Fayetteville Observer Voter Guide: Meet the Fayetteville City Council District 4 candidates
Incumbent Councilman D.J. Haire faces a challenge from Stuart Collick for the Fayetteville City Council District 4 seat in the Nov. 7 election.
Here are their answers to a candidate questionnaire from The Fayetteville Observer. The answers have been edited for style and grammar.
D.J. Haire
Age: 64
Immediate family: Wife, Wendy; and five daughters
Occupation: Real estate
Elected office held: City Council, District 4
Contact information: DJHaire1@gmail.com; 910-574-5399. All my social media’s are under DJ Haire
For incumbents: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement or achievements in office?For challengers: What issue or issues compelled you to seek office?
I truly feel that the relationships I have built over the years is one of the my best achievements I’ve accomplished. Within these relationships and conversations, I’ve found out the concerns and needs of our residents and city and have brought those ideas back to council for discussions. Many of these conversations and ideas have risen and become city policy and priorities.
What do you consider to be the top three to five challenges facing the city of Fayetteville and/or your district?
I participate in many community meetings across my district frequently, and out of these meetings residents still have concerns with; code violations, community safety, speeding and other neighborhood-type concerns.
As far as the city of Fayetteville, we still have priority concerns: affordable housing needs; homelessness; job retention within the city; and improving our corridors just to name a few.
Although Fayetteville’s reputation has come a long way, there are many people who still see the city in a negative light. What are your ideas as to how to change that perception?
I don’t see the city of Fayetteville in the negative. Being a native of Fayetteville, leaving for years and returning, I’ve seen a lot of growth in my hometown. As a public servant, I and the City Council and staff have brought a lot of changes and improvements to Fayetteville: through marketing, improved Parks and Recreation, support of our small and local businesses. The city of Fayetteville is one of the leading cities in the country for new business growth. I will continue to support and promote our city as a great place to live, work and raise a family. I will continue to receive information from our boards and commissions and others on ways to improve our image.
What are your ideas for attracting new investment and new residents to the city, especially young families?
I will continue to support and push our local, state and federal lobbyists of the needs of Fayetteville, NC. I will continue to support & have discussions with our council on waving fees and other ways to draw future investments to our city. Partnership building with other city stakeholders is also very important. I think we, the city of Fayetteville, do this very well. We must continue to have partnership conversations with our local stakeholders, which includes our younger generations on ideas for new and future investments. In building a better and more attractive city is a full city effort that involves us all.
How have you or how will you engage with your constituents?
I will continue to be very visible to my residents of District 4 and Fayetteville. I will continue to attend our monthly community meetings and other community events. I often drive through District 4 neighborhoods and often see residents and have great conversations. I have learned that building relationships with my residents are very important and I will continue this effort.
Stuart A. Collick
Age: 63
Immediate family: My wife, my mom, sister and brother
Occupation: Disabled veteran, and I am proud of being a veteran, and I put my life on the line for this country and for the young and elderly so they would have peace, and I have three Bronze Stars and to protect someone else
Elected office held: I am a part of Community Alliance Awareness
Contact information: collickstuart7@gmail.com; 910-670-4347; 843-419-0681; stuartcollick Facebook; messenger on social media
For incumbents: What do you consider to be your greatest achievement or achievements in office? For challengers: What issue or issues compelled you to seek office?
First, most of all is to help the youth and elderly because they are the one that needs help and the youth because they are tomorrow and the elderly because they have been through for us and now we should be grateful to help them. And our youth we should be teaching them that they are here to respect and honor their elderly and leaders, but they have to lead by example and show their compassion for the youth and elderly and others and not about them; they choose to help people and to solve the problem and not be the problem
What do you consider to be the top three to five challenges facing the city of Fayetteville and/or your district?
Youth, elderly and the homeless people and if everyone would help in some kind of way and we talk about feeding them, but what about housing them and help them get jobs and giving them a second chance at life? Because it could be you out there and it could be your family out there and then you will want all kinds of help. Because I have spoken at the White House and have bills in my name for the Veterans Homeless Bill Stuart Collick and Heather French Ms America and the bill is HR.2716. And I was supervisor for the homeless project and we built apartments on the Lyons hospital and remolding houses in the community and accomplished 150 beds for homeless veterans and some community homes for family of the homeless veterans. So I am big on helping people and together we can lift up the ones that want it because know that we will not get everyone on board.
Although Fayetteville’s reputation has come a long way, there are many people who still see the city in a negative light. What are your ideas as to how to change that perception?
I just read the other day there are two cities in North Carolina that are losing residents, Rocky Mount and Fayetteville NC, and we need to have more activities for the children, and I believe if we have some boys and girls clubs and keep them up we will be able to get people to stay
What are your ideas for attracting new investment and new residents to the city, especially young families?
More things for youth and family events, and a nice YMCA for them to go with their children and elderly for water aerobics
How have you or how will you engage with your constituents?
(Coming) together as a city and county working together we accomplish more, then we will see the city grow with great vendors coming to the city.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville City Council: D.J. Haire versus Stuart Collick
