What's Going On in Matthews

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What's Going On in Matthews - Jim's Views & News
Questions and comments from the community: Updated October, 2007.
Jim's responses to questions which address significant local issues as well as those having general applicability to the entire Matthews Community will regularly be posted at this location throughout the campaign. In addition, news and information about events in Matthews will also be posted at this location. If you would like to make Jim aware of an issue which is important to you, or you desire to have Jim respond to your question, please go to the "Contact Jim" page and submit your questions or comments via email. Jim is always anxious to learn what are the most significant issues and concerns for the citizens of Matthews. Remember,
Jim wants to continue to be the voice of the entire Matthews Community.

**** 2009 Candidates Forum will be scheduled soon ****

A Candidates Forum will held at the Matthews Community Center, date & time TBD. Thanks to everyone that attended prior forums in the past and asked questions regarding issues in Matthews. Commissioner Taylor is always happy to address questions regarding Matthews. The forums have been sponsored by the Matthews Chamber of Commerce and The Matthews Record. Commissioner Taylor enjoyed seeing the many people the attended the prior forums and wants to thank everyone for taking the time to come out as he enjoys seeing and talking to many of you at these thyes of events.

Commissioner Taylor does not claim to have all the answers, but he has and will continue devote his energy to being the commissioner that will work with you to address your concerns. Constituent service has always been and will continue to be a priority! Your public officials should be accessible to you. After all they work for you, and Jim has shown us that he truly understands that relationship. You can contact Commissioner Taylor via his cel phone @ 704-578-6754. How many other elected officials provide you their cell phone numbers. Feel fre to contact Commissioner Taylor as he want to hear from you about concers or compliments you may have about Matthews.

Matthews Alive! annual parade:
The annual Labor Day Parade at Matthews Alive is a great family event. Jim and his family love being a part of the parade and he enjoys seeing as many of you as he can. In this picture we can see: Jim, Joselyn, Breanna, Brandon as they wave to the large crowd in Matthews.

Jim gets first hand exposure as a firefighter with the Matthes Fire Department:
Commissioner Taylor is very involved and he wants to have first hand knowledge of the workings of our Town. Here he spent the day training with the Matthews Volunteer Fire Department and actually entered a burning building. Commissioner Taylor has also spent multiple nights with the Matthews Police Deparment and EMS Department in order be better understand the needs of our community. Jim is the only Commissioner that has taken the time to spend time actually working with the Police, EMS and Fire Departments. Jim really wants to understand the needs of the community as well as those of staff. We need this level of commitment by our elected represntitives... we need Commissioner Taylor!

Matthews Movies in the Park Series - Join Jim at the movies and concerts:

The movie "GREASE" was shown a few weeks ago in Stumptown Park. This was another free event for the entire family sponsored by your Town. These movie nights along with the many summer concerts have been an overwhelming success and we plan many more of these types of concerts and movies throughout the summer and into the fall. We hope you attended the last movie of the summer, July 28th @ sunset..... It was a nice evening to spend with family and friends as we watch, "Happy Feet"... We are looking to add additional activities and we will list them heare as we move forward.... Lets enjoy Matthews together in Stumptown Park. Just another great asset of our community and one more thing that makes Matthews...... Matthews.

Stay tuned for a listing of movies and concerts for the spring of 2008. Also, remember the annual tree lighting celebration in December, 2007. Actual date and time TBD.

Questions from Citizens of Matthews:

QUESTION: I would like to vote for you in the upcoming election since you seem to have a common sense approach on most issues, but your vote on petition #514 puzzles me? Would you please explain. Signed: John Higdon, Matthews, NC.

ANSWER: This is an great question which I believe many others have also thought. I appreciate you asking me the question rather than just being upset and not saying anything.

I am very sorry you feel upset about the Erickson vote last week. Please let me try to explain what happened and why I did what I did last week. Others can give you their own reasons and explanation for doing what they did.

