Council candidates discuss smart growth

CLAYTON -- The three candidates vying for two Clayton Town Council seats in November hope to keep the town moving in much the same direction it has been going in recent years.

In fact, as Mayor Jody McLeod puts it, the town council doesn't have any conflicts to speak of.

"People just want to see us continue moving in a positive direction," McLeod said.

And that positive direction, McLeod said, involves continuing to grow and promoting Clayton as a great place to work and live.

"A lot of towns are not growing and we're growing," McLeod said.

"Marketing is a priority in a slower economy. We need to be able to accentuate the positives, the high quality of life."

Each town council candidate agrees that Clayton can keep growing while maintaining that high quality of life.

Incumbents Butch Lawter and Alex Harding are vying to keep their seats.

Challenger Jason Thompson is also seeking one of the two open seats on the council.

For Lawter, the positive direction McLeod calls for entails an emphasis on parks and recreation.

"We must continue not only to promote, but to make it a reality that Clayton truly is the premier community for active families," Lawter said.

Lawter has served on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee for 15 years, participating in renovating the new community center, constructing Sam's Branch Greenway and establishing the East Clayton Community Park and dog park, which should be open by early November.

Lawter also emphasized maintaining the strength of the artistic community in Clayton, including an effort to bring more art into public facilities.

"I believe that businesses also will be attracted to Clayton because of the high quality of life available to their employees," Lawter said. "I will continue to seek opportunities to improve recreation and cultural arts available to our citizens."

Bringing in new business

Improving the town's website in order to attract new business is one of Lawter's goals. He suggested adding information that businesses often seek when selecting sites, such as commercial property listings and details like traffic counts.

Incumbent Alex Harding is also looking to improve the town's website and its ability to attract businesses to the area, proposing that the town website be kept current and helpful in providing critical information to citizens and prospective businesses.

Harding also emphasized that supporting the Clayton Chamber of Commerce is integral to maintaining vibrant local businesses.

"A strong chamber of commerce responsible for supporting our local business and marketing efforts is a key to sustainability," Harding said.

Challenger Jason Thompson, a cardiovascular specialist at a clinic at Rex Hospital and local EMS advisor, said that the current "shop at home" marketing scheme is an important part of the town's economic picture.

"I am 100 percent in support of the 'Think Clayton' initiative that's been put together, and I am 100 percent in support of keeping tax dollars within Clayton," Thompson said. "I think the council needs to become more vocal with that."

Big business, small town

All three candidates are confident that the town can continue to grow while maintaining its small-town flavor.

"I want to preserve the historic attributes of this town for our multigenerational citizens both from Clayton and other places . . . and at the same time provide the economic backbone to support a vibrant small town," Harding said.

Harding has supported building codes to preserve the character of downtown together with the Johnston County economic development zone to provide space to prospective business and industry. He's also supported purchasing open space to preserve and build recreation areas.

Alongside clear, concise ordinances and quality infrastructure, Lawter said that Clayton's small-town identity will survive amid continued growth as long as residents can continue to get involved.

"I believe that because of the variety of opportunities available in Clayton, we are attracting active families that want to be part of Clayton, not just passive residents," Lawter said.

Thompson is particularly interested in making sure that infrastructure and services can be provided to newly annexed land and new business parks and subdivisions.

"You have to make sure that you're ready to grow," Thompson said. "We have to make sure that when we take on additional area that we have the ability to provide the small town services to them.

Thompson emphasized the ability of law enforcement, fire and EMS to grow with the town.

"If we do grow, we've got to grow the infrastructure, especially our law enforcement protection. Police need to be just as visible whether it's in a subdivision we've annexed five miles from downtown or my neighborhood right there by town hall," Thompson said.