Harvey urges Valdese residents to get involved, seek office

EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the full text of the statement Valdese Town Councilman Glenn Harvey partially made at the council’s meeting on Monday night.

As we come to the end of this June 23 Council meeting, I want to address the citizens of Valdese, with a special request to step forward. There will be two critical events between now and the next town council meeting, which will be on July 28.

On July 4, Valdese will celebrate our nation’s 249th anniversary with the rest of the country.

At 8 a.m. on July 7, the Burke County filing opens for four Valdese council seats — the Mayor and council members representing Wards 1, 2, and 3. My Ward 1 seat will be on the ballot, but I will not be on the ballot, nor campaigning for anyone else on the ballot.

Until they file, we cannot know who will file for election. Since this will be my last public statement on the matter, I want to share three things with all residents who love this town.

First, there has never been a better time to serve this community where you were raised and may have raised a family.

Second — you, too, can realize one of the most inspirational experiences in your life.

And third, how you can ensure that the tax dollars you, your family, and friends have worked so hard to earn will be used wisely.

To my first point, about why the time is right, a recent change ensures that anyone can afford to run for the council. This council removed us, old, elected officials, from the employee group health insurance plan, saving the town $30,000 from what the council cost in 2023.

At the same time, that change provides annual compensation of $8,000 for council members and $10,000 for the mayor. If you got elected, that is more in one year than you could possibly spend on campaign signs. But there are even bigger reasons why there has never been a better time to serve on the council:

The town has never had a stronger manager and management team. As just one example of the 20 years of experience Mr. Herms brings to Valdese, he has made it eminently clear to employees that the personnel policy prohibiting employee involvement in council elections will be enforced. That is important, as who can forget that the last manager bet his job on engaging town employees in the 2023 election.

Even more important, the town has never been in a stronger financial position. Its unrestricted reserve fund of over $7 million is the highest ever. Further plans and designated funding include:

A solid 10-year plan to continuously improve the water and sewer systems.

Nearly $1 million and a plan to begin resurfacing more of the town’s streets than in the past 15 years, as soon as the NC DOT catches up with Hurricane Helene repairs.

Several viable options are available to meet the public safety facility needs, along with a manager with deep experience in similar facility challenges.

Second, I want to share one of my most inspirational experiences. In 2023, I set out each day to knock on 20 to 60 doors, visiting over 400 homes and talking with hundreds of residents. Every conversation was inspirational.

At one of the larger homes in Springwood, a couple who had moved here from New York thanked me for stopping and said, “We were waiting to see who would ask for our vote.”

Most of my visits were to the smaller, older homes in Valdese with folks like the couple who asked me to put a sign where they parked their car before they lost it. Both were on disability, and they were arranging a payment plan to save their home after receiving the 2023 tax bill, which had doubled their property taxes.

I could share dozens of similar examples of how inspirational it was to hear from hundreds of residents who are intelligent, love Valdese, and were so appreciative to be listened to. But let me jump to my third point — your hard-earned money.

Again, no one has filed for election. There is no way to know who will run for office until the filing period begins on July 7 and ends at noon on July 18. Meanwhile, some indications on social media should encourage all long-time Valdese residents to think about running for the council.

It appears that a political action committee directed by someone who doesn’t even live in Valdese has held a fund-raising event and set up a fund-raising website.

Supposedly, the donations are to pay the campaign expenses for four individuals who can’t file for election for another two weeks. Those four positions can receive $34,000 of town funds in the first year if elected! Do they expect taxpayers to also contribute to their $10 filing fee and advertising expenses?

But here are the greater concerns about the five individuals associated with that fundraising. Two tentative candidates are on record favoring higher property taxes; at least three of the five were opposed to releasing the regional funds that will bring $950,000 to Valdese to complete a sidewalk to the Rec Center; and four of the five individuals advocated for spending over $1 million to put a roof over the community swimming pool in the summer. Finally, two prospective candidates only recently moved to North Carolina from other states.

In summary, folks, I hope you will give deep consideration over the next few weeks to helping to make this “greatest small town in NC,” even greater. Please keep in mind:

There has never been a better time to serve on the Valdese Town Council.

You, too, can experience the inspiration of one-on-one conversations with hundreds of your friends and neighbors who want to hear from someone who cares.

And if you don’t step up to save your hard-earned tax dollars and those of your friends, neighbors, and children — then, who will?

I hope you all have a safe and Happy 4th of July.