As I stated Monday evening at the meeting, at about 4:00pm on Monday afternoon, I was informed that the protest petition was removed (or would be by the time of the meeting). At that point my tactics concerning Erickson changes too. I had previously stated and will still say that based on what I had reviewed and seen from Erickson up to 4:00pm on Monday I was not in support and shared that information with other Board members that asked. With the protest petition in place I was against the petition and I am sure it would have failed (with more than the two needed "no" votes") but with the removal validated, the petition appeared to have the needed four (4) yes votes to be approved. Keep in mind that there was no legal ability for people to back fill on the protest petition for those that chose to take their names off the petition. At that time my goal was to get for the town the best possible deal for the people of Matthews. I, with the help of others, was able to get Erickson to reduce the number of units, limit the amount of units per year that can be built, remove the restrictions on the corner that Erickson wanted, provide an additional $1MM for park development, secure the use of the land under the Duke Power lines of parks, full sidewalk, pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection, etc...... most, if not all these items were not included in the earlier drafts of the petition and keep in mind ..... all these items were negotiated with Erickson and agreed upon by Erickson AFTER I was sure they already had the four (4) needed votes for approval... but Erickson did not know that. Would you have wanted me to vote "no" just for the sake of voting "no' and not negotiating a better deal for our town than we were going to get.... remember, I was sure they had the required number of "yes" votes in the bag..... due to removing the protest petition. How was I sure you may ask..... I called and asked other members of the board where they were on the issue..... I found at least four (4) solid "yes" votes and knew what I needed to do was to change gears and get the most for Matthews because this was coming. The key to this vote was the protest petition from the people having the legal right to file the protest petition.. once that resistance was removed.... the dynamics of this case changed tremendously.

Had I received the concessions, as I did from this developer at the last minute, and then cast a "no" vote, I feel I would have lost any future negotiating power with any client of Mr. Patrick's firm... not to mention other petitioners or agents that may come down the road. Remember, Erickson had the required number of votes.... by maintaining credibility and being at the table and pressuring Erickson, we were offered more than we were going to get had I not taken the position I did. I need to keep my negotiating power going forward so that other cases will allow me to either hold off a bad rezoning or when faced with a not so good zoning request that has enough support from others, that I can negotiate in good faith and get a better deal for the town..... My job is to do what I think is in the best interest of the Town given the situation I am faced with. I think I did that last week. The developer thought he needed my vote and in order to secure that vote I was able to get the developer to secure the items I noted above..... I think I was successful in that effort.

I may not be able to change your mind on this case or make you feel any better about the final outcome but I hope you can see this from my point of view and understand that I did not abandon you or anyone else in my effort to do the best thing in the interest of our town.

I have always listened and tried to do what I feel is not only in the best interest of Matthews but also what the people of Matthews want too. I would love to discuss this further if you would like. Feel free to call me at:

704-578-6754 cell

704-383-2064 office
704-845-1864 home

Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to provide you a more detailed account of my actions.

Jim
Signed: Jim Taylor
Commissioner
Town of Matthews

FOLLOW-UP: "...After reading your explanation I do think you had the best interest of Matthews in mind, a yes vote is just awfully difficult to accept..." "...I appreciate your candid response..." "...good luck in the election. You can count of my vote..." Signed: John Higdon, Matthews, NC.

QUESTION: With the large number of new and relatively unknown candidates seeking election to the Matthews Town Council, what steps do you recommend a voter should undertake at this time, which will enable one to make an informed and intelligent choice at the polls on election day?
Signed: P. Colangelo, Matthews, NC.

ANSWER: This is an excellent question which I believe should be a concern to a significant percentage of eligible voters in the Matthews community. In order to make informed choices at the polls, voters must develop the ability to sift through political rhetoric and to recognize distortion tactics.

Initially, I believe it is essential for each voter to decide what he or she is looking for in a candidate. Candidates can and should be judged in two ways: the positions they take on issues and the leadership qualities and experience they would bring to the office. Both are important. Your first step in picking a candidate is to decide the issues you care about and the qualities you want in your representative. Create a "Candidate Report Card" listing your priority issues and the qualities you think are most important in an elected official. Rate the candidates on how closely their views match yours and on their leadership abilities as well as the experience they would bring to the office.

The way a candidate runs a campaign can provide important clues to how that candidate will perform as a public official, once elected Citizens deserve open, honest and issue-oriented campaigns and should not tolerate unfair or misleading campaign tactics.

