Who is John O’Neill, Huntersville Board of Commissioners candidate?
Name: John O’Neill
Age: 59
Campaign website or social media page: Oneill4Huntersville.com
Occupation: Manufacturing Operations Leader
Education: B.S. Labor Relations, Le Moyne College
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought):
No.
Please list your highlights of civic involvement.
Greenway Commission, Park and Recreation Commission (2 terms), Downtown Huntersville Steering Committee, Veteran’s Parade MC (2), soccer coach (13 years), Knights of Columbus (28 Years).
What one professional or political accomplishment are you most proud of?
I was asked to come in to lead a manufacturing business that had a complete break down of trust and confidence with our sales and distribution network. I listened to their concerns and reached out to several key support groups and created a cooperative forum to prioritize issues. Internal to my team, I had to make several leadership changes to ensure all leaders were focused on the mission and supportive of their employees. It was extremely difficult at times. However, within 1.5 years, our customers were heralding our efforts and shortly after, the parent company was moving additional operations inside our 4 walls as a testament to their confidence in our team. I could not have been more pleased by the support and enthusiasm of my team. I learned an important lesson: starting in the toughest of situations will bring the greater sense of reward and accomplishment so stay the course!
Traffic is an issue in Huntersville while a few critical road projects, such as the widening of N.C. 73, have been delayed by NCDOT. How would you tackle the town’s traffic problem?
There are, of course, two sides to traffic management. One is road construction and the other is managing the rate of growth. The state manages most of the road projects in our town. However, our town does have its own build plan (town funded) that we need to keep pushing. I particularly support the added connecting roads on that plan as more options for travel are often the better solution than simply more lanes. I would also look to extend/add turn lanes, wherever possible. The other part of the battle requires us to stick with our Community Plan 2040 which describes where and how to grow. We should not be granting re-zoning changes that do not fit into our Community Plan. The roads simply need to catch up with the growth and managing the Community Plan is the most important lever we have as a town board to affect this important concern.
What are your ideas about how the town should recruit and retain more police officers specifically? And all town employees more broadly?
I am a process person. I would want to work with town staff to ensure we understand our turnover (which roles are turning over, why, do we have meaningful exit interviews, is pay a factor, working conditions, leadership, etc.) as a one size fits all solution won’t work for a town labor force that has very different skills and labor market elements. Turnover is a battle for everyone. Our goal is this area should be to have a rate that is measurably better than the competing market.
Huntersville has experienced rapid population growth over the last few decades with the approval of hundreds of new homes. Do you think the town should control growth in some way or keep expanding? Why?
First, it’s important to note the town has a legal and moral obligation to protect citizens’ expectations to sell or develop their land as currently zoned. That said, we have the Community Plan 2040 which is the guiding mechanism to steer growth into certain pockets while still protecting value for land owners. We have a strategy. Stick to it. In addition, I would be willing to see the town purchase land for parks and conservation. I think the citizens of the town support that. They know that when we run out of open space, it’s gone forever.
Why should voters choose you over others who are in the race?
I have lived in the town for nearly 20 years and believe that past and current board members have had good intentions for the town and have made great contributions to our success. This is a wonderful town. That said, in only a few cases have I seen a town board member with as much leadership as members of our town staff. I think we need a board member like myself who has managed relationships with thousands of employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders. I know the questions to ask because I know the role of our town staff. I have spent 35 years leading teams. I want to learn what is needed to improve operations and be supportive in those endeavors. That has been my leadership style and it works. Iron sharpens iron. Lastly, I know most of the town leadership and can say with confidence that we are fortunate to have the talent we have.
