The Spring Hill and Thompson's Station Journal With the April 12 election right around the corner and with early voting beginning March 23, it's time to start thinking about your citizenly duty.
Ward 1 Candidate Responses
Brandon McCulloch
Michael Dinwiddie
Ron DeFrancisco
Published: February 28, 2007
By: Sue McClure, Staff Writer
As in, who will get your vote?
Beginning today, we'll talk with candidates from each of the city's four wards, asking them about the main issues and why they're the best man/woman for the job.
We'll run those comments each week by ward.
So, today, we'll start with the folks hoping to represent Ward 1: incumbent Brandon McCulloch and challengers Ron DeFrancisco and Michael Dinwiddie.
Ward 1 is the most commercial of the four wards, being home to the Ryder distribution center, Phoenix Metals and Penske.
BRANDON McCULLOCH
A short bio:
Brandon McCulloch, 55, has lived in Spring Hill since 1990. He is married, with five children and six grandchildren.
He has been a member of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for nine years, serving as alderman, vice mayor and mayor, upon the death of Ray Williams. He also served as secretary of the Planning Commission for four months.
He has served on the city's public works committee, the library board of trustees and the five-year growth committee.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I have experience in how our city government functions and how all the departments work. It takes at least a year to fully understand all the government processes, ordinances and what government can and can't do. I've served as an alderman, a vice mayor and mayor, so I think I have a good understanding of how the city works.
What would you focus on?
As a city, we are responsible for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens. So my focus has always been on those services: police, fire, wastewater, the freshwater plant and public works. I want to continue to work with state officials to see some improvements made to our roads and I want to focus on smart growth in the community.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Yes.
We've already committed to using city money for an engineering study for Duplex Road, and we've worked diligently with state leaders and representatives to make sure they are aware of our situation. We even took them on a bus tour and TDOT officials agreed that the roads needed to be fixed. We've also spent $25,000 for a traffic study by an independent consultant, Wilbur Smith and Associates. The main thing is to get on the MPO (Metropolitan Planning Organization) project list. We are continuing to work very hard on this issue.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
No, I'm not for a moratorium. In order to have smart growth, we need to really look at R4 high density and make sure it is convenient to the major thoroughfares. And make sure that commercial property is properly placed. And do thorough PUD (Planned Unit Development) reviews to make sure the high density and commercial is applicable to the site chosen.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
We've just reenacted the Economic Development Board to look at recruiting businesses and what would benefit our area. I've never believed in giving away the farm (providing financial incentives to lure businesses), so everyone who has come to Spring Hill pays his own way. In order to keep good city employees, I believe in promoting from within and giving our employees the tools and equipment to do their jobs. We do a good job of retaining employees and the benefit package is second to none for a city our size.
MICHAEL DINWIDDIE
A short bio:
Michael Dinwiddie, 35, has lived in Spring Hill for five years. He is married and has two daughters. He is a charter pilot for Colemill Enterprises in Nashville.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
I've been here for five years and I've seen the city change. Before moving here, I lived in Franklin for six years, when Cool Springs was still a pasture, and I've seen the growth come. I think I'll do a good job because I see things that need to happen and I get along with everyone on the board. And I think I can bring unity to the board and a spirit of working together to get things done for our city.
What would you focus on?
Three things. Fiscal responsibility: We need to closely analyze what we're spending our money on. We need priorities. As a homeowner, we make decisions on how to spend our money, and as a city, we need to do the same. Second: economic growth. Two years ago I said we needed an industrial park and we still need one. Now we have an economic development committee, so let's use them. Our city needs another source of income other than impact fees. If we had an industrial park, our economic development committee could bring in big businesses like Nissan that would bring jobs and generate money for the city. Third, I want to protect the city's integrity. We are growing so fast that we're starting to build on top of what makes Spring Hill special, our history.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Yes.
