, the use of funds from taxpayers towards a public private partnership, or any similar effort to leverage town money (taxpayer dollars, past or present) to enhance or benefit developers to increase their profits.

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Ray Gibbs

Community Involvement – If elected, this will be my foremost priority. Our strength as a community lies in our collective knowledge of the issues we face. As more residents become engaged, we gain a more accurate understanding of the community’s true pulse, allowing us to align our goals with the needs of the residents. We can utilize word of mouth, social media, and potentially live-stream meetings to broaden our reach and inclusivity. With the aid of technology, we have the opportunity to make these resources readily accessible. This will remain a central priority. Community involvement leads to knowledge, which in turn fosters leadership accountability.

Building Trust – Establishing trust is a long-term commitment, as it is cultivated over time. We will strive to instill confidence in our local leaders by attentively listening to the concerns of our community’s residents, encouraging active involvement, and ensuring accountability. If elected to the Town Council, I pledge to always be transparent and honest when addressing any concern or issue that comes to my attention. Building trust is not about telling people what they want to hear; it is about fostering open communication, providing and receiving constructive feedback, demonstrating empathy, and maintaining integrity. I am fully committed to upholding these principles if elected.

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Bill Harris

Today, Town Council faces many issues which qualify as a “top priority”. If elected  to Town Council, my top priority will be to push  Council to codify policy that forbids this current town council, and  all future town councils, from using any public funds to support any private development or private enterprise. I believe there are no good reasons to ever commit taxpayer monies to help developers complete their projects or to increase their profit. This includes engaging in any Public-Private Partnerships. Potential developers within the town of Smithfield should come prepared to work within the parameters of our existing zoning regulations, and also come equipped with reasonable proffers to help offset the costs and other negative impacts that their development may have on infrastructure and  town services. It seems that on occasion, governments forget that they have no money of their own. All of the money that is used to finance the budget or to build monetary reserves comes primarily into the treasury as a result of citizens paying taxes. The money that our Town Council spends is taxpayer money, and citizens trust that their money will  be spent wisely on their behalf, and in their service. And that is how it should be. It is my belief that such policy should have been codified long ago and I will work to bring this about.          

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Mike Smith

As everyone knows, there are many high priority issues that can top the list in our Town. One of the current, most pressing issues is infrastructure. We have a lot of projected growth (over 1,400 approved homes on the books) and we need to be ahead of the curve on making sure we have the infrastructure (roads, police, fire, rescue) to support the inevitable growth.

We also need to continue to make sure that we appropriately pay our town employees with compensation plans that are in keeping with towns our size.

My main goal going forward is to ensure that our council does a better job listening. We need to listen to the citizens; we need to answer their questions and we need to address their concerns.  We need to be fully transparent in all issues. Our current system allows us to vote on an issue the same night it is brought before council. We need to seek citizens’ input and give them a chance to weigh in on the topic before voting on sensitive issues. I strongly believe we have been chosen by the citizens of this great town and we must do a better job representing them. I encourage all citizens to get involved and be a part of the decisions made in our community. There are only seven members on council; make sure you elect one who will represent you.  Smith for Smithfield!