Candidates for the Town of Huntersville Mayor answered questions from WFAE about why they should be elected.
CHRISTY CLARK (D)
Occupation:
Guest Teacher
Political experience and/or advocacy groups you are affiliated with:
I became active in local politics in 2013 following the mass shooting at Sandy Hook. I just Moms Demand Action and volunteered with that group until 2018. In 2018, I ran for the NC State House and won. I served from 2019-2020. I was not reelected but maintained activity in the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party as the Huntersville Regional Vice Chair. I am a member of the Democratic Women of Mecklenburg County, the Charlotte Moms Demand Action Group, and serve on the State Executive Committee for the NC Democratic Party.
Does your town get adequate resources from the Charlotte Area Transit System considering the countywide half-cent sales tax that helps fund it? If not, do you think your town would be better served keeping the money to create its own transit solution?
We do not have currently have adequate resources from CATs. I do not believe we should establish our own transit system. As this area continues to grow, CATs will need to continue develop access to public transportation with plans that focus on local commuting such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), the Village Rider, and relentless pursuit of the Red Line. Commute time is a large predictor of upward mobility and is a priority.
In its role on the Metropolitan Transit Commission, does the city of Charlotte (54% voting power) listen to the needs of surrounding towns?
The current transit inter-local agreement is outdated which leads to Charlotte being the deciding vote in cases where it is not unanimous. As the surrounding towns continue to to grow, it would be in the best interests of the members to modify the voting structure to reflect a more regional approach.
What is the biggest quality-of-life issue facing residents of your town and how will you address it?
Huntersville’s population has grown to over 61,000. Congestion and traffic have become a daily difficulty for our community. The town needs to put focus on greenways, public transit and bicycle lanes as described in our guiding document - the 2040 plan. Multimodal transportation solutions are good for health and growth of our community. I support the $50,000,000 Transportation bond and $8,000,000 park bond that will help us tackle projects on our Capitol Improvement Plan.
What should Huntersville do to address climate change?
The forthcoming Environmental Studies Commission should have a Climate Action Audit and develop a Climate Action Plan based on the results. Contents of the plan should include Buildings and Energy Use, Land Use and Urban Farms, Town Transportation and Fuel
Usage, Recycling, Preservation and Enhancement of the Natural Environment.
What is your top priority as mayor of Huntersville?
Huntersville needs to develop a resilient infrastructure. Roads and parks are critical to economic development and job creation. As Huntersville continues to grow, that growth will create infrastructure challenges we will need to face to keep pace with population growth. We want to focus on our infrastructure to keep us competitive and attract businesses to employ our stellar population. We should be a model for similar sized cities and lead the way for making North Mecklenburg strong.
DAN BOONE (R)
Boone has not responded.
DEREK PARTEE (R)
Partee has not responded.