theview
August 2017
.com
Page 7
Meet Your Candidates
By Terry Bondurant
Last month, The View 38002 contacted
the 12 candidates running in the municipal
or school board elections in Arlington. In
each race, each candidate was sent the same
questions and instructions.
Three of the candidates are unopposed:
Cheryl Pardue in Alderman Position 2,
Scott Benjamin in School Board Position 1,
and Dale Viox in School Board Position 5.
Participating candidates were given a
400-word limit for their responses. The
responses printed here are unedited, except
for formatting that does not change the
content or intent of the answer.
The responses are grouped alphabetically
by position, as that is the way that they will
appear on the ballot.
In Arlington, voters will choose from
candidates for Board of Aldermen positions
1, 2, and 3. Only the top vote-getter in each
position will be elected to a four-year term.
At The View 38002, we believe that
educating the public on the election and
candidates helps individuals make informed
decisions. While there certainly are many
issues that are not touched upon in these
questions, we encourage our readers to
contact the candidates for more information
on their platforms and campaigns.
Responses from the candidates for the
Arlington Board of Aldermen begin
belowand continue on the pages following.
The Arlington Community School Board
candidate response can be found on page
10.
Position 2
Cheryl Pardue
Home Educator (former Marketing
Account Manager)
FB Page – Cheryl Pardue, Position 2 or
email cherylpardueforalderwoman
@gmail.com
Why are you running for office?
Let me start by saying that I am not
running on a certain agenda, nor has anyone
asked me to run. After being active in our
community for several years, especially in
the political scene, I felt it was time for me
to exercise my civic responsibility to run for
this position.
How many board or committee
meetings have you attended in the past
year? Have you voted in every election in
the past five years?
I believe attending the monthly Board of
Mayor and Aldermen meetings is an
important step in understanding how our
local government operates. Therefore, I
have attended nearly every meeting for the
past 7 years. For the past couple of years, I
have shared notes from these meetings on
my personal Facebook page to help others
to be informed and knowledgeable about
what is going on in our community.
I have voted in every election and
brought my children along to each one so
that they also understood the importance
and excitement in exercising our right to
vote.
How do you look to balance the desire
of many residents to maintain a “small-
town atmosphere” in Arlington with
increasing commercial development and
residential growth?
I equate small town with being family-
friendly. I have lived in Arlington for 14
years and have seen the tremendous
changes in residential and commercial
growth during that time. I have seen how
Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) allow
each neighborhood to be a community
within itself thus promoting family-friendly
environments throughout the town. Our
town has done a good job in maintaining the
small-town atmosphere by keeping it family
-friendly with these PUDs and events like
the Annual Christmas Parade, Arlington in
April, Arlington Fireworks, Music on the
Square, the Library’s Summer Reading
Program, and so many more.
It is
wonderful that we still have the Rachel K.
Burrows Museum and Post Office located
in and maintaining the identity of Depot
Square. Encouraging small businesses to
locate and stay in Arlington is a key factor
in growing retail business while maintaining
the small-town feel. Continuing to support
these events and incorporating this family-
friendly atmosphere throughout the
residential developments and commercial
growth will be paramount to maintaining
the small-town atmosphere that we all
enjoy.
What do you think is the biggest
challenge facing Arlington at this time or
within the next 12 months?
Now that Arlington has grown to the size
that it is and others see the gem that we
have, more residents and businesses will
want to locate here. Therefore, we have the
challenge of making sure future growth
stays consistent with our identity and that
we maintain the infrastructure and public
services to support it. The duty of the town
will also be to ensure growth is in the best
interest of the residents.
Position 4
we’ve seen the past couple of years, if not
pick up somewhat, and we must do it in a
manner that will not damage existing home
values. I see the south side of 40 becoming
an area of focus and the bar needs to be
raised just a bit. We have a land use plan in
place and some very stringent guidelines to
follow. As long as we stay the course,
things will work out to everyone’s liking.
How many board meetings have you
attended in the past year? Have you
voted in every election in the past five
years?
A) I attend all BMA meetings. I missed one
Planning Commission meeting (family
vacation), and attended all but a couple of
Park and Recreation meetings (work
related). I have attended a hand full of other
committee meetings that I do not hold a seat
on, plus any required training and work
sessions. B) Yes.
How do you look to balance the desire
of many residents to maintain a "small-
town atmosphere" in Arlington with
increasing commercial development and
residential growth?
Well my opinion of “small- town
atmosphere” and everyone else’s opinion
may differ just a bit, but to maintain it we
need to continue to have, and promote
events that get people to come together and
mingle with their neighbors. i.e. Music on
the Square, Arlington in April, Arlington’s
Star Spangled Celebration, Christmas on the
Square/ Christmas tree lighting, Annual
Christmas parade, A Taste of Arlington etc.
I’m sure there are a few events I have
missed. I also feel that the Depot Square
area should remain a focal point. But the
one thing in my opinion that encourages
interaction with your neighbors would be
more front porches and less privacy fences.
What do you think is the biggest
challenge facing Arlington at this time or
within the next 12 months?
I think the biggest challenge will be
managing a good balance of commercial
and residential growth and making sure we
can provide the necessary services without
placing any addition financial burden on our
citizens.
Candidate Forum
Alderman Candidates
Tuesday, August 15
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Arlington High School
Submit questions to:
tinyurl.com/AldermanQuestions
School Board Candidates
Thursday, August 15
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Arlington High School
Submit questions to:
tinyurl.com/acstnquestions
Early Voting Location
Arlington Town Hall
5854 Airline Road, Arlington TN
Early Voting Hours
Friday, Sept. 1
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday, Sept 2
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 4
Closed (Labor Day)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 — Friday, Sept. 8
11:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 9
11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Monday, Sept. 11—Friday, Sept. 15
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Saturday, Sept. 16
8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Position 4
Election Day
Oscar L. Brooks Sr.
Plant Operations Lead @ Le Bonheur
Children’s Hospital
Follow my campaign on Facebook @
Re-elect Oscar Brooks Alderman
Position 4
Why are you running for office?
I am seeking re-election to help steer
Arlington through what I believe will be a
commercial growth like we’ve never
experienced yet. I also feel the residential
growth will continue at the same pace as
Voters must vote at their
assigned precinct on Election
Day, September 21.
Polls will be open from 7:00 am
to 7:00 pm on election day
Thomas Reyes
Civil Engineering Technician/Civil-
Safety Public Service
Facebook page: Elect Thomas Reyes
for Arlington Alderman Position 4
Email: [email protected]
Why are you running for office?
My family and I moved to Arlington in
2008, being our number 1 choice to raise a
(Continued on page 8)
Election Day Polling Locations:
ARL01- Arlington United Methodist
Church, 6145 Quintard St,
ARL02-A Arlington Middle School
5470 Lamb Rd,
Last day to register to vote is
August 22, 2017
www.shelbyvote.com