Reflections on 12 months as an elected public official

On the positive side, this brief introduction to public office has given me a new perspective on everyone who devotes their lives to public service in an elective office at any government level.

I now have a new appreciation for their service and understand how they ignore distractions.

While we bring opinions and knowledge from our life experiences, each of us is simply one vote in decisions made by the majority.

Our “job satisfaction” comes solely from knowing that we can make a difference in many people’s lives, through the small part each of us plays in our interactions with other council members and the manager we hire.

Councilwoman Ward, Councilman Ogle, and I answered the calls from numerous Valdese citizens who felt their needs were ignored or were concerned about the 2023 tax hike and the town’s long-term debt.

The most common, unspoken, unwritten request we received, which we never publicly stated or promised, was the need for a change in the town manager.

We never had to address that problem because he was terminated with a golden parachute before we took office. Since no replacement had been named, we three council members-elect initiated meetings with the Western Piedmont Council of Governments to hire an interim manager.

We also recruited a citizen with solid management experience to take manager responsibility from the December meeting at which we were sworn in until the interim manager could start.

At that meeting, the council unanimously canceled a project that had grown from $6.5 million to over $10 million with no end in sight. That eliminated a $7.2 million loan that would have doubled the town’s long-term debt, giving Valdese the highest debt load of 85 similar-size North Carolina towns.

In February, the council approved a $1.6 million renovation of its “Old Rock School” community center with assurances that the project would not require tax dollars.

At the 100-year-old building’s “rededication” on Nov. 21, the town celebrated one of the finest auditoriums in the county. It and other improvements were funded by $ 1.5 million grants raised through the hard work of the staff who had applied for them years earlier.

Another $151,000 was raised through donations by 124 generous citizens and businesses. That fantastic accomplishment was partially enabled by a behind-the-scenes initiative of two council members who convened an ad hoc group to resolve a $500,000 funding shortfall from the construction bid.

The most outstanding achievement of the 2024 town council was the unanimous adoption of the fiscal year 24-25 annual budget, which gave all Valdese property owners a 20% tax cut.

Even that drew ridicule as a “mere pennies a day.” Yet to those who knocked on a few hundred doors on the west side of town, the greatest reward from this year of public service was knowing how important that $60, $80, or $100 tax break was to help some residents meet their medical bills.

My final example of “big satisfaction from a tiny role” came when Hurricane Helene made it clear that our Public Works department needed a backup generator.

A new generator priced over $100,000 would take over a year to deliver. A little research into the secondary market for industrial equipment turned up a lead that the Interim Town Manager diligently pursued.

As a result of his responsiveness, a backup generator will be delivered shortly at a cost closer to $30,000.

The individual council member roles in each of these examples were minimal. Yet the reward of knowing you had a small part in something that impacted many people makes it all worthwhile.

For instance, while a savings of $70,000 on a generator may seem insignificant, relevant to town budgets of $7 million or school system budgets of $20 million, it is very significant to taxpayers on fixed incomes.

For example, $70,000 saved by a little bit of generator research is the equivalent of the total property taxes paid by 150 owners of the smallest homes in Valdese.

So, in answer to questions I get about a few adverse comments directed to my council activities — like pesky mosquito bites — they are nothing. I advise anyone considering running for an elected office to do it — it will be a rewarding experience.