Doug Dearth: Letter to Weaverville

Open Letter to the Citizens of Weaverville

This letter is to announce my candidacy for Town Council. I seek your vote in support of this effort so that I may continue serving this fine community.

I have been a landowner in the Town since 1997 and a full-time resident since 2002. My wife, Maura, and I have invested in renovating one of the old Reagan homes in which we reside on Hamburg Drive. We have participated fully in Town affairs and events. I operate a small business, Dry Ridge Stone, and am an active member of the Weaverville Business Association.

Since 2004, I have been a member of the Town Planning and Zoning Board, and have served as Chair of the Board since 2005. In that time I have led efforts to write a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan, draft a new Steep Slope Ordinance, initiate a Conditional Zoning Ordinance, and completely review and revise the Town Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances.

As a member of the Weaverville Wildlife Habitat Working Group of the Town Tree Board since 2007, I have helped plan and organize our effort to gain National Wildlife Federation certification of Weaverville as a wildlife habitat, making us only the second town in North Carolina so designated, and one of the few in the country.

If successful in the election, my goals are: 1) to provide vision and leadership for the future, 2) to insure continued sound financial management, 3) to support our effective public safety and public services staffs, and 4) to pursue balanced and beneficial residential and commercial development of the Town and its environs.

As we all know, Weaverville is a unique and historic community. My goal is to help maintain and enhance the advantages we all enjoy. In the near term, this will require difficult decisions, as we weather current economic conditions. In the longer run, it will require careful management of development pressures.

I am a political independent. None of us has all the answers to these challenges. Together we can ask the right questions and explore the best solutions. I ask that you vote on November 3rd and allow me to continue to serve the community in the interesting days ahead. In all cases, I believe in open government and full public participation in all public business. I will always welcome your input on key issues.

Sincerely,

Doug Dearth
34 Hamburg Drive