Highway 31 is a problem. And there doesn't seem to be much foresight with new construction along it. They are building so close to the road that when it is widened and water and sewer lines dug up, it will be a real problem. We've got other roads that need our attention. Port Royal needs to be widened and Duplex needs to be widened and improved. As an alderman, I can't do much about the roads, but I can allocate city funds for road improvements.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
No, a moratorium would probably create more problems than it would solve. I've already outlined my idea for an industrial park. And we need to widen these roads while we can, before it gets away from us. I know we've spent money on a rec center, and that is needed, but do we want to sacrifice roads for a swimming pool? We need to build our infrastructure.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
That's the job of the economic development committee. It's a perfect time to recruit businesses, since we have no state taxes and no local taxes. We need to carefully plan where to put these businesses and industries so they don't interfere with the city and prepare the infrastructure for them. I'm thinking the industrial park would be a good fit on the other side of the interstate (I-65), because it's in a remote area and won't disturb anyone if we plan it properly. As for city employees, keep them paid well — they were just given a 5 percent raise — and make sure their needs are met. And add staff to handle the increased duties as the city grows.
RON DeFRANCISCO
A short bio:
Ron DeFrancisco, 27, and his wife have lived in Spring Hill for one year. He is Internet commerce manager for Yamaha/Suzuki/Honda of Cool Springs. He is a former code enforcement supervisor for the city of Lauderhill, Fla.
What makes you the best candidate for alderman?
My experience in Florida. I've seen what rapid development can do to a city and I see us making some of the same mistakes. I can guide the city to avoid the problems South Florida has: traffic, high density, crime rates, school overcrowding. As we grow as a city, we need to do more planning to avoid these problems.
What would you focus on?
The biggest thing I'm looking at is planned development. We need to look at the land around us and determine whether there are road improvements and infrastructure and build within those confines. We need to be more proactive, rather than reactive. And I'd like to see more citizen involvement with the city. I'd like to see the aldermen taken off the Planning Commission and have them appoint citizens from each ward to the boards. They would bring a differing set of opinions. And I'd like to expand volunteer experiences with the city. God forbid we should have a natural disaster, but if we did we'd need all the trained personnel, like volunteer firefighters, that we can get. Also, I'd like to start a reserve police officer program.
TDOT says it will be at least 10 years before road improvements are made to Main Street. Would you be willing to use city money to speed up projects?
Absolutely.
I know it's been in the news about impact fees and how to make sure development is paying its way. I think it is very important for us to determine what the impact fee needs are and what the true impact of a project is.
We need to sit down with the state and give them a five-, 10-, 15-year plan saying that we anticipate our growth to be thus, so these are the roads we need to focus on, and what can we do to accomplish it? Normally, the state comes in and does an impact study and by the time they've done it, we've already outgrown it. We need to be ahead of the growth curve.
What can Spring Hill do to encourage smart growth? Are you in favor of a moratorium?
I wouldn't say I'm for a moratorium, but we need to slow down on development. When I hear terms like "neighborhood development" and they are talking about medium to high density, even with open space, I worry about that. They are approving complexes with 1,000-plus. We need to slow the pace down to what we can take care of. There's no reason to give out rezonings like they're candy on Halloween. Smart growth is definitely what we need, or everyone suffers.
How can Spring Hill recruit businesses and keep qualified employees, particularly police and firefighters?
I'm all in favor of bringing businesses to the city to keep our tax base here and our citizens working here. And I think our economic development committee can do that. But I'm against what I call the "Florida mentality" where you have a strip mall on every corner with eight of the same businesses in each of them. That causes people to lose their business and lose their jobs. We need to look around the city at the commercial space and decide what we need.
I wouldn't object to having an economic coordinator to work on bringing business in. As for the city employees, we need to look at the pay scale, which I have for police and firefighters. It's absolutely pathetic. They are starting out at under $30,000 and with the responsibilities they have and the jobs they do, it's no wonder they're leaving for Franklin and Brentwood, where the benefits and salaries are better. I don't think it's a morale issue, they seem happy, but it's salary. We need to make sure we're the best in the area so we'll attract the best and the brightest to Spring Hill. But we need to pay them enough so they can afford to live here.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Ward 1 Candidate Tennessean Responses
Posted by Gorilla in the Corner at 3:56 PM
Labels: Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Election 2007
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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is a series of personal opinions and is not meant to reflect an official position by the City of Spring Hill.
38 comments:
Is Ron still out there?
I haven't seen him on the site in quite a while.
He's been posting anonymously.
Brandon voted against the pay raise. Is he taking the extra money every month?
I am sorry for being absent from this site recently, however I have been dealing with some personal issues that have required more of my attention. I can assure you that I have not been posting anonymously, as that is not my style, I have simply just not been posting.
