Michael Hart for Harrisburg Town Council
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Michael Hart for Harrisburg Town Council


Why I'm Running




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As I'm going through the process of filing as a Candidate, I'm reminded how much has changed since I was first in office. Our population has nearly tripled, traffic in town is much worse than it ever was, there are more crowded developments being built, schools are crowding, taxes and fees are higher; where will it end? Yes, we have grocery stores, auto parts, and pharmacies coming out of our ears, but where can I sit down at a signature restaurant, go shopping, or be entertained? Harrisburg has many great features but I feel that our community is being shortchanged. I promise to talk with as many residents as possible and work with our  town council and staff to initiate the projects that the community wants to see happen.



About Michael



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Michael has been serving the Harrisburg community for 19 years. He started by volunteering for the Harrisburg Youth Association, over eight years he worked on fields, helped build the concession stand, ran clinics, developed procedures, and coached multiple teams. He brought the Reading First Program to Harrisburg Elementary School which resulted in volunteers reading to the students and donating books to their classrooms. He coached softball at both Hickory Ridge Middle School and Hickory Ridge High School while also being a member of the Athletic Booster Club.  He was elected to Town Council in 2004 and served for four years while representing Harrisburg as the Treasurer on the Executive Board of  the Centralina Council of Governments. Over the course of his term, he donated thousands of dollars to local charities out of his monthly stipend. Michael has always sided with the residents of Harrisburg in trying to encourage smart growth while keeping the small town flavor that we all moved here for.


Prior to moving to North Carolina, Michael served on the Board of Directors for a chapter of Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Connecticut. He also also served on HOA boards, and coached adult and youth teams in multiple sports. He ran his own Software Consulting company for 20 years in Connecticut before taking a permanent position in NC working for a major bank. He is an E-Business Systems Consultant with the bank and has been there for 19 years.


Michael shares his home in Harrisburg with his wife of 38 years, his mother-in-law, and daughter who is currently working on her Masters Degree at Utah State Eastern. Their oldest son Adam is a local chef, and their other son Ryan is an engineer, married with two children and  living in Delaware. All the children have played sports for HYA and their schools, graduated from local schools, and attended local colleges.

My Record on Town Council


During my four years on council between 2005 and 2009 many changes were made. One of the most significant was transferring final approval of building projects from Planning and Zoning to the Town Council and allowing council members to have discussions with the developers. We also made changes in the areas of Safety, Quality of Life, Communications, and accountability to the community.


In my four years of office, I never once voted to approve a single residential housing project while well over 1000 residential sites have been approved in the last four years. In fact, I initiated an effort to put a moratorium in place to put a halt to all the excessive developments that were being brought to the town. I've never supported any project smaller than 1/2 acre lots.


All of the information I've provided here can be verified through the meeting minutes and archived projects located at the External link opens in new tab or windowHarrisburgNC.org website. I'd be happy to explain my decision-making process on any of the issues listed here or in the minutes.


Town Council, Harrisburg 2005-2009

Committees

  • Co Chair Communication

  • Co Chair Website

  • Chairman Sign Ordinance

  • Economic Development

  • Parks & Recreation

  • Cabarrus County Sheriff's Office


Safety Initiatives created and supported

  • Established the Harrisburg Town Fire Department and Advisory Board
  • Purchased a new fire truck
  • Hired more Deputies for Harrisburg
  • Lowered the Speed Limit on 49
  • Lowered the speed limit in neighborhoods and created a Speed Hump policy
  • Creation of a new Fire Station with permanent offices for police officers
  • Created a relationship with Disaster Recovery Services


Quality of Life initiatives created and supported

  • Conducted a community wide Retail Survey to understand what the residents want
  • Tried to establish a building moratorium on Residential housing
  • Voted multiple times to establish minimum ½ acre lots
  • Creation of Stallings Road Park
  • Construction of Shelters, playgrounds, benches, and picnic tables at parks
  • Brought the Harrisburg Youth Association under the Town Parks & Recreation
  • Supported the Post Office, Log Cabin, and Farmers Market
  • Approved the establishment of North East Medical Center on Rocky River Road


Executive Board, Centralina Council of Government 2009

  • Treasurer, Harrisburg Representative


My Goals for Harrisburg


Most of us moved to Harrisburg for similar reasons, the small town feel with great amenities. Places for our children to go to good schools and places to play. All the benefits of Charlotte without the taxes, traffic, and over development. That's the reason our family moved here 19 years ago. This is what I'd like to see in town:


  • Continued work on our parks, green ways, and open space
  • Preservation of natural environments
  • Controlled growth of developments to not impact current traffic and schools
  • Attract businesses to provide our residents places to work locally
  • Attract high-end restaurants and shopping
  • Start a Senior Council to give our seniors a voice in the community
  • Pair up seniors with our Youth Council to provide experience and guidance

For more detailed explanations on some topics, including 1/2 acre lots and the Independent Tribune questions, please review the links in the Menu



The Other Candidates



One thing that is clear from anyone who has held public office is that it's not as easy as it seems from the outside. One of the most important things I learned from former Mayor Tim Hagler was that consensus building is vitally important. You need to be able to communicate your ideas, not only to the public, but to your other Council members as well. You will have disagreements, but in the end, it is important to make sure your decisions are what is best for the community, even if it differs with your personal belief. The timeline for becoming acquainted with the procedures of office and becoming an effective councilperson can take over a year. There will be a learning curve for anyone who has not held office before.


For all the first time candidates, how long have you lived in Harrisburg? Have you voted in every election? Are you familiar with the way Council meetings are run and the behind the scenes commitments required? Have you even attended a Town Council meeting? It's not just a once a month meeting. Plan on spending upwards of 40 hours a month speaking with residents, engaging in committees, and being prepared for meetings.


This is what I have found and questioned reviewing the last 4 years of meeting minutes, in all cases where they voted against an issue, the issue was passed, these are all issues I would have supported:

  • Voting against having public hearings
  • Voting against a Parkway project that will alleviate some of our traffic issues
  • Voting against Town Hall renovations
  • Voting against a Council Code of Conduct, a Code of Ethics is required by law
  • Voting against an Employee Social Media policy
  • Voting against Censure of a councilman for violation of the Code of Conduct
  • Voting against proposed 55+ communities
  • Voting against a bond for Parks & Recreation
  • Voting against a budget amendment to support the Fire Department
  • Voting against a Budget Ordinance to purchase life saving extraction equipment
  • Voting against Secondary Access Exceptions recommended by the Fire Marshal
  • Voting against changing the sale of Alcohol on Sundays from 12:00 to 10:00
  • Voting against changes to Personnel Policy regarding Interim positions
  • Voting against a Law Enforcement feasibility study
  • Voting against a Fire Department assessment by NC Fire Rescue Innovative Services
  • Voting against changes to Personnel Policy regarding Interim positions
  • Voting against having the Town Engineer report directly to the Town Manager



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