Wednesday, Sep. 02, 2009

Dick Sears

Dick Sears is seeking a third term as mayor of Holly Springs because he believes "what's good for the kids is good for our community."

Not a bad campaign slogan when you consider his definition of kids includes just about every man, woman and child living in the rapidly-growing community.

Behind the slogan is an eight-year record and a considerable increase in commercial development.

"When I became mayor eight years ago," he recalls, "our town was 90 percent residential and 10 percent commercial. Five shopping centers later, it's now 70-30, and heading for 60-40."

Sears expects that ratio to be reached when a sixth shopping center holding 880,000 square feet of retail space is constructed off the Route 55 bypass near New Hill Road.

And he points with pride to the projected 2010 opening of a Norvartis vaccine production facility.

Development of commercial properties, Sears believes, means more to residents than easy access to shopping.

"Municipal tax revenues for our 2009-2010 budget," he points out, "show a 10.1 percent increase in rateables. That makes us number one in Wake County and, I'm going to guess, number one in the state."

Underlying Sears' record is a conviction that municipal government has the responsibility to "favor only those actions that will improve the quality of life for every adult and child living in our community."

The candidate plans to employ the same philosophy should he be reelected for a third term.

"There's going to be a need to continue onward with what I consider to be a very positive direction we've already taken. We need to grow, but not outgrow our infrastructure.

"The major thing we have to work on is traffic," he adds. "Southern Wake County is growing to such an extent there's bound to be traffic that no magic bullet can solve."

Add "getting a hospital in our area" and the candidate's campaign platform is complete.

Sears and his wife Molly moved to Holly Springs in 1955 from Barrington, Ill.

The couple has three children and eight grandchildren.

More details of his background and platform can be found at dicksearsformayor.com.