Candidates vie for town positions

While the makeup of Mayodan’s governing body appears certain to remain intact, the boards in Madison and Stoneville will each contain at least one new member following the Nov. 3 election.

Mayodan Mayor Dwight Lake and council members Andrew “Buddy” Martin and Timothy Simpson run unopposed for another term Tuesday. But

Madison and Stoneville each have one board member failing to run for re-election, and both incumbent mayors face challengers.

Madison will elect three aldermen from among five candidates, including incumbents Art Gwaltney and Janice Tate. Current Alderman Monte McIntosh decided not to run for re-election.

In Stoneville, seven candidates appear on the ballot for five seats and another challenger has opened a write-in campaign. Four of the board’s current five council members have filed for re-election, but Councilwoman Vera K. Smith opted against another term.

Madison
Mayor
Christopher Phillips, 40, of 127 E. Murphy St., runs for office for the first time this year in a bid to become “the people’s mayor.”
“I want to act as a body, with the people as the head. The board of aldermen would be the right arm and the Chamber of Commerce the left arm,” said Phillips.
Phillips said he would make decisions with his heart after listening to the people.
“I want to open the mayor’s office to the people every Monday and Friday for comments concerning the town,” he said. “Together we can make a new Madison.”

Micky Silvers, 58, of 702 W. Academy St., seeks his second term as mayor, but previously served 12 years on the town board. He served as alderman from 1988 to 1993 before taking eight years off to spend more time with his family. He returned to the board in 2001 and ran for mayor in 2007.
Silvers said the town was going through a tight budget time now and he wanted to continue working to solve those problems.
“Some people think the town has plenty of money, but we really don’t,” Silvers said. “We’ve done all the belt-tightening we could, but we still need to find ways to cut expenses. I’d like to continue what we started, because I know where we’ve been and where we need to go.”
Silvers realizes the town has suffered setbacks with the losses of jobs and industries, but sees some recent signs of growth with a few new businesses.
“We have some tough times now and I just want to do what I can to help my fellow citizens through them,” he said.

Board of Aldermen
Art Gwaltney, 69, of 416 Oak St., has served on the town’s governing board in some capacity 18 of the last 24 years, including 6 years as mayor.
“I’m just trying to do what I can to serve my community,” said Gwaltney. “Personally, I’d like to see us get some younger blood on the board, but I’d like to serve one more term to follow through on some of the things we’ve started.”
Gwaltney’s primary issue for the next four years would be finding ways to save the town’s money.
“We’ve made cuts everywhere we can, but we still need to find ways to keep our tax rates and fees in check,” he said.

Charles Mann, 41, of 105 W. Academy St., runs for local office for the first time Tuesday, but has previously run for county soil and water supervisor.
Mann said he decided to run for the board in an effort to learn more about how his local government works.
“I’d like the opportunity to make some good changes in our town, but I need to know more about the process to do that,” he said. “My goal is to help keep government as small as possible.”

D.R. “Bubba” Stewart, 58, runs for the first time this year, because it’s the first time he’s been eligible after serving 22 years as a Madison police officer. He decided to seek office this time in an effort to have input in reducing the town’s water and sewer rates.
“I think we should do everything we can to find outside funds from grants or stimulus money,” Stewart said. “Our current rates are outrageous and we’ve already had to hook into Mayodan’s sewer service.”
While those rates are his main issue, Stewart also expressed concern over tax rates.
“As we’re losing industries, the tax payers have to fill the gaps,” he said.  “We need to work as hard as we can to find more businesses and industries to help with our tax base.”

Janice Tate, 64, of 900 Parkway Ave., decided to run for her third term – her second 4-year term since the 2005 change to staggered terms – in order to follow through on some programs.
Working to see a new Madison-Mayodan Public Library built has been one of Tate’s main goals during her tenure on the board.
“I think the citizens of our community deserve to have a new library,” she said. “I know the timing is not good now as far as the economy goes, but I want to keep working to see it become a reality.”
Tate also wants to continue working to recruit new business ventures to Madison, both large and small.
“We just need to find more viable sources of employment for our citizens,” she said. “We need something to keep our people here.”

Justin Terrell, 26, of 311 Dahl St., decided to place his name on the ballot for the first time this year as a way to represent Madison’s younger generation.
A band director at Reidsville Middle School and organist at Mayodan Moravian Church, Terrell said he realizes he’s the youngest candidate, but really wants a chance to try and attract more business growth and diversity.
“We have to find a way to grow our town’s industrial and business base,” Terrell said. “The town’s budget is struggling, and that has to be one of our most important issues to address in the next few years.”

