Also, candidate forum scheduled Thursday at St. Alban’s

"Our Cable Company" website.

As the Nov. 3 election draws closer, candidates for Davidson Town Board and the District 1 school board seat are ramping up their campaigns, with letters to voters and public appearances. The eight Town Board candidates and three District 1 school board candidates will answer questions at a public forum Thursday at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.

Meanwhile, a group of local residents who are opposed to the town’s 2007 purchase of the local cable and internet system is hoping to raise the issue as the election approaches. They’ve been quizzing the candidates about the town’s ownership of the cable system, and posting the answers on a website called OurCableCompany.com.

DAVIDSONNEWS.NET CO-SPONSORS THURS. FORUM

DavidsonNews.net and the St. Alban’s Neighborhood are co-sponsoring a candidate forum this Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m., at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 301 Caldwell Lane, off Concord Road.

(Another Town Board candidate forum is planned tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 21) at 7:30 p.m. in The Davidson Room at The Pines of Davidson retirement community on Avinger Lane.)

At Thursday’s event, Dave Smith, of the St. Alban’s neighborhood, will moderate the forum. The evening will begin with a 30-minute Q&A with District 1 school board candidates Gail Summerskill, Rhonda Lennon and Robin Bradford.

Following that, Mayor John Woods will make brief remarks. He’s running unopposed for a second term this year. He plans to give an overview of what has happened in Town over the last few years and what he sees as future issues and concerns.

Then the Town Board candidates will have a 60-minute session, moderated by Mr. Smith, with introductions, a Q&A and closing statements. The Q&A will included questions from Mr. Smith as well as a few questions from citizens.

Eight candidates are campaigning for five Town Board seats. They include incumbent commissioners Margo Williams (mayor pro-tem), Laurie Venzon and Brian Jenest, and challengers Connie Wessner, Tim Dreffer, Drew Crawford, Nick Gibietis and Mickey Pettus. (A ninth candidate, Fountain Walker, withdrew from the race last month, citing work and family commitments.)

After the forum, voters will have the opportunity to talk one-on-one with the candidates. The forum is open to the public.

QUESTIONS ABOUT CABLE

A group of Davidson residents concerned about the town’s co-ownership (with Mooresville) of the MI-Connection cable and internet system is hoping to make that an issue in next month’s election by questioning Town Board candidates and publishing a website.

OurCableCompany.com went live a couple of weeks ago, offering candidates’ email addresses and links to information about the cable company. A blog is also promised.

Some members of the group have been steady opponents of the town’s ownership of the system since 2007. Others have expressed concern about the potential financial impact if the money-losing system doesn’t turn around. They worry extended losses could require tax increases.

Town officials have said they don’t foresee tax increases, and believe they can continue to finance the system by other means. For now, the towns are making up for losses with the system’s reserves. But the picture could be different a year from now, when current reserves run out.

This week, the group sent a questionnaire to the eight Town Board candidates asking their views about the system, including whether they favor selling the system – a goal of some members of the group.

The group has held several meetings in recent months, and some members have met with town officials to voice their objections. Andy Beard,  a Davidson resident and organizer, said he thinks Davidson and Mooresville made a mistake in buying the system in 2007. The goal of the website and questionnaire is so “the citizens can know where the candidates stands on MI-Connection and its opportunities and liabilities,” he said.

Mr. Beard said his ultimate goal is for the town to exit the business. “I would hope that just as soon as possible, the MI-Connection board can find an appropriate purchaser for the property,” he said.

The issue is a complicated one. The two towns have borrowed $92.5 million to buy and upgrade the system. Liability for the debt is split between the towns roughly according to the ratio of the number of subscribers in the towns, currently around 70 percent Mooresville, 30 percent Davidson.

It’s not clear what the system is now worth, though some town officials and  members of Mr. Beard’s group agree it may be worth less than the towns’ investment. That could make it difficult for the town to sell without incurring a loss, and without becoming liable for paying off a big chunk of debt.

The towns have spent more than $20 million to upgrade the system, which had seen little in the way of repairs or improvements since former operator Adelphia Communications went bankrupt several years ago. The upgrade has added channels, boosted internet speeds, and allowed MI-Connection to offer new products and services, including video on demand and telephone service.

Town and system officials have argued the system can be a boon to economic development, giving the towns a bargaining chip – a state-of-the-art communications system – to lure new businesses. They also have noted that MI-Connection has improved customer service and added new products and services.

But customer growth has lagged amid the weak economy and intense competition, particularly from satellite TV providers. And the system has not met original growth or revenue projections.

The questionnaire asks candidates if they’d support selling the system, if they believe the towns should have bought the system, and whether they believe the issues should have been put to a referendum.

As of Tuesday two candidates had responded, Mickey Pettus and Drew Crawford. Both said they think the town should be willing to consider selling the system, though not unconditionally. Mr. Crawford said it should be to a “competent provider” while Mr. Pettus said “under the right conditions.” He said it should be a “business decision.” Both also said they think the town should have put the purchase to a referendum. (Town officials have noted that a referendum was not required because of the type of borrowing the towns used to finance the venture.)

You can read their answers, and any others that come in, at www.ourcablecompany.com.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

See additional coverage of the 2009 school board and Town Board elections on DavidsonNews.net, including full coverage of last week’s Chamber of Commerce-sponsored forum at Town Hall. In our “Election 2009″ category.

See addtional coverage of the MI-Connection cable system in our Cable TV category.