Who is Frank Gammon, Huntersville Board of Commissioners candidate?

Name: Frank Gammon

Age: 72

Campaign website or social media page: electfrankgammon.com

Occupation: Retired

Education:

Middle Tennessee State University, BS in Geography

U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (Resident Course)

University of North Carolina - Charlotte, M.Ed. Instructional Technology - Computers

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought):

No.

Please list your highlights of civic involvement.

I have been actively involved, both locally and regionally, in the community for almost eight years. After retiring as a public high school teacher in 2014 I was appointed to the Town’s Greenway, Trails, and Bikeway Commission where I served from 2016 to 2018. In 2018 I was appointed to, and currently serve as the Vice-Chairman, of the Town’s Planning Board. I also currently sit on the Town’s Ordinance Advisory Board as the Planning Board representative. Regionally, I have volunteered with the Carolina Thread Trail — Catawba Lands Conservancy since 2016, and was their 2018 Volunteer of the Year. I have volunteered with Trees Charlotte since 2020 to learn more about tree and tree canopy issues. In addition, I was a Mecklenburg County Board of Elections Poll Worker from 2017 to 2022 where I worked both early voting and election day. I was an equipment operator for each of those years, and was also appointed to a three year term in 2020 as an election day Party Judge.

What one professional or political accomplishment are you most proud of?

I am proud of my more than forty-nine years of public service to my county and community. I wore the uniform of my country for forty-two of those years: four years as an Airman in the USAF; twenty-two years as a soldier in the U.S. Army; and sixteen years as a NC High School Senior Army Instructor teaching Army JROTC. As previously stated, I have been actively involved in my community, both locally and regionally, for almost eight years. Serving on several Town Advisory Boards, Volunteering with local and regional organizations, and as a poll worker at early voting and on election day.

Traffic is an issue in Huntersville while a few critical road projects, such as the widening of N.C. 73, have been delayed by NCDOT. How would you tackle the town’s traffic problem?

Roads and traffic are my priority issue of concern, and neither can be addressed separately. The town’s growth, and its increased traffic, has overwhelmed our state and town roads. As a Huntersville Town Commissioner I would be involved in the approval of funds and the prioritization of town road projects. I will consider road development and methods to mitigate traffic in every decision I make.

There are numerous town road projects listed in the Town’s Capital Improvement Program waiting on funding. I support the Huntersville Bond Package for roads, and parks and recreation, if roads are your number one priority you will also. I will be a good steward of your tax dollars. I will ensure that your tax dollars that are spent on essential services, and roads are an essential service, are spent effectively and efficiently.

State road development; however, operates on a different development, and decision cycle than that of a municipality. It is a process that can take decades from inception to completion. While the Huntersville Town Board, and Town Manager have input into that process through the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO) and our local state elected officials, it does not control that process. However, the Town Board must stay active, vigilant, and lobby to ensure that the state roads planned for Huntersville are funded and built with the town and its citizens in mind. The state road project that should be of primary concern for the Town of Huntersville involves the widening and design of Highway 73. The town must ensure that the NCDOT Super Street design for Highway 73 does not add a new and different level of traffic frustration, and does not impede ease of movement within the town. In addition, the design must not degrade access to the town’s retail center located between I-77 Exit 25 and Catawba Avenue. The last thing the Town of Huntersville needs is for the new Highway 73 design to do to our retail corridor what was done to the Independence Road retail corridor in Charlotte.

What are your ideas about how the town should recruit and retain more police officers specifically? And all town employees more broadly?

This is not just a Huntersville issue - It is a regional, state, and national issue. An issue that is not just limited to the hiring and retention of police officers. Every citizen of Huntersville should be proud of the HPD; it is a respected, and professional police department. I believe community respect goes a long way in retaining all first responders, and other town employees as well - not just police officers. However, respect only goes so far when you are trying to house, feed, and raise a family. The town currently pays a competitive salary and benefits to our police officers which include additional pay based upon experience, and education. I will always ensure that our officers, and their families, continue to be fairly compensated, and rewarded, for what they do for the citizens of Huntersville. I will also continue to support a pay incentive for those officers, and their families, who are living, or wish to live in the Town of Huntersville.

The Town of Huntersville is also in the discussion phase of transitioning the Huntersville Fire Department from a volunteer department to a department with full time firefighters. That is not going to be easy first because of the cost, and secondly because of the lack of available firefighters regionally. This is not something the town is going to be able to do overnight and it may take years to make the transition. One possible approach to address the cost is to reach out to the State Legislature for assistance to reduce the initial tax burden on our citizens. The next Huntersville Town Board will be the first Board to face this issue head on.

I respect all of our town employees in all of our departments and will ensure that they are all receiving a competitive salary based upon their position and experience. I support efforts for affordable housing, and am open to discussions regarding workforce housing.

Huntersville has experienced rapid population growth over the last few decades with the approval of hundreds of new homes. Do you think the town should control growth in some way or keep expanding? Why?

The town does control growth through it’s Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, 2040 Community Plan, and its approval processes for new development - Don’t fix what’s not broken. The Charlotte Metropolitan Area is the fifteenth largest, and the third fastest growing, Metropolitan Area in the United States - That includes Huntersville. There are not enough houses available now for the influx of people moving into the area. Don’t expect Huntersville growth to stop anytime soon.

We do not need to stop development, we just need to be smart about how we develop it.

Why should voters choose you over others who are in the race?

I AM NO ASSEMBLY REQUIRED! I have decades of leadership and decision making experience. I have been directly involved in town zoning decisions for nearly five and one-half years. I have nearly eight years of town involvement. I am a Huntersville 101 graduate. I have served on the Greenway, Trails, and Bikeway Commission. I currently sit on the Town Planning Board and Ordinance Advisory Board. Over that same time span I have consistently attended town meetings: to include town board meetings, board retreats, and board budget planning sessions. I don’t know everything - but I know who to ask when I don’t. I believe in sensible leadership - what does that mean? I am fair, reasonable, and will apply common sense to my decision making and leadership.