Keith Huffman - Mayor of Valdese

Full name

Keith Alan Huffman

Age

64

Education

Bachelor’s degree in organizational management, Colorado Christian University

Current employer and job title

Retired federal employee.

How long have you lived in the town/district/area you want to serve?

Seven-plus years.

Do you own your home?

Yes.

How long have you lived at your current address?

Seven-and-a-half years.

Why are you seeking election?

I’m running because I want to change the direction Valdese Town Council appeared to be going in these last two years. This change was evident within months after Valdese held their strategic planning session with public input. I’ve witnessed a council marred by indecisiveness and openly dismissive at times on issues that had the majority of public support. Big egos laid bare leading to infighting for all to witness, casting a huge shadow over the Town of Valdese. Our town deserves much better representation. I want to help unite the Town Council to find common ground and to make decisions that help move Valdese forward.

If elected, what will be the primary focus of your first six months in office?

Build much-needed rapport between the Town Council and the Town Manager. I will strive to get back to the basics of governing by laying the groundwork for a better teamwork approach to solving issues. There is no room for ego-driven decisions that have caused so much disruption and chaos.

I will work with the Town Council and Town Manager to secure a final design for our new public safety facilities and move it towards completion. I understand the concerns some may express on this issue, and the deep desire to delay or take no action, but we cannot kick this down the road any further. Waiting only exposes our town to increased cost and broader security and safety challenges — Not to mention potential code violations. And, waiting could also negatively impact the cost of insurance for businesses and eventually homeowners.

I will meet individually with each department head and town employee and get to know what they do and how important their work is to keeping our town running.

I will communicate with business owners, community leaders, and citizens in developing a can-do messaging that highlights shared interests and goals to make our town the best it can be going forward.

If elected, what is the legacy you hope to achieve during your tenure in office?

Perhaps my efforts would reflect someone who was willing to step up at a crucial time and play a small but important role to ensuring Valdese is an excellent place to live, play, work, or just hang out for the day and take in all the amenities we offer. If I get a positive response at the end of my tenure, then I feel that I’ve done the best I could.

What are the three most pressing issues facing your community and how do you plan to address them?

New public safety facilities: I cannot stress the importance enough; this needs to happen. It is probably the biggest undertaking this town has faced in decades. For the Council’s part, we need to be out front and in a clear, unified voice, provide our citizens the “why now” and the associated cost with moving forward. We need to ensure the best and most affordable option is considered factoring in future growth. That it meets our needs and not our wants and stress the importance of providing our citizens with routine updates.

Infrastructure: Our town is growing. So will the need for critical infrastructure to keep up. I will work with council to prioritize needs, address any shortfalls, and work hard to minimize the impacts it may have on the daily lives of our citizens.

Staffing and pay disparities: I will be a strong advocate for better pay and benefits for our town employees. We need to be able to retain and attract new talent as our town faces staffing shortages.

Any additional comments?

Median Age. The median age in Valdese is 53 years. We have the highest median age residents in Burke County. Something to keep an eye on going forward.

Along with the aging population comes additional pressures on our town’s ability to adapt to that changing environment. In the near future, especially with the addition of the Tron “over 55” apartments going up now behind Myra’s Restaurant and other housing growth forecasted, I’m sure we will need to develop a plan to address how it impacts our workforce, Main Street businesses, tax base, and town services that are so appealing to many.