Elon voters will get to have three candidates to choose from to fill two open seats on the town’s nonpartisan, five-member council in this year’s municipal election.
Elon’s race pits incumbent councilman Randy Orwig, a pastor at Elon Community Church United Church of Christ first elected to the town council in 2021, against two newcomers, both of whom are businessmen.
Challenger Steve Exum is a professional photographer and president of Exum Photography, LLC. Challenger Michael Ratigan is president and CEO of Fjord, Inc., a nautical instruments manufacturing company.
Council member Stephanie Bourland – who, like Orwig, ran unopposed for two open seats on Elon’s town council in 2021 – opted not to seek reelection this year.
Exum and Ratigan support increasing municipal tax rate; Orwig won’t say.
Exum says a 1.5-cent bump in the municipal tax rate – from 35 cents to 36.5 cents per $100 of valuation – is needed to fund future big-ticket infrastructure projects after “consulting more experienced council members.”
Ratigan says he thinks the tax rate should be increased by 5 cents, to 40 cents per $100 of valuation.
The incumbent, however, says the newspaper’s question oversimplifies the process of determining where the tax rate should be set.
“Tax rate is not about too low/too high,” says Orwig. “It’s a rate set each year by town of Elon needs.”
Challengers support higher funding for essential services
While both Exum and Ratigan say they would vote in the best interests of Elon’s residents – even if meant breaking with the majority – the incumbent calls the question “silly.”
Says Orwig, “Question takes a negative view of a council that works together well…Many of the issues are worked out long before a vote.”
Orwig sheds little light on whether he thinks that the town’s essential functions – specifically, police, fire, public works, and parks and recreation – are adequately-funded.
Says Orwig, “The town…does what it can with resources we have to create best departments….”
By comparison, Exum says Elon’s emergency services and public works are adequately-funded, while the parks and recreation department needs more funding.
Ratigan supports increasing funding for police, fire, and parks and recreation but believes the budget for Elon’s public works department is adequate.
Exum would be willing to raise property taxes for public works and parks and recreation; Ratigan says he’d vote to raise taxes for all four departments.
Orwig didn’t directly respond when asked whether he’d be willing to raise property taxes to provide additional funding for police, fire, public works, and/or parks and recreation.
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Challengers point to need to plan for and fund big-ticket expenses
One area of agreement between the two newcomers is the need to plan for and increase spending for big-ticket capital expenses, such as water/sewer projects.
Capital spending should be increased, says Exum, to “encourage smart growth, infrastructure improvement, and sustainable energy policy.” He lists no area of the town’s budget that should be decreased.
Ratigan agrees that spending should be increased for “infrastructure, road maintenance, and first responders to keep pace with growth,” while he believes that the town should “reduce non-essential spending on symbolic resolutions and outside studies that don’t directly serve residents. Every dollar should strengthen services, safety and sustainability for the people who live and work here.”
Candidates oppose town-funded health insurance for council
One area of agreement among all three candidates is that the town shouldn’t fund health insurance for council members, as some local or nearby governments have started providing.
Says Exum, “Most council members already have full-time jobs with health insurance, so adding taxpayer-funded coverage would be unnecessary [and inappropriate].”
Ratigan says, “It is not the town’s responsibility” to provide health insurance.
The incumbent, Orwig, agrees, saying, “The town of Elon is way too small to even deal with this kind of benefits for elected servants.”
None of the candidates say they think the current salaries for Elon town council members should be increased.
Asked whether they would vote to increase council members’ pay if elected, Exum and Ratigan say, “Keep the same.”
Orwig declined to answer the question.
Town & gown relationship
Another area of agreement between the candidates is the need to have a strong, positive working relationship between the town and Elon University.
Describing the university as a “tremendous asset,” Exum says council members should disclose any relationships with the university – and “adopt clear guardrails” – but always put the interests of the town’s residents first.
Says Ratigan, “Collaboration is important on infrastructure, safety, and community initiatives; but the town must always remain independent in its decision making, ensuring residents’ voices guide policy rather than institutional influence.”
The incumbent Orwig observes, “The town and the University will continue to create dialogue…We are always going to continue building that relationship as both entities grow and change.”
Both challengers see opportunities for the nonprofit, tax-exempt university to make a deeper financial contribution in exchange for the town’s services.
Exum says he would support a pilot to potentially increase the university’s financial contribution to the town’s coffers over three years, “tied to its share of police and fire calls, with annual inflation adjustments and clear public reporting, plus capital needs funding.”
Ratigan says, “The university could increase its financial partnership through voluntary service payments or shared infrastructure projects, especially in areas like public safety, traffic management, and green space preservation” to balance the demand on municipal services.
Incumbent councilman Orwig says, “Elon must always deal with the fact that over 40% of our town is tax exempt property and that we now have more income from sales tax than property tax…The university…will always need to be negotiating and creating strong relationships where we can find ways to help which aids all of us.”
All three candidates were asked to identify the three most critical issues the town faces over the next several years.
Exum points to the need to modernize core infrastructure such as streets, sidewalks, water/sewer, stormwater, through a “transparent phased capital plan.”
Ratigan believes that the town “needs to remain focused on issues that most directly affect residents daily lives”; investing in core infrastructure and “first responder resources”’ and balancing the ongoing expansion of Elon University with “quality of life through transparent planning and fiscal responsibility.”
Orwig points to the need to shape the town’s future growth, as well as “downtown development and beautification” and “all the ways we connect the town for enjoyment and good living.”
[Editor’s Note: Candidates were given limits of 15 words for most questions, with some questions allowing as many as 25 or 50 words. Candidates had been instructed that in the event they provided longer answers, their responses would be edited to conform to the newspaper’s stated limits.
[Extensive editing was needed for many of one candidate’s responses, with some with some exceeding the stated limits by as much as two to three times. The newspaper tried to capture the essence of each answer, often using most of the first 25 or 50 words, respectively, of a response that exceeded the word limits.]
The candidates’ biographies can be found here: https://alamancenews.com/meet-the-candidates-for-elon-town-council-2/
and the issues questionnaire is HERE.