Rather than making emotional decisions, I believe it is essential for each and every voter to undertake and rely on good fundamental research to guide them in making informed and meaningful decisions at the polls on Election Day.

Should any citizen of Matthews ever have a question regarding any campaign material they should receive that prompts any doubt, I would ask that they call me or another member of Town Council. I would be more than happy to answer any question you might have.

Signed: Jim Taylor
Commissioner
Town of Matthews

QUESTION: Would you please explain your position regarding the issue of commercial vs. residential growth within our Matthews community?
Signed: K. Katopodis, Matthews, NC.

ANSWER: It is important that growth continue to be managed in such a way that it provides a 'Net Positive Impact' to the community.

Our children and our communities must not be continually redistricted from school to school and developers and builders must be able to reasonably plan for their businesses. Furthermore, economic development tools are and need to remain in place to balance the residential growth by attracting new businesses and retaining and growing existing ones.

In summary:

(1) Growth should consider the potential strain on roads, schools and the environment.
(2) Growth should be planned to take into consideration the property rights of both the developers and current residents.
(3) Growth must be predictable and reasonable for everyone.
(4) Growth must be balanced with both residential and commercial development.

These goals are not mutually exclusive. "No growth" will result in a stagnant tax base and higher taxes. "Uncontrolled growth" can result in strains on capital budgets and higher debt levels. It takes a responsible business and financial outlook to properly and aggressively balance and address these issues. I have worked hard during my first term as Commissioner to balance these issues and with your help, I will continue to work hard for all of Matthews regarding growth. I have proven that I am up to this task.

Signed: Jim Taylor
Commissioner
Town of Matthews

QUESTION: For the upcoming election on Tuesday, I'd like to know your review on the RVS Zoning petition affecting the land on Phillips Road. I, personally, would like to see the town change their zoning law to restrict RVS Zoning to areas such as the area off of Independence Blvd, that the old Bi-Lo and K-Mart occupied. In my opinion, areas such as this provides public transportation access and does not interrupt the total environment as much as the land on Phillips Road. I would appreciate your reply. In honesty, your answer will have direct baring on my vote.
Signed: J. Schatzel, Matthews, NC.

ANSWER: Thanks for your note and your question. I have received many email messages on this subject in the last few days and that is fine. I like to hear from people and get their thoughts. I would like to tell you that I am afraid that someone (or some group) may be giving out some information that is not totally correct and may be causing you (and your neighbors) some unneeded concern. I would like to offer to you and anyone else that I would be happy to meet to discuss this further if you would like more information.

I will try to be brief and to the point, I do not think R-VS is correct for the area of town you mention and I have not supported any R-VS zoning for the areas around Phillips Road. I believe that R-VS should and has been used correctly in the past near our downtown central core. This allows the density required to support the merchants in downtown and will bring more activity to an area we are working so hard to improve. I live in the Heather's (off Phillips Rd.) and I agree that an R-VS type zoning, as was in the petition you mentioned, does not belong in this area.

Let me tell you, I would not support any multi-family type of housing in this part of town..... it just does not fit.

R-VS in and of itself is one of the MOST RESTRICTIVE zoning classification the Town has and Matthews does have the ability to restrict it to certain areas of town. The main goal of R-VS (Residential - Varied Style) is to give some flexibility and the ability for the land owners to bring new ideas to the table that straight zoning does not allow...... NOT to only allow higher density developments. While the development community has presented more than a few petitions for R-VS that did request higher density, none of them have been approved for any areas outside the downtown area of town while I have been on the Board. One additional point of fact is that R-VS is a Residential Type Zoning Classification and not a Mixed Use or Commercial Type of Zoning.

My record has shown that I am true to my word on this and other issues.
Help keep your government strong.
Re-elect me, Commissioner James P. Taylor ,to continue to work hard for all of Matthews.

Signed: Jim Taylor
Commissioner
Town of Matthews

Matthews is a wonderful place to live ! If you like whats going on in your town and enjoy being part of this community, I ask that you return me to office so that I can continue to keep Matthews a great place to Live, Work and Raise our families !

*** REMINDER ***
Please remember to vote and re-elect
Commissioner
James P. Taylor
on Tuesday, November 6, 2007.
Thank you for your support.