Mr. Defrancisco,
I am sorry that you are having personal issues, it is important to take care of your health and family first and foremost. I have been torn between voting for you and voting for Mr. Dinwiddie. I want my vote to be meaningful and I want to know that my vote will make a difference. I have heard that you have not attended some important events like the chamber of commerce lunch (I had to work, so I was not there). Even more concerning to me is that a few others that I had talked to early on in this campaign who were impressed by your message and determination have also noticed that it appears that you are not 100% in this and have even told me that they plan to vote or already have voted for Mr. Dinwiddie. My question to you is this.. If I want my vote to be a message that it is time for change in Ward 1, should I go ahead and vote for Mr. Dinwiddie, or have you been doing something to get the 1000 votes or so needed to win?
I plan on taking work off on Tuesday morning to vote, so there is no need to rush your response.
I was going to vote for Ron. I voted for Mike Dinwiddie instead because Mike came by my house and asked for my vote.
Brandon is taking the extra $400 per month.
Brandon supported the pay increase.
I also voted for Mike. He not only came by my house and was willing to talk for 45 minutes about everything from city issues to planting a garden, but I just got a hand written note from him in the mail. Taking the time to actually write to the voters shows a level of commitment and personalization that I think belongs in office.
OK, I feel that it is only fair to lay everything out on the table, as I have been contacted by several people who were concerned by my recent lack of presence, so here it goes;
I am in the middle of getting divorced, and unfortnately the timing of this decision by my wife and I has definitely had a negative impact on my ability to campaign, as I have had to deal with many other issues at the same time.
As for my not attending the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, I regret that work commitments ran over into the scheduled time for the luncheon, as I had intended to be there. This is the only event that I missed (except for the secret meeting that seems to be so popular on this site, as I was not invited - I instead went to the Denning Lane meeting instead which I was invited to), and I do regret missing it and hope that it was not construed as a snub to the Chamber.
As far as other methods of campaigning, Mr Dinwiddie and I have differing opinions of what is and is not appropriate, just as our opinions of what is and is not good for this city differ. While he obviously feels that placing campaign signs every twenty feet is appropriate, I feel that it makes our city look trashy and instead chose to place out a few signs in high traffic areas to establish a tasteful presence. Mr. Dinwiddie has chosen to go door to door seeking votes. Personally, when I am at home relaxing, I strongly dislike people coming to my door to try and sell me things, including candidates trying to sell me their political agenda. Friends and neighbors on the other hand are always welcome. Instead of disturbing you at home, I have chosen to speak to the people in public on neutral ground, where they have the option to walk away and not feel pressured to listen to me because I am standing at their door. I have also chosen to get my message out through sites such as this, my website and the media. Finally, thanks to a supportive family, I have had family members at the polls speaking to voters and delivering my message to those that want to hear it due to work commitments during the days of early voting.
As far as election day goes, I urge you to vote for the candidate that you feel will best represent you and your beliefs for the direction of this city. If you think that the status quo is the proper direction, and you want to be represented by an Alderman that follows the group's lead rather than being a leader, then your vote should go to Brandon McCulloch. If you feel that populating our city with lots of commercial development and residential development is the way to go, and you want to see Industrial Parks and large corporate offices in our beautiful city (I can only wonder if his idea of building an airport in the city which he proposed in the Mayoral election is part of his Industrial Park plan), then your vote should go to Michael Dinwiddie. But, if you want to preserve the reasons that you moved to Spring Hill or chose to remain living in Spring Hill, such as low crime, a more rural atmosphere and a quality of life that corporation filled cities cannot provide, free of businesses in your back yard, noise pollution and light pollution, then I would urge you to not count me out and vote for me in this election. I have every intention of representing the residents of this city with all of my power and ability, and can only hope that the citizens of Spring Hill can understand why I have not been as public recently as many feel I should be. I hope everyone can remember that we all have things in our life occur which require us to take a few steps back from time to time, and I hope that each one of you can look at your experiences in life and see that it happens to all of us, but after dealing with the issue, we are able to return to our normal activities and give 100% of ourselves again.
Thank you to everyone that has expressed their concerns recently, and I hope that this posting properly provides an explanation of my recent actions.
Ron:
Do us all a favor and remove yourself from this election.
