DavidsonNews.net

Davidson Town Board member Margo Williams says she’ll run for re-election this fall, hoping for a 7th term and a chance to continue working on issues such as affordable housing and managing growth.

Ms. Williams said she recently has been contemplating whether to run again. On Tuesday she said she’s in the race. “If elected, I’ll be honored to serve,” she said.

Two other elected town officials – Mayor Randy Kincaid and town board member Cary Johnston – have already announced plans to step down at the end of the current term.

Ms. Williams, a Concord Road resident and free-lance writer, was first elected to the board in 1995 – a year when several vacancies attracted 13 candidates to the race.

Besides Ms. Williams, most of the remaining board members, though possibly not all, also are expected to seek re-election. Candidates will be able to file papers for the election, which will be Nov. 6, between July 6-20.

Some in Davidson think the possibility of one or more board openings this year could lead to the most hotly contested race since 1995, though there are as yet no publicly announced candidates from outside the current board.

THE ISSUES

For better or for worse, Ms. Williams said Tuesday, town politics remains much what it was when she joined the board.

“The core issues are exactly the same as when I ran 12 years ago,” she said. The effects of growth, demand for more recreation programs, parks, and community activities, and the changing nature of local housing are just a few.

Ms. Williams is perhaps best known for her work on affordable housing. It has become a critical issue over that past decade as more people seek to live in Davidson, home prices have risen and new upscale developments have been built.

Both on and off the town board, she has been an advocate for affordable housing. She is president of the Davidson Housing Coalition and over the years has won national recognition for her work on the issue.

She said affordable housing is “one of my passions,” and will continue to be a priority if she is re-elected. Among other things, the town is continuing to shape its affordable housing ordinance, and is working closely with developers to ensure that what gets built fits local needs, she said.

“It’s about getting people into the homes, and getting good homes,” she said. “It’s not only the clients, but the product.”

“We still have a lot of work to do,” she said.

But she acknowledges there are many other issues as well. “I think people elected to the town commission … we have to be generalists. We’re too small (a town). You have to be into and educate yourself about everything,” she said.

Ms. Williams also has been involved in a variety of town issues, pushing for more green space, the construction of the Southeast Greenway, and the passage of amendments to the Village Infill Planning Area ordinance. The latter, which the board adopted this spring, was designed to preserve the character of neighborhoods in the traditional center of town amid a rush of new home construction and renovations.

Filed under: Davidson town board, Election 2007