Special to IFN

Former Councilman John Staford has announced his candidacy for the Ward 5 seat on the Statesville City Council.

In his official campaign announcement, Staford said his previous experience on the council would be an asset to a council that will lose the leadership of Mayor Costi Kutteh and Councilmen Steve Johnson and C.O. Johnson, all of whom opted not to seek re-election.

“Change is good and necessary, but I fear this loss of leadership will only exacerbate the ongoing problem of lack of vision and direction,” Staford said. “I ask the citizens to consider if their interests and needs are being addressed by their elected officials. I feel my duty as a councilman, along with other elected representatives, is to provide the framework for staff to meet the goals communicated by our citizens.

“Our guiding vision must come from the people — not the city staff,” he added. “We must stop the tail from wagging the dog.”

If elected, Staford said some of his priorities would be:

Retail/Shopping

“There is a direct correlation between population and retail. One needs not only ‘rooftops’ but disposable income within those rooftops,” Staford said. “In the past 10 years, Statesville has basically built twice the number of subsidized, low-income units as Mooresville; yet several current Council members and candidates claim we should be building even more.

“Is it any wonder why all new retail coming to Statesville has ‘Dollar’ in the name? We all share a duty of care for our neighbors, but Statesville cannot assume this burden alone without acknowledging the long-term consequences for our community. Statesville must not be the “low income” magnet for Iredell and surrounding counties. Neighboring communities that have higher average rents and home values must share in this responsibility,” he added.

Jobs

“Statesville has many industries providing jobs that offer a path to financial independence and homeownership, and more are coming,” Staford said. “While I served on Council we developed a fair, sustainable incentive program. We are blessed with land, water, and sewer capacities as well as a strong labor force, but we must shield these from lower wage industries as well as runaway residential development. We must learn when to say No! Our citizens are worthy of the best not just whatever comes our way.”

Code Enforcement

“Reasonable minimum housing standards and enforcement are critical components of any safe, viable municipality,” Staford said. “While previously on Council, we developed several policies to encourage infill and renovation of existing dwellings. One vital element of this neighborhood revitalization was code enforcement of surrounding properties. If the surrounding properties look derelict or dilapidated, these new properties are purchased by institutional buyers instead of homeowners who are looking to establish a home in our community.

“Neighborhoods need greater percentages of owner occupied dwellings. Every area of our City will benefit from a robust, systematic approach to code enforcement which is currently lacking,” he added.

Staford said his experience sets him apart from the other candidates.

“I believe Statesville needs strong, innovative, fiscally conservative Council members to better serve this city, secure higher wage jobs, control runaway residential development, attract retail, and protect and serve our citizens,” he said. “That is why I am running for Ward 5.