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Published: Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009 / Updated: Wednesday, Sep. 30, 2009 04:05 PM

Crowded field vies for 2 city council seats

TEGA CAY -- 

The top leader in Tega Cay and his second in command are set to face off for the city's mayorship.

Meanwhile, an attorney, a former and current Tega Cay City Council member and a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection program manager turned stay-at-home dad are among six residents eyeing two at-large council seats.

Contenders for the city's mayor seat are incumbent Mayor Bob Runde and Councilman George Sheppard, who serves as Mayor pro tem in Runde's absence.

Those seeking the city's at-large seats include Councilman John Dervay and residents Thomas John Fitzpatrick, Dorothy “Dottie” Slovak Hersey, Keen McHugh, Stephen Perkins and Katie Shive. Perkins is a former council member.

Election Day is Nov. 3.

Runde's stint as mayor spans just over seven years. The former medical computer systems owner turned retiree and father of four adult sons is seeking another term.

“I have the time, knowledge, foresight, leadership skills, financial background, experience and a proven track record for getting the job done,” said Runde, 68, who has called Tega Cay home for 37 years. “In addition, I have an unmatched passion for Tega Cay. I look forward to continuing to make positive improvements to Tega Cay for its citizens.”

Paving forward includes gaining a revenue base via new Tega Cay businesses, he said.

“We have to have commercial annexation so that we don't have to continue increasing taxes as we unfortunately had to this year,” he said.

Recently, the city approved a $5.2 million 2009-2010 fiscal year budget that for the first time in more than a decade ushered a tax increase.

Moving forward also means providing recreational amenities, such as completing Catawba Park with its ball fields, as well as growing a contingency fund, he said. The city's lean fund earmarked for city emergencies most recently sat at less than $7,000. Fixing that is vital, he said.

“It's important to have funds available if we have an emergency,” Runde said. “If we don't have any money in the bank, the city has to go out and start borrowing money. If we have a sizable contingency fund then we would not have to go to the banks and borrow.”

Sheppard's long term plan, which he said revolves around fiscal responsibility, addresses moving Tega Cay forward, a goal that also includes bolstering the contingency fund, he said.

“I would like the city to be able to have a minimum of a six-month contingency and stop borrowing to cover any unexpected expenses,” said Sheppard, 45, who has served on the council for two years.

Sheppard, a resident of nearly four years and the father of 14-year-old Emma, said it's time for Tega Cay to have a fresh voice.

“The city needs a new direction and change,” he said. “I love the spirit of Tega Cay. I'm very concerned that we're getting away from the spirit of Tega Cay by becoming bigger and less financially secure. I am not comfortable with the size of our debt and the lack of contingency.”

The senior account representative would like city leaders to put the brakes on spending.

“We have too many projects on our plate right now,” he said about efforts that include the city's parks, sport programs and damaged greens at golf courses. “I'd like to see them completed before we have any new projects.”

And he has a problem with some city services, such as police and fire. “The city has grown, but the basic services haven't been taken into consideration,” he said.

Veteran Councilman Les Conner is not seeking another term.

However, John Dervay, a former city employee, hopes to remain seated. Dervay formerly served as the Tega Cay zoning administrator, code enforcement officer and secretary with board of zoning appeals and planning commission. When he retired in 2005, he sought and won a council seat.

Less than four years later, he's working to keep his post.

“I'm the most experienced person on the council,” said the 65-year-old father of two. “When I ran for office in 2006, my platform was experience. I'm running on that again.”

That wisdom forces him to address the city's money woes.

“We've got to get the city financially stable,” he said. “There's no contingency fund. If we have something go bump in the night, we don't have any money to respond to the emergency.”

And that's not how a city is supposed to operate, he said.

“Our expenses should not exceed our income,” he said. “We've got to do a much better job of defining wants and needs, respond to the needs, prioritize the wants and do them when we are financially able.”

Fitzpatrick, 52, who formerly served for 22 years as a program manager with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection before becoming a stay-at-home dad, also is vying for one of two at-large council seats.

