SPENCER — Once again, Spencer residents can’t complain they have no choice.Thirteen candidates, including the current
six incumbents, are vying for the seats on the Board of Aldermen. They include first-time
candidates as well as people who have served the town for many years. All are optimistic
about Spencer’s future, but they don’t necessarily agree about how to get there.
Scott Benfield
Owner of Scott’s Plumbing,
Scott Benfield says Spencer is made of “some of the finest people I know.”
Now finishing his first term on
the town board, Benfield chairs the Street Committee and sits on the Parks and Recreation
and Sanitation committees. Previously, Benfield was Spencer’s public works director
for six years.
“I know the structure of the
town, and I am well aware of how everything works.”
Benfield said there are a few
projects and decisions in Spencer’s future that he would like to be a part of, though
he didn’t go into detail.
He said he is “real proud to
serve the community and would be on the board to serve the people, not the town.”
Joseph Cataldo
Another incumbent, Joseph Cataldo
says, “There has been a positive attitude and positive outlook of the town board the
past two years.”
Cataldo, 36, has lived in Spencer
for four years and served on the Board of Alderman for two years. As chairman of the
non-profit Library Park Fund, Cataldo said he would like to serve another two years on the
board to continue working on the library.
“I think the police
department is doing fantastic,” he said, “and the whole board has done a
tremendous job.”
Cataldo is best known in Spencer
as the owner of Uncle Louie’s. He sold the restaurant this year and now works at
Mid-South Tractor in Salisbury.
David Doby Sr.
Lifelong Spencer resident David
Doby said he opposes many of the fines and charges the citizens are required to pay.
Owner-operator of Spencer
Beadblasting, Doby, 37, opposes curbside garbage pickup, high water rates and the amount
of money spent on landscaping and upkeep of the shrubbery and trees in the town.
“Several residents oppose the
trees and shrubs planted in the road right of way, causing them not to safely see to enter
the street,” Doby said.
The first-time candidate thinks
Spencer has an “excellent fire department” and is eager to bring back Spencer
Clean Up Day.
Jonathan Fritz
“I’m not for term
limits, but experience and new blood work well together,” candidate Jonathan Fritz
said.
Fritz, 42, was a sheriff’s
deputy and detention officer during the Bob Martin administration and currently works as
an announcer at WSTP-AM radio. A resident of Spencer for 12 years, Fritz sees being on the
Board of Alderman as a “learning experience.” He is very excited about being a
part of Spencer’s future.
Fritz feels Spencer is in a
“very advantageous position” where you can “live near a major city but have
the quality of a small town.”
William ‘Bill’ Jennings
“Bill” Jennings is
familiar with the rollercoaster known as politics. He was elected to the board in 1991,
lost in 1993, was re-elected in 1995 and lost in 1997. Jennings, 70, hopes to gain a seat
this year to help fix up Park Plaza and abolish the trash fee.
“The taxpayers bought the
landfill, and now they’re paying to put their trash out there,” Jennings said.
“For retired people, it’s hard for them to afford.”
Jennings said when he was on the
board, taxes were lowered and there was a $5 garbage fee.
“When I was on the board
before, we talked to the owner of Park Plaza about fixing it up. That’s been five
years ago, and nothing has been done yet.”
Tom Neill
Lifetime Spencer resident Tom
Neill is another former alderman who wants another term on the board. “It all depends
on what the people want,” he said.
Neill sat on the board after the
1995 election but chose not to run in 1997. He feels his experience in the town best
qualifies him for the board.
The 73-year-old candidate said he
would try to accommodate any ideas citizens may have.
“If the town likes curbside
garbage service, then I will do my best to get it,” he said.
Neill wants to repair the fire
station. “We have good firemen who need new facilities.”
Pat S. Nelson
Incumbent alderman Pat Nelson
thinks the board needs a woman’s point of view. She says she is running again because
“Spencer is on the right track.”
Nelson, 71, retired as supervisor
for the Rowan County Board of Elections after 16 years of service. Nelson is most
concerned about water and sewer, land use, and “the fact that in delaying programs,
beautification and all the problems that come with growth, that we must be conscious of
the cost.”
A member of the board for the past
three terms, Nelson says the board must “by all means keep our budget in line with
the means and ability” of all Spencer citizens. She “looks with pride at what
Spencer has been going through.”
Jon E. Palmer
Jon Palmer, 28, is working toward
becoming a licensed architect and works at KKA Architecture. The first-time candidate says
Spencer must try to promote a more extensive recycling plan which will in turn reduce the
cost of garbage pickup.
“Roughly only 20 percent of
Spencer currently recycles; the rest dumping everything in to the general trash pickup.
… The landfill charges by the pound, and so, of course, these charges are reflected
back on to the fees for service.”
Palmer also believes the
“proximity” to major towns and the “ongoing renovation projects” at
the Transportation Museum will bring serious growth to Spencer.
Billy Floyd Pless Jr.
“Park Plaza is an eyesore to
the town and to the museum,” challenger Billy Pless says. “Visitors see it every
day, and they need to either demolish it or the owner needs to sell to someone.”
Pless, who has run unsuccessfully
before, says the town needs to concentrate on paving other streets in the town rather than
the “main ones.”
If elected, Pless pledges to focus
on cleaning up old cars that “are sitting around that need to be taken care of.”
He adds: “It is time to have
someone on the board who doesn’t believe in spending the taxpayers money on things we
don’t need.”
Steven D. Schenk
Former Spencer Police Chief Steven
Schenk wants to keep the “small town environment by getting the community
involved.”
Schenk, 38, is currently Chief
Deputy at the Rowan County Sheriff’s Department and making his first run for public
office. He feels the citizens of Spencer pay taxes to receive services.
“I believe that they
(citizens) should get their money’s worth,” he said. “If you give citizens
their money’s worth, then how can they complain?” He says he is dedicated to the
town of Spencer and anticipates welcoming more families and businesses to the area.
C.E. Spear
Former mayor and incumbent
alderman C.E. Spear may know the town of Spencer best. He served as board member from 1965
to 1977 and as mayor from 1977 to 1991. Spear, 75, was re-elected to the board in 1997.
“Spencer is filled with
volunteers; without the volunteers we couldn’t operate,” he says.
“I know we need more streets,
and I know we need better water and sewer rates.”
With 28 years of municipal
government experience, Spear says being retired allows him time to devote to the town.
John Phillip Stevens
Speed control is a major issue for
John Stevens, a family man. Stevens thinks more “family neighborhoods” need
“signs for children.” He also says Spencer needs to focus on increasing family
events.
Stevens, 34, works at Ferguson
Enterprise and has never run for public office before.
He says the water and sewer
expense is important. “My bill has gone up. And there are a lot of people in Spencer
on fixed incomes that I know can’t handle these monthly increases.”
He feels certain he can meet the
citizens’ expectations and help handle their concerns.
Tim S. Witkowski
“We are all here for one
reason, that’s because we love Spencer,” incumbent Tim Witkowski says. Seeking
his second term on the board, Witkowski, 42, is director of field services for Enerco
Energy Services.
He believes the town is getting
their “water accountability up.”
But Witkowski also points out that
if Spencer “continues purchasing water and Colortex (a major water customer) decides
to shut their doors, we’re going to be in trouble,” with the loss of revenues.
Witkowski sees options, however, including trying to upgrade the waste water treatment
plant or buying water from Davidson County.
Witkowski is pleased with the
current board and anticipates continued progress. |
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