Milton Hotard

Thanks To All

2007-11-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

Many thanks to those who supported me, especially my lovely wife, Millie.
Congratulations to Russell, Tim and James.

Election is Tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 6th

2007-11-05T07:37:00.001-05:00

The election is tomorrow, Tuesday November 6th.

There are 6 candidates running for 2 seats on the Knightdale Town Council. To see the composite ballot, click here.

You can choose 2 candidates for Town Council. There are no other choices to make as Russell Killen is running unopposed for Mayor.

If you have voted before in Knightdale and have not moved since, your polling place is the same. If you are not sure where to vote, you can check your voter registration here.

If your Municipality is "KNI" then you can vote in this election.

This is a very important election. Please vote.

Village Commons / Super Wal Mart development

2007-10-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

This was a good development but in the wrong place. Many people with different backgrounds came together to fight it, some for different reasons than others. I believe most were, as I was, against the rezoning of the property to allow a huge development to be put there. Others were against “big box” stores entirely and a few were just against Wal Mart. One thing we all had in common is that we were against the rezoning. Zoning is a type of contract the town has with the people and I believe that contract should not be taken lightly.

The front half of the property was zoned "highway business" and the back half was zoned "multi-family". They rezoned it all to “highway business conditional” and granted many exceptions so that Wakefield Associates could develop that property. There are many homeowners with adjacent property to this rezoned portion. They will lose value in their homes. The council went against the advice of the citizen's Land Use Review Board, or LURB, and broke their "contract" with the people so that it could give an advantage to the developer.

But there are other issues. The neighborhood traffic in the area will increase significantly because Sternwheel Way will connect Laurens Way to this development. So in addition to the adjacent property owners, hundreds of people throughout Widewaters, Planters Walk, Timber Ridge, Parkside Commons and other adjoining areas will be negatively affected by this development.

I believe we need to put the past behind us but learn from this situation as a mistake that should be avoided in the future. Commercial development is necessary to the success of this town. It will help keep our taxes low. It will also help pay for open spaces for much needed parks and recreational facilities. But we don’t have to bend over backwards for developers. They are beating down the door to get in. We must insist that all development is in its proper place. And that means making the UDO more in tune with the comprehensive plan.

We need to put the people first. We need to respect property rights and consider the safety of our neighborhoods when we decide what’s best for the town. To me that means what’s best for all of the people of Knightdale.

The News and Observer gets it wrong again

2007-10-24T09:35:00.000-04:00

The News and Observer printed an article on the election today.
Once again they got it wrong.

Update: They have published a correction to their printed story:

In a story on Knightdale town elections that ran in the City & State section in some editions Wednesday, a comment by a council candidate was incorrectly attributed. It was Milton Hotard who said in a televised debate: "It's the people that make Knightdale a great place to live. Developers, however necessary to the success of this town, ... come second or third."

Here is the corrected article online.

You can watch the candidates forum online by clicking here.

How many police officers does the town need?

2007-10-23T13:17:00.000-04:00

The Police Department is doing an outstanding job. We often hear about crime from police officers at community watch meetings and there hasn't been much to report lately. Police Chief Ricky Pope recently said that crime is down in Knightdale. I don't claim to know everything, so more often than not, I'll ask the experts for advice on issues. According to Chief Pope, we are fully staffed and are hiring two more officers at the beginning of next year. I believe him and I fully support him.

This is from a recent article in the Eastern Wake News:

With two new police officers, the police side of the Knightdale Public Safety Department is fully staffed again, said Police Chief Ricky Pope. Four officers will be assigned to a patrol squad, working around the clock. There will be a sergeant and three officers working at a time, Pope said.

"It is great to be back to full staff," he said. "We will be looking to add two new officers in January."

http://www.easternwakenews.com/news/story/1531.html

Police and Public Safety officers provide the most essential services to the people of Knightdale and if elected, I will make sure the town provides the department with everything necessary for them to protect us and to do their jobs safely.

I do not believe in wasteful spending of The People's money. When Chief Pope requests more officers, I'll honor his request.

Milton

Knightdale Candidates Forum

2007-10-22T10:43:00.000-04:00

The candidates forum went very well. It will be shown on East Wake Television, cable channel 22, every day at 8 am, until the end of October. It is also on some days at 6 pm. You can check the full schedule if you click here.
You can also watch it online by clicking here.
I also have DVDs available. Just call or email me and I will be glad to bring a copy to you.
I encourage everyone to watch it so you can be informed of the candidates' positions on the critical issues facing Knightdale.

Yard signs can be displayed now...

2007-10-06T09:56:00.001-04:00

According to town ordinance, yard signs can be displayed now.
I got the smaller 12x18 signs this time.

Please call 217-4979 or email at miltonhotard@earthlink.net if
you can support me by placing one in your yard or at your business.

Thank you,
Milton

My profile on the N&O website

2007-10-01T20:38:00.000-04:00

The News and Observer published my profile today.
You can see it by clicking here.

Voter Survey

2007-09-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

I've created a survey so you can register your opinion about the issues in Knightdale. It doesn't ask for any personal information and only takes 2 minutes to complete.

Your opinion is important to me.

To take this quick survey, please click here.

November 6th Election Reminders

2007-09-21T08:21:00.000-04:00

October 12th is the last day to register, change your party affiliation or your address for the November 6th election. The voter registration form must be postmarked by/or hand delivered by this date.

For more information about the November 6th election, click here

To check your voter registration, click here.

I want to know what you think.

2007-09-12T07:58:00.000-04:00

I want to know what you, as Knightdale residents, think about the issues. Please click on the "comments" link below or click here to express your wishes and concerns about living in Knightdale.

Candidate Briefing

2007-08-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

The town staff held a candidate briefing last night. They do this every election cycle so the candidates can meet the staff and discuss the issues facing the town.

Get ready, there's a lot of development coming in the near future. We need more people on the council looking out for the interests of Knightdale residents.

Campaign Materials

2007-08-13T16:00:00.000-04:00

I have bumper stickers and yard signs now.

Please call 217-4979 or email me at miltonhotard@earthlink.net if you would like to pick them up or have them dropped off at your home.

Filed for candidacy

2007-07-12T13:43:00.000-04:00

I filed my candidacy for Town Council today. This should be another interesting campaign.
Election day is Tuesday, November 6th.

Getting started all over again

2007-04-12T12:48:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm running for Knightdale Town Council again.
Stay tuned!