Stoneville
Mayor
Robert Stowe, 49, of 327 Bryan St., said he is running for office for the first time because he was dissatisfied with the things were going in Stoneville.
“I felt the only way I could do anything about it was to put my name on the ballot,” he said.
With an extensive background in public utilities, Stowe’s key issue will be getting the town’s aging water and sewer system updated.
“I would also like to listen to the people and get more input from them on what they feel is important,” Stowe said.

Rex Tuggle, 65, has served with the town’s governing board for nearly a quarter-century. Mayor for the last 16 years, he previously served 8 years as a councilman. Although he has considered not returning the last couple terms, he believes he still has things to accomplish.
“One of the biggest issues I’d like to see addressed is the completion of the I-73 corridor and Highway 68 connector,” Tuggle said. “We’ve worked with other government officials to get it moved to the DOT’s 5-year plan, but there’s still a lot to do.”
Tuggle was also saddened to see the town drop the annual Fourth of July Festival this year and wants to see it resumed.
“I want to find a way to get the July Fourth event back and still be able to keep tax rates down,” he said. “We’ve always had problems with our water and sewer infrastructure, but we have to find a way to solve that without increasing the burdens on our citizens. We also have to address a way to rebuild our fund balance.”

Council
Ricky Craddock, 55, of 102 Vernon St., served as a councilman from 1995 to 2005 and seeks a return after four years off the board.
“I had several people ask me about running again,” Craddock said. “I think that Stoneville needs new industries, and I believe they’re out there. We just need to find a way to get them.”
A major focus for Craddock will be finding a way to see Stoneville grow.
“I’d like to find a way to have the town grow through increasing our tax base so we don’t have to pay higher taxes or utility rates,” he said. “The town has a lot to offer and we just need to promote that.’

Eugene DeMoss, 71, of 200 Forest St., seeks his third term on the Stoneville council.
DeMoss said he has enjoyed working with the rest of the board and the town staff through the previous four years and wants to keep things going into the future.
“Of course it’s up to the people if I stay on the board, but I’d really like the chance to work firsthand to help us get more jobs for our town,” said DeMoss.

Johnny Ray Farmer, 48, of 104 Pine Cone Dr., will be on the ballot for the first time Tuesday, but ran a write-in campaign in 2007. Currently serving as Eden’s parks and recreation director, Farmer has more than 25 years experience working with local government recreation departments.
Farmer said he decided to run an official campaign this year after talking with several Stoneville citizens.
“I wanted to make sure we had people on the board that would keep things moving forward for the town,” he said. “We have a lot of young people in the town, as well as seniors, and we need to find a way to bring in fresh, new ideas.”

Jodi Lester, 35, of 200 Lee St., currently serves as the town board’s mayor pro tem and is running for her second term. A realtor with her own business and a family including three school-aged children, Lester has spent the last two years in office developing relationships with county officials and other municipalities. She wants to use the next term to involve those contacts.
“I have worked hard creating working friendships and the time is just beginning to reap some of those benefits,” Lester said.
She has served on the boards of the Rockingham County Partnership for Economic Development and the Rockingham County Association of Realtors, and used those positions to heighten recognition of Stoneville.
“They know more about Stoneville than ever before,” he said. “People are listening. It takes time, but things are taking shape, even in this economy.”
She said Stoneville needs to start thinking regionally in terms of growth and prosperity.
“When our region prospers, Stoneville prospers,” she said. “There is always a ripple effect.”

Jerry Odell, 64, will be seeking his tenth term on the town council Tuesday. His decision to seek re-election rests largely on the issue of finances.
“We’ve been in financial trouble for several years and I think we’re just on the verge of coming out of it,” Odell said. “There’s a possibility of new industry coming to town and things are starting to look up for us.”
Odell said he was proud that the town has not raised its tax rate in 20 years and wanted to be part of helping keep that trend in the future.
“I think I’ve developed a good rapport with officials in other local municipalities and that could be important in years to come,” he said.

James Scales, 79, will seek his tenth term on the board Tuesday. Scales said his primary goals will be to improve the town’s water, sewer and recycling services while maintaining reasonable rates for the citizens.
“I also want to continue finding ways to improve the park to provide our children with a good place for recreation,” he said.
Scales said he wants to work with town staff to stay within budget and find additional ways to cut costs and rebuild the fund balance. He also wants to work with the police department to control speeding and work with animal control.

Glynda Shelton, 65, of 115 Gerry St., runs for office for the first time next Tuesday. Shelton said she just felt she needed to do something to try and help her town.
“I came to Stoneville when I was 10, and this is my town,” she said. “I’ve got three daughters and three grandchildren, run my own business and serve as vice president of the Stoneville Merchants Association. I think I have something to offer my town and I just want to do what I can to help as best I can.”