Politics

LIGHTNING VOTER GUIDE: Board of Commissioners District 2

Candidates for the Board of Commissioners District 2 seat are Daniel Andreotta and Debbie Roundtree

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 17, 2020

The candidates for the District 2 Board of Commissioners seat are Daniel Andreotta, the Republican nominee, and Debbie Roundtree, the Democratic nominee.

Both natives of Henderson County, the candidates are running for the seat that had been held by longtime commissioner Charlie Messer until his death on July 10.

Andreotta, 54, was appointed to replace Messer. Cofounder and managing partner of Integrity Financial Group, he is married with three grown children and six grandchildren.
Roundtree, 50, is a single mother with three daughters. She works in health care at a local nursing facility.

Why are you running for election to the Henderson County Board of Commissioners?

Andreotta: Andreotta As a current County Commissioner, I wish to be elected to continue the work I and others are a part of. We are seeing exciting days locally, and I want the future to be the best it can be, for all county residents.

Roundtree: I feel as a fourth generation native of Henderson County that I bring history, agricultural, education along with knowledge of past and present living conditions and circumstance of our city. I also understand the dynamics of the people of our county and surrounding areas. I have worked in various industries and currently live the experience that many are living. I have always been an active voice to all citizens. Henderson County needs to have a reflection of its communities and members.

The proposed Ecusta Trail received a $6.4 million state transportation grant for purchase of the rail line and the trail received a $5 million construction grant from the Federal Highway Administration through the French Broad MPO. Do you favor the Ecusta Trail? What role do you see the Board of Commissioners playing in its construction and/or operation?

Roundtree: Yes, I favor the Ecusta Trail. The Commission is responsible for the supervision of the construction of the trail and managing the distribution of the funds, as well as oversight to be certain that monies are well invested. The Commission also needs to coordinate with our neighboring counties in helping top growth for this project. The trail can become an economic engine for growth of tourism in Henderson County and our neighboring counties as well.

Andreotta: The Ecusta Trail is an awesome idea that is many years in the making. As with any major project, there are many moving parts. We of course are working with the city of Hendersonville as well as Transylvania County, along with other partners. In the end, the citizens of Henderson County will bear no expense thanks to various grants, etc., so I am very excited to see this project moving forward.

The Board of Commissioners voted on Sept. 1 to block a city of Hendersonville water line for a vacation cabin development in Horse Shoe. What is your position on that action? Why?

Andreotta: The issue of water and sewer in Henderson County should have been addressed before now. We the County Commissioners wish to work with the City of Hendersonville on this matter. As we all understand, if you control water and/or sewer, you control land use. That is not the desire of any county resident I have heard from, nor should it be. There is also the topic of unequal rate charges that must be addressed way sooner than the proposed 10-year timeframe. All that said, we should not allow the continued expansion of city water/sewer until these issues have been addressed to the satisfaction of county taxpayers.

Roundtree: I would like to know why the Commission voted to block running water out to the vacation homes in Horse Shoe. Was the landowner unable to put in wells? Was the property owner concerned about the quality of the subterranean source of water? Was the expense too great to justify the construction of the sort of infrastructure to benefit persons? Did the property owner demonstrate that building the infrastructure could eventually benefit future property owners/neighbors?

In January the Board of Commissioners will receive the results of a consultant’s study on providing sewer service to Edneyville Elementary School and the Edneyville community. What options do you favor for Henderson County in providing sewer service to the community?

Roundtree: I suspect that anyone can tell you what the school desks, classrooms, parking lot, etc. would look like when building Edneyville Elementary School. But not everyone agrees on what will happen when an elementary child wants to flush a toilet. I favor running sewer service out to the Edneyville community. For any company interested in growing the Edneyville community, it will be essential to have the infrastructure in place necessary to make the community’s growth possible in a healthy fashion. So, I support building infrastructure that will last well into the future.

Andreotta: As to the topic of sewer expansion to Edneyville, we are in the study/fact finding process as we speak. I will hold on commenting further at least until we have received and reviewed the consultant’s report that is forthcoming.

What other priorities do you have for Henderson County if you are elected?

Andreotta: My top priority as a current and future county commissioner is to be the best steward possible of the people’s money. The county does not have a single penny until we first tax it away from someone who earned it. We do the people’s business, but we do it with the people’s money.

Roundtree: Representation of people living in the community who are under-represented, nearly voiceless. Affordable housing: Too many people struggle to find housing close to their work places. Schools: The Commission needs to support our schools with resources that would attract the best educators to our community. Transparency: I support frequent town halls in each of our districts. Pandemic: Many small businesses have already closed their doors and their jobs may never come back. The Commission needs to work with local banks and investment firms to build the capacity the community has to rebuild when the pandemic becomes a nightmare from the past.