Going negative on both Brandon and Dinwiddie? You got guts, kid. But we need brains...
You've just admitted that your personal problems have kept you from being able to campaign. If you get elected, do those problems suddenly disappear? If you can't even campaign, how in the world are you going to hold office?
Do you think it reflects positively on you that you would use your divorce in an effort to gain attention? I don't believe I saw anyone asking you what your
problems were.
Good Lord! Here we go again! Ron was man enough to spill his guts on an open public forum. You can agree with his politics or not (I personally, don't). I can vote for him or not (I didn't). But lay off with the judgements and accusations. Ron, I hope things work out for the best for you and your family.
People have contacted me personally outside of this forum to find out where I was, so I assumed that others that participated in this forum may have the same questions, so I laid all of my cards on the table. If you were not one of the individuals that had this question, then my last post was not directed at you. I am not using my divorce to try and gain attention, if I was, I would have issued a press release, not kept my mouth shut and handled my business. As I said in my last post, we have all had issues in our lives that have required us to step back for a little while, handle our business and then come back and give the 100% that people have come to expect. Would you fault the Mayor or Alderman for missing a meeting becuase of an illness or death in the family or other personal issue. We are all humans here folks and we have to take what life throws at us.
As you can see, I am back and ready to work in the final stages of this campaign. As far as going negative on Brandon and Michael, I am merely stating facts and personal beliefs. Take a look at Buckner, and you will see the signs placed every twenty feet, and we know from previous posts that he has been going door to door. Both of these approaches are ones that I disagree with for reasons previously stated. As far as Brandon following the group, that it shown clearly in public record and discussed repeatedly in this forum. Part of campaigning is highlighting the differences between yourself and the other candidates so that the voters can vote based upon their beliefs and convictions.
I have guts and brains, along with the experience working in municipal government in a city that housed a population that Spring Hill is quickly moving towards. I recognize the problems that are coming and feel that what my opponents bring to the table as far as desire to commercialize our city is not what we need. Again, if you favor large corporations, industrial parks and even the possibility of an airport in our city, along with more 1,000+ unit residential developments, more traffic, over crowded schools and higher crime, then please vote for my opponents as that it what their goals and ideas will bring. If you would prefer to maintain the quality of life that Spring Hill has allowed you to enjoy now into the future, then please make sure to cast your vote for me when you go to the polls.
For those that have expressed their concern and best wishes, THANK YOU. Please understand that these wishes have meant alot, and that I am back and not out yet!
Funny, I don't seem to remember Mr. Dinwiddie mentioning one word about an airport in this campaign.
Wow...
In this campaign, I have not at any time endorsed an airport. In fact, other than this very post, I have not even mentioned the word "airport". It baffles me as to why my opponent is so adamant about using speculation rather than factual information in order to deceive the voters.
For the record, I DID say that I supported an airport two years ago. It was an idea. Some ideas are good. Some aren't. Some ideas simply haven't reached the right time yet. Some ideas get accepted, some dont. I was ALSO the one who suggested the need for a hospital two years ago - an idea that you obviously like. I find it interesting that you would be so bold as to criticize me for the one idea without crediting me for the other.
What we need are city leaders willing to throw out ideas for the betterment of the city - not people who just like to complain about other people's ideas. You've been in this city for one (count them - one) year and have done nothing but complain about it.
Good luck in your campaign, sir.
Mike Dinwiddie
Confused and concerned, I think Mr. Defransisco answered your concerns better than any one of us ever could have.
I would greatly appreciate your vote and if I don't have it yet then I sincerely hope you will help me understand what I need to do to gain your confidence.
Thanks,
Mike
"if you favor large corporations, industrial parks... ...then please vote for my opponents as that it what their goals and ideas will bring."
What a ridiculous statement!
I favor facilities associated with the functions of education, research, design, technical training and experimental product development. I also favor professional offices, including medical offices and clinics and public office buildings. I even favor data processing and computer centers. All facilities that are permitted in our industrial zoning.
I suppose that I shall now go vote for Michael Dinwiddie or Brandon McCulloch, because according to the other candidate, these are not facilities that he will support in our community.
Anon @ 21:24, I agree with all that except for the "or Brandon McCulloch" part. :-) The important thing is to go vote though.
