Candidates for Monroe City Council answered questions from WFAE about why they should be elected (or reelected).
RICHARD A. YERCHECK
Occupation:
Financial Services.
Political experience and/or advocacy groups you are affiliated with:
Chairman City of Monroe Planning Board, Former Chairman Union County Board of Education. Chairman of the Union Symphony Orchestra, Mentor with Heart for Monroe, Former Chairman Arc of Union Cabarrus County, Advisor to Home Again Foundation, Financial Speaker for the Alzheimer Association of Western North Carolina, Member of the National Ski Patrol- Volunteer Ski Patroller at Beech Mountain Resort.
Does your city/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 city/town would be better served keeping the money to create its own transit solution?
Highways and State Roads are a regional challenge for all the communities around Charlotte. Connectivity is a key for Monroe to continue as a regional leader. The allocation of funds will skew to the highest density, so it will take an experienced leader, like me, to fight for Monroe to get a bigger piece of the transit pie.
In its role on the Metropolitan Transit Commission, does the city of Charlotte (54% voting power) listen to the needs of surrounding towns/cities?
This is again where traffic counts and density drive the decision process. My experience personally and professionally make me uniquely qualified to demand the needs of Monroe are heard and respected.
What is the biggest quality-of-life issue facing residents of your city/town and how will you address it?
Monroe over all has a good quality of life. We know this from the business that are moving here from out of states and from the families that are transferring with them.
Monroe has a new Science Center, Bazemore Senior Center, Dowd Center Theater and a new splash pad. We are expanding our parks and trails as well as a vibrant downtown. With all of this said, we still have pockets of poverty that need to be addressed. My background with the school system and my personal experience volunteering in the Title one schools puts me in a position to work knowledgeably with our community leaders to develop targeted approaches for our different groups in need. There is no one size fits all to address this issue.
What should your city/town do to address climate change?
This is not an Issue for a municipal race, That said I believe we should all follow the rules of scouting. Leave your piece of the world better than you found it.
What is your top priority if elected?
Smart growth, attract new businesses to bring higher paying jobs and improving quality of life for all of Monroe.
To always remember that Monroe is made up of a diverse group of people and if elected, I represent all of them.