What started off in July as a potentially lively contest for three Mebane city council seats looks like it may end without any challengers to the three incumbent council members who are seeking reelection.
Jonathan White and Montreena Hadley are each seeking a second term on the council; councilman Tim Bradley, who currently serves as the mayor pro tem, is seeking his ninth four-year term; he was first elected in 1993.
Meanwhile, two challengers who signed up for the race – Rick Thomas and Blair Helms – have signaled they are no longer actively seeking election. However, The Alamance News has determined that neither has notified the board of elections of an intention to withdraw. And even if they did, it’s pretty much too late, inasmuch as early voting has already begun and both candidates’ names are on the early ballots, as well as the one to be voted on Election Day, November 4. [See separate story here: https://alamancenews.com/two-mebane-candidates-say-they-have-withdrawn-but-they-havent-notified-elections-board/]
Earlier another Mebane resident, former planning board member Kurt Pearson, had announced his intention to seek a seat on the council but then decided against and didn’t file.
All five registered candidates were notified that if they failed to respond to the newspaper’s questionnaire, their responses would be listed on the questionnaire as “Refused to answer.” Inasmuch as their votes for a council seat will still be tallied, even if not actively campaigning for the post any longer, The Alamance News has included them in the questionnaire grid, which is reprinted HERE; on each question, they are listed as “Refused to answer.”
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The three incumbents are generally in broad agreement about the state of Mebane affairs, although they differ a bit on a few priorities.
All three say that the tax rate of 37 cents per $100 valuation is “about right.” They also say that the city’s fund balance, or savings account, of about $22 million is “about right” and that Mebane voters are not being overtaxed when the city accumulates such a large amount of savings.
All three say that the current council salaries of $750 per month ($9,000 a year) are adequate and that they would not vote to increase pay during their term. They also oppose the concept of expanding the city’s health coverage to include council members, a move some municipalities have made in recent years.
Asked about the adequacy of funding for the city’s largest departments – police, fire, public works, and recreation and parks – Hadley believes all are adequately funded; Bradley says each needs more funding; and White says the funding must be “reassessed every year.”
Bradley is willing to entertain the possibility of a tax increase, if necessary, to provide for additional funding for the police and fire departments – but not public works or recreation and parks. White says he would support tax increases for each of the four “if necessary.”
Asked about their priorities among a list of 13 potential expenditures for various departments, Bradley lists more police officers and more firefighters as his top two (of five) priorities. Hadley says road improvements and a new police station are her top two priorities, and White lists additional park space and a new fire station as his top two.
Those who didn’t include it in their top two priorities, included the new police and fire stations somewhere in their top five.
Bradley was willing to consider tax increases, if necessary, in order to fund a new police station and fire station.
All three incumbents believe that Mebane’s rate of commercial and industrial growth is “about right.” While Hadley and White believe residential growth is also at an “about right” level, Bradley believes residential growth has been “too high.”
The biographical information provided by the three incumbents is outlined here: https://alamancenews.com/meet-the-candidates-for-mebane-city-council/
Their full questionnaire responses are reprinted HERE.
