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Charles (Chuck) Williams
Registered Voter Party:
Republican
Incumbent:
No
Previous experience in elected office:
None
Age:
~64
Occupation:
N/A
Description:
Williams is running because he wants to be a part of "growing Mount Holly in a good proper way." He works with his neighborhood's HOA and realized he wanted to have an even bigger impact on his community. He believes the aging infrastructure needs help and city staff and first responders should be compensated appropriately. He said that the council should think about how new developments "impact schools and services like fire and police" and that businesses that come to the community should be prepared to invest in it. During a Mount Holly candidate forum run by the Gaston Business Association, he said that because Mount Holly has limited public transit, it should look to other towns like Gastonia, which has rideshare options.
Other personal:
He is a registered Republican.
The Gaston Business Association Questionnaire
Please provide a short introduction (50 words or less) highlighting your background and achievements.
I am a fourth generation citizen of Mount Holly. I have lived in Mount Holly continually for the last 25 years. I have been the President of our HOA for the past 5 years.
What inspired you to run for city/town council, and what specific qualities or experiences make you well-suited for this role?
During my time as HOA President I helped lead our community in making decisions on various issues such as budget, asset management, and safety. During the Covid era I updated guidances to keep our amenities open and safe while following mandated guidelines. I have worked closely with many members of the city staff from the City Manager to several Department Managers. Together we have worked through several projects and various issues to benefit my community as well as the city. This motivates me to step up, outside my community, to help lead and support our city.
What are your top priorities for your city/town (specifically pertaining to the business community), and how do you plan to address them if elected?
My top priorities are....A) Move forward in researching and partnering with a developer to utilize city owned property downtown to benefit Mount Holly. I would like to see part of this area updated into an accessible park with traditional playground equipment. I would also like to see retail shops in part of this property, favoring specialty retail. Any housing on this property should be limited in size and fit our environment in scope and appearance. B) Define through citizen and business input our plan to take advantage of growth in our area by establishing a business district, ensure our infrastructure is capable of handling business growth, safety and protection are in place in the defense of business assets....grow with purpose for Economic Development so that we attract business growth.
Please select one of the following local issues, and provide a brief description of your stance on the topic: Economic Development, Public Safety, Transportation & Infrastructure, or Education.
Education – In our recent past education was nearly synonymous with a school building. Towns and areas had “their” school. High Schools and their students had the support of their community. But in today's world that has changed, lines are blurred and redrawn. Education can be a public school, private, charter and home-schooled students. We must update our thinking so that the term education includes all these and is not limited to a building. We need to ensure our students have the best access to Wi-Fi and internet.....must homework is done with internet. Athletic programs/banquets should be inclusive to public and private schools. This is new thinking that will require ideas and direction that I am willing to address.