Like his opponents, the two-year resident also has a problem with the city's spending.

“As a new resident, I've seen things that I'm not happy with and I'd like answers,” Fitzpatrick, the father of 9-year-old Thomas, said. “I can revitalize the city council and add a new prospective.”

Like others seeking the at-large seats, Fitzpatrick's short term goal is simple, he said.

“Getting a handle on the $8.5 million debt the city now has and our spending policies,” he said. “We have to pay attention to the needs first versus the nice to have.”

Fitzpatrick, who said he has no political experience, would like to see the city step up how its communication flows from leaders to citizens.

“Beside Channel 19, we need to find another way for those non-cable subscribers to watch city council meetings, i.e. streaming video, Youtube etc.,” he said. “We need to tap into the technology that's available so that all the residents can get the correct communication.”

Hersey, an attorney and senior contracts director, knows her way around communication and balanced budgets, she said. The 51-year-old Tega Cay mother's career includes 24 years in public service with the federal government, including a five-year stint as a financial manager where she developed, executed and managed an annual budget of more than $30 billion, she said.

“I've got the common sense to work through issues, the legal experience to understand laws and ordinances and a loud voice and strong will to speak up for what I believe is right and argue against what I believe is wrong,” Hersey said.

The former Washington, D.C., attorney embraces fiscal responsibility as a short term goal, she said.

“The city is in financial peril with almost no money in contingency to handle necessary expenditures,” she said. “I would fix this through budget management. We (would) only spend what we have.”

Hersey's long term goal speaks to Tega Cay's future.

“We, the council and the city manager, need to decide what the vision is for Tega Cay,” she said. “If we have a vision, then all of the actions we take and decisions we make in the short term will move us toward achieving that vision.”

McHugh, 65, is a newcomer to the political area, but he has sat on several corporate boards.

“My platform is fiscal conservatism,” said McHugh, who for more than 20 years owned an international consultation business. “It's important that we get our house in order, that we don't spend.”

Making that happen means backing up from spending and maintaining “fiscal balance,” he said.

“Put it on the back burner,” McHugh, a two-year Tega Cay resident, said of spending. “This whole idea of annexing is fine but we have to buy the property from whoever owns it. It's fine when we have the money to do so.”

“My idea is to bring a sense of balance,” he said. “Living on borrowed money is not the way. I'm all about progress. Let's make sure we can afford it.”

Perkins, the former Tega Cay councilman, also wants Tega Cay to live within its means, he said. The 44-year-old father of two last served on the council in July 2006 and choose not to seek re-election because of a looming threat of job relocation.

But the 15-year Tega Cay resident didn't move and he wants back on the council.

“We have a lot of problems,” he said. “The problem is that we're having a difficult time meeting our budget needs for city operations. We have continued to spend and finance items way beyond our means.”

As vice president of an insurance company, Perkins manages a $2 million budget and contends that he can help Tega Cay break its trend of money woes.

“My experience, knowledge and expertise on both city government and financial budgets will enable me to serve the citizens and hopefully make a difference,” he said.

Until the wrongs are corrected, Perkins has one panacea, he said.

“We need to increase cash reserves,” he said. “We need to stop spending for new projects until we get our house in order. We need to analyze the expenses for operations in our upcoming budget to determine if we are using our resources effectively.”

Katie Shive, a Tega Cay resident of three years, is also a political newcomer.

“I'm just a political junkie,” said Shive, 40. “I'm running because I'm a concerned citizen wanting to make a difference.”

The mother of two (Nate, 7, and Lizzie, 4) has one short-term goal.

“I'm a believer in a balanced budget,” she said. “In my household, we don't spend what we don't have. My biggest concern is contingency…We can borrow against ourselves instead of the state.”

Shive's long-term goal makes allowances for developing commercial growth.

“If we put restaurants and maybe a movie theater in, we could see more of our neighbors and become more of a community,” she said.

The mayor's post earns $6,000 annually while council members are paid about $3,600.