Mike
Clearly we all seem to be interested in the same outcome, Brandon McCullough out of office. However, I caution you all on the toss up between Dinwiddie & DeFrancisco. If these votes are too split, McCullough will get a majority & I'm sure that he what he and his supporters are hoping for. We need huge numbers to pull him out of office.
Same thing with Ward 3. We want Sharon Cantrell out, but heaven forbid we get Tommy Duncan.
Ron has good intentions but he does not have a chance in this election. Ron, pull out of this election for the betterment of our community.
In regards to Ward 3. If Cantrell is re-elected I wonder how long it will be before all houses are painted lilac and pepto pink :o). Seriously, Ward 3 is hotly contested and I will stongly support Rick Graham. He has an extreme work and integrity ethic.
It is curious that Mr. Graham waited to post his signs in respect of Spring Hill city ordinances. I saw Tommy Duncan's and Sharron Contrell's signs all over the city in glowing DISregard to the city ordinance. I dropped those two from consideration immedeately.
If Brandon wins, it will be Ron's fault. Period.
Dinwiddie, now I KNOW you belong in office. I almost ran into you this morning in my truck. Anyone who is crazy enough to risk his life walking down Duplex Road wearing signs and waving like he's in a parade is crazy enough to be in office.
Anon @ 13:39, Thank you so much for not killing me. :-) Risking ticks, chiggers and the occasional swerving dump truck, I walked from my house down Port Royal, down Duplex, down Main to Home Depot and back. It was absolutely perfect weather for a walk. I can't say that I ever want to walk down Duplex again. However, I might possibly be spotted around the Buckner Rd/Hwy 31 area in a couple of hours.
Mike
Ole FireFighter,
I believe I owe you a cup of coffee. I plan to be at Saxby's in the morning at around 6:00 - 6:30. Stop by if you (and anyone else for that matter)can so we can chat.
Mike Dinwiddie
OK, I have absolutely no intention of dropping out of the race, as I believe in myself and my beliefs for the direction of this city. Even if I wanted to drop out of the race, that is impossible since the deadline for withdrawl has passed and my name is alreay on the ballot. For those that have not given up on me and are going to the polls and casting their vote for me, Thank You!!!
Mike
I am on shift and will not be home until after 6:30 and my little girl will not be awake until about 8 or 9 but I appreciate the offer. I am sorry I missed you walking down Duplex road. I would have made you a cup of home made coffee to help you recover your nerve after walking down that road.
ole fire fighter
"I have absolutely no intention of dropping out of the race, as I believe in myself and my beliefs for the direction of this city."
So much for thinking about what's best for the city...
A vote for Ron is a vote for Brandon.
How are you guys going to tell Ron that he is not worthy of running. You do your thing Ron, you have a lot of support. Don't let these outsiders get in your head. Your a good man with great ambition and vision, Spring Hill needs a man like you.
Yea I know what does Mike know about the HISTORY of Spring Hill. He moves in and like the rest wants to take over. We still have a lot of people here that would like to see some of the history of Spring Hill perserved. Vote "No" for Mike on Thursday. A vote for Mike is a vote for destruction of Spring Hills history. I spoken with him and he is 100% politition. Tells you what you want to hear and takes office and does just the oppisite. No Thanks Mr. DinWiddie, I DON'T THINK SO! I think we should all write in Micky Mouse .
Huh? What planet are you living on? Must be Ron posting anonymously again. If anything, Mike is for historical preservation.
Anon @ 19:39
Thank you for your post. Comments like yours tell us so much about the person you are supporting and I actually find your seething negativity to be a positive sign for my campaign. However, I don't think that you and I have actually spoken. I DO think I left a flyer on your door though at around 6:15 or 6:30. Perhaps you imagined the whole "conversation" part after reading the flyer? Whatever the case, thank you again for your input. I look forward to serving you.
Mike Dinwiddie
To my supporters, Thank you again. To those that still like to accuse me of posting anonymously, it is time to stop. My name has been attached to everything that I have said during this entire campaign. Unlike some, I stand behind everything I have said in the past and stand behind everything I will say in the future.
You tell them Ron. They are playing old fashion dirty politics. We know your the man for the job. Words are just that Words, they definatly cannot VOTE, however all of us, your supporters can. Vote for RON!!
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