Walden’s ballot
In Walden, where all three members of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen are up for re-election, only the incumbents are on the ballot.William Trohanis is running to again hold the position of mayor, and current Vice Mayor Thom Peterson and Alderman Lee Davis are running for the alderman seats.With Walden changing the concurrent two-year limits currently in place to a staggered four-year system, one seat will carry a two-year term while the other two carry four-year terms. At the conclusion of the one two-year term, that seat will then switch over to a four-year term, and from then on, residents will have an election every two years for at least one seat on the board.
Robert Spalding
Dan LandrumEarly voting for the Nov. 8 election begins today and continues through Nov. 3.
With three seats up for grabs on the Signal Mountain Town Council, we asked the three candidates – which include two newcomers – the same two questions: “What experience/qualifications make you the best candidate?” and “What do you feel is the most important issue in your city and how do you plan to address it?” Each had 150 words or less with which to answer.
Robert Spalding
Age: 59
Occupation: Podiatrist
First, I want to say it has been an honor to serve [on the council for the past two years]. I campaigned for and accomplished 10 goals last election. The current council streamlined the town government, making it more efficient, more financially accountable and improved pay and benefits to help retain good employees.
We enhanced access to infrastructure and equipment for disasters, improved equipment and training for our public safety servants. We updated the town’s audio reception and recording ability to upgrade sound for meetings and eventually for future video streaming so residents may watch town meetings at home. We revitalized Sparkle Day from 1998, slowed down speeding in Hidden Brook with new speed feedback devices and introduced Mayor for a Minute to encourage our youth to participate in government.
My hope for the future is to complete the James Boulevard project the first of 2017, see the MACC situation resolved and find answers to our sewer situation.
Amy Speek
Age: 41
Occupation: Former emergency room nurse and pharmaceutical sales representative
As an ER nurse, I learned the art of critical and methodical decision making when it matters. It also instilled in me on an intimate level the importance of supporting our police and fire departments. In sales, I learned to negotiate workable solutions while maintaining a budget. But perhaps my greatest qualification is my experience raising a 14-, 13-, 12- and 10-year-old on Signal Mountain. I plan to bring balance, new ideas and a fresh perspective to our council.
I don’t want to oversimplify the issues by narrowing them down to one. Whether it is finding transportation for seniors, restoring the MACC, planning for recreation expansion or the sale/non-sale of our water, all of these issues deserve time, attention and a “big picture” approach. Fiscally responsible solutions require a long-term vision, not a quick fix, and I plan to address all of the issues in that manner.
Dan Landrum
Age: 55
Occupation: Self-employed musician and niche market magazine editor/publisher
“Best” is one of those loaded words that tends to prompt artificial answers, but I hope I’m a good candidate. We’re living at a time when tools and methods for keeping a community informed, and hopefully, involved, are abundant. Life in Signal Mountain is good, and I want to do my part in promoting civil and rational public discourse with the goal of assuring an equally outstanding quality of life for future residents.
It’s time to update and actively work from our master plan. Most issues raised in the 2008 Land Use Plan haven’t been addressed. That’s almost nine years. Our town is a desirable place to live, and that’s a good thing, but growth without comprehensive planning and prior citizen input leads to potentially reactive decision making. There isn’t a better time to plan for our next hundred years than now, as we celebrate the completion of the last.
Though Eugenia Allderdice’s name will appear on the ballot, she has decided to withdraw from the race.
Email Myron Madden at mmadden@timesfreepress.com.