City Speaks – Even if it was less than 30% of Eligible Voters
There were some bright spots in the Municipal elections yesterday.
Two new people were elected to council — Martha Stowe and Ron Foulk. One incumbent, Charlie Flowers returned to office.
|
Belmont Council |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| * Martha S. Stowe | 852 | 20 % | |
| * Ron Foulk | 710 | 17 % | |
| * Charles Flowers | 556 | 13 % | |
| Richard Turner | 517 | 12 % | |
| Curtis Gaston | 509 | 12 % | |
| Irl Dixon | 501 | 12 % | |
| Becky Burch | 361 | 8 % | |
| Dennis Boyce | 230 | 5 % | |
| Karen Valentine | 56 | 1 % | |
| Write-in | 8 | 0 % | |
Congratulations to the new and returning council members. However, the dynamic does not change al that much.
Becky Burch was replaced by an ally in Ron Foulk. His positions on growth management are still fuzzy and we wonder if his job responsibilities may interfer with his ability to be an effective member of council. He is a vert smart and articulate administrator and that pleases all of us, because he will take the time to read and research issues that come before council – not blindly vote as directed by others. As a community, we encourage you to watch Mr. Foulk carefully on issues such as city personnel and public safety, strategic planning, view points on annexation-related services and timelines. A person can do a lot of damage in 4 years.
Charlie Flowers’ support has diminished in this election, earning only 556 votes this time around. The overall turnout and number of candidates certainly contributed to the number. We hope that he would have promised to stay awake through the council meetings and work sessions in return for his re-election bid, but he didn’t offer that to the voters. It is difficult to see if he will still carry his chip on the shoulder towards newcomers to the community or if he will embrace the positives that come with planned growth and management.
The new triumvirate will line up with Flowers, Foulk, and Martin setting the tone and quite possibly fighting the manager’s and mayor’s overall strategic comprehensive growth agenda. Basically, this election result guarantees that we will see at least two more years of personal agendas over what is best for the community.
Martha Stowe brings a good mind and energy to the council. We hope that she will remain even-handed in this public role. She is certainly articulate and will speak her mind.
All are supporters of parks and recreation plans. That is a good thing. With the approval of the Bond, the Parks and Recreation Department can seriously begin work on their master plan of 2003.
| Belmont Park and Rec. Bond – $12,000,000 | ||
|---|---|---|
| * Yes | 1,046 | 69 % |
| No | 477 | 31 % |
We certainly expect that Mr. Dixon and his 100-year family legacy will be back for either another run for council or to challenge as Mayor. That will bear watching the next two years.
Again, we will support — and watch carefully — as the new council members are seated and begin their term.
Belmont council talks higher fines for water use violations
from the Tuesday Gazette:Belmont Councilman Irl Dixon said the city should consider increasing fines for water violations, if a higher level of water conservation becomes necessary.And that time could come as soon as next month, City Manager Barry Webb told City Council at its meeting Monday.Webb said Duke Energy told members of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group at a meeting Friday that recent rain improved storage in the basin slightly. But, if the area doesn’t get more rain soon, Stage IV water restrictions could be imposed by mid-December or early January, he said.
“If we go into another stage, I think we need to go to heavier fines,” Dixon said.
Current Stage III fines for water violations start at $100.
According to city staff, some Belmont water users have been fined for watering lawns in the middle of the night. Dixon and Belmont Utilities Director Chuck Flowers said they have both seen several Belmont lawns that appear to be getting water.
“I know this stuff is going on. People are going out at two or three in the morning to water their grass,” Dixon said.
According to Webb, Belmont currently has the most restrictive ordinance in place for water conservation during drought conditions. Rules applied to the different stages of drought conservation vary for each municipal utility, though they all have the same goal of reducing water use by a certain percentage. Other cities in the Catawba chain have more lenient restrictions in place, Webb said.
“We’re probably stricter than anybody right now,” Webb said.
As part of the drought discussion, Webb said Duke Energy also presented a worse case scenario, projecting that usable water in the basin could become depleted by mid-March, if rainfall remains scarce. That means some water intakes in the Catawba chain would begin to lose the ability to draw water, he said.
That scenario is improbable, but just in case, Belmont is talking to the cities of Gastonia and Mount Holly about line connections to pump water to Belmont customers in an emergency, Webb said.
“If the worse case scenario happens, we’re going to have options to meet our needs,” Webb said.
You can reach Daniel Jackson at (704) 869-1833.
The Belmont Front Porch 