Reidsville mayor will seek re-election

James K. Festerman has announced that he plans to run for a second term as mayor of the City of Reidsville. He will be opposed in this fall’s election by Mayor Pro Tem Donald L. Gorham.

Festerman is a long-term resident of the City of Reidsville. He has been a member of the City Council for 12 years. Prior to that, he was a member of the Reidsville Police Department for 34 years and served as police chief his last 14 years in the department.

“When first elected to the Council in 1997, I felt like I had something to offer,” said Festerman. “I’ve lived here all my life, and I know what a great town it is, but the downtown was stagnating and Reidsville wasn’t moving forward. I knew we had to take chances in order to make changes, and I believe that now we’re heading in the right direction.”

Festerman cited downtown revitalization and industrial development as two of his top priorities as mayor. “We need more jobs in our city,” he said. “That (industrial recruitment) has been an interest of mine.”

As the council’s liaison to the Rockingham County Partnership for Economic & Tourism Development, Festerman plans to work with the Partnership to recruit new industries to the Reidsville area and create new job opportunities for citizens, according to Festerman’s re-election campaign news release. Festerman believes that as the economy rebounds, the city will continue to highlight its industrial park.

Festerman said he is proud of some of the changes that have taken place in the city during the past four years, among them the city’s downtown revitalization efforts and being named an “All-America City.”

“During the past four years, the City of Reidsville has made significant strides in revitalization, not only of our beautiful City but also of the image we project,” said the mayor. “We were named an ‘All-America City,’ one of 10 across the nation in 2008, because of humanitarian projects that reflect the generosity and caring of our citizens.”

The three projects that helped Reidsville garner its title of “All-America City” were the Free Clinic, the Outreach Center and the Teen Center. Festerman was part of the delegation that went down to Florida to compete for the “All-America City.” At the competition, Festerman said he learned that the title doesn’t make a city perfect, but it does mean that the community is working together to improve the quality of life of citizens.

The revitalization of downtown Reidsville has been of paramount importance to the city council the past few years, according to Festerman. The council’s efforts to rejuvenate the downtown have been coupled with an active downtown corporation and merchants association. One of the major downtown projects is Market Square Park, slated to open in late August. Festerman also pointed out that a restaurant – The Cutting Board – is planning to invest $1 million to locate in downtown Reidsville.

“To be blunt, Reidsville’s downtown was an area that people avoided in years past once the sun went down,” said Festerman. “If the council had chosen to do nothing and the downtown had continued to deteriorate, our citizens would have held the city’s leaders accountable.”

The city council has not only invested in the downtown area, but it has also begun “thinking outside the box” and established unique projects such as the sale of water to Greensboro, Festerman said in his re-election campaign news release.

“Due to this foresight, we are currently reaping the benefits of those water sales by being able to establish such projects as Market Square and other downtown improvements, the Reidsville Teen Center, the widening of Vance Street and improvements at Lake Reidsville, including the camp store and fishing pier,” said Festerman.

An “outside the box” project on which the city has been working closely with the county is the equestrian center project. The center is expected to have a $15 million direct economic impact on the area and a $45 million indirect impact by creating related businesses, according to Festerman’s campaign news release. Festerman has worked closely on the equestrian center project, as well as being the council liaison

Festerman plans to continue to use his leadership skills to keep Reidsville moving forward. Some of the projects that he would like to see the city achieve in the next four years include road improvements to North Scales Street, a makeover for Jaycee Park and a new site for the Reidsville Senior Center, according to the news release. He also would like to see the city continue to partner with organizations such as the Reidsville Area Foundation (formerly the Annie Penn Community Trust) and the Rockingham County Schools.

The mayor believes his work in state organizations has helped keep the needs of Reidsville and its citizens “front and center” in the minds of North Carolina’s leaders. For his contributions to state organizations, Festerman was recognized by former Gov. James Hunt and presented the highest award a citizen can receive – the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

Festerman is a 1961 graduate of Reidsville High School and an active member of the community. He serves on the board of directors for the Salvation Army and Reidsville Outreach Center. Two years ago, he was the recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Citizen of the Year” award. He is a member of the Reidsville United Methodist Church, where he serves on the board of trustees. Festerman and his wife, Priscilla, have two children, Todd and Michelle, and four grandchildren.

The filing period for Reidsville municipal candidates opened Friday at noon and ends Aug. 21, also at noon. As of Friday afternoon, newcomer Richard Johnson was the only candidate to have filed for one of two open seats on the city council.