Steve Mensing, Editor
♦ We’re back again to complete our interview with Salisbury City Council Candidate Stephen Arthur. In Part I of our interview Stephen spoke about his strong motivations for running for city council and he began an inventory of what he saw as Salisbury’s most pressing issues. He believes an all new city council is needed because the previous group was unresponsive to the city’s various communities. The incumbents dug the city’s financial hole deeper by staying with Fibrant and covering over its huge losses by claiming it was a minor success.
Steve Mensing: Stephen, getting back on track. Where would you like to go with this?
Stephen Arthur: The early voting is starting. I want to tell everyone to get out and vote–your vote counts. Even if you don’t choose to vote for me, I hope you’ll vote Todd Paris, Kenny Hardin, and William Peoples. All three of them are knowledgeable about what needs repair in the city. William Peoples is a strong advocate for everybody, not just the Black community. Who hasn’t heard him down at city council and around the city. Kenny Hardin knows what’s up and he’s not afraid to talk about it or complete an initiative. Todd Paris is a friend. He knows every square inch of the city and he knows what to do about it. If you voted those three men in I believe they would move our city forward. They won’t hide what doesn’t work. They listen and they won’t hand out doubletalk and do nothing. The incumbents are not even helping the country club or the historic district except to higher utilities, fees, and taxes.
Just look at what’s going on in the Historic District and Country Club. Check out all the break-ins, car stealing, and assaults. They’re getting hurt by higher water bills and bogus storm water fees. The city is about to be junk bonded. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities needs $20,000,000 in major repairs and upgrades.
Steve Mensing: Stephen, that $20,000,000 dollars for major repairs and upgrades is an older figure. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities needed $20,000,000 to fix its crumbling water-sewer system several years ago. Our latest figures put the repairs and upgraded at close to $40,000,000. Salisbury water system is “maxed out”. The city kept everybody in the dark about the Salisbury-Rowan Utilities. Salisbury for too long used that utility as a slush fund and as a profit making machine. That’s something no public utility should ever do. A public utility by definition is never to be a profit maker. Salisbury for years now has gouged all those county municipalities who bought their water. That day is ending. Salisbury-Rowan Utilities will lose one of its largest customers in 2016. The City of Albemarle built a new water plant and Concord is jumping ship from Salisbury-Rowan Utilities to get on board with Albemarle. It’s a devastating loss for Salisbury.
Stephen Arthur: $40,000,000 in repairs and upgrading and they are losing Concord’s business? What am I getting into? (laughter).
Steve Mensing: Don’t worry, the LGC helps manage North Carolina municipalities that crash and burn.
Stephen Arthur: (Nervous chuckle)
Steve Mensing: The city has managed to cover-up and smokescreen a large number of challenging issues for years. Taking a triage approach, let’s get back to critical issues you haven’t mentioned yet.
Stephen Arthur: Unsolved murders is tough to swallow for most everyone in Salisbury. The Police don’t have experienced crime investigators. We need to find a way to hire experienced investigators. Any day now Salisbury is going to have another murder. Just about every weekend there’s a shooting. Bullets go flying into houses. Firefights that nobody wants to talk about. It’s a joke about how violent crimes and shootings get reduced to a single nameless blotter post.
Another issue that needs to be dealt with are vacant and abandoned buildings. What the Rowan Free Press calls the South Main Badlands is a disgrace. The Empire Hotel needs to come down before it falls down. It makes that entire block ugly. Look if nobody wants to do anything with that hotel since 1963 that should tell anyone that its minus worthless. The city should just go ahead and condemn it and bring in a demolition crew. It really hurts the city’s appearance and makes that part of South Main look like Detroit. Nobody believes developers are swarming into Salisbury and are all hot and bothered bout that wreck. Enough is enough.
Steve Mensing: It will cost a half a million dollars or more just to abate it.
Stephen Arthur: There’s so much that needs fixing. The city’s 25% poverty. Many people in Salisbury can’t get work because they were in jail or they can’t pass drug tests. Many young people can’t read or write. Young people don’t have much in the way of alternatives to gangs and drugs in Salisbury. What do other cities do that is successful with these difficulties? Copy them.
Steve Mensing: You sound overwhelmed.
Stephen Arthur: I am overwhelmed. It’s depressing when you look at Salisbury. Somebody’s got to do it.
Steve Mensing: Yes they do.
Stephen Arthur: Thanks Steve for taking the time.
Steve Mensing: You are more than welcome.
