Who is Matt Jones, Huntersville Board of Commissioners candidate?
Name: Matt Jones
Age: 49
Campaign website or social media page:
Website: electmattjones.com
Facebook: facebook.com/electmattjones
Occupation: Real Estate and Finance Professional
Education: Appalachian State University - Degree in Finance and Banking, Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Certified Zoning Official training at the UNC School of Government
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought):
No
Please list your highlights of civic involvement.
Huntersville Ordinances Advisory Board, past Chair and Vice Chairperson, serving since December of 2017, Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) Sub-Committee served as chairperson for the duration of the committee and serving as an assistant Scoutmaster with Huntersville’s Troop 19 since 2015.
What one professional or political accomplishment are you most proud of?
Developing solutions to better address traffic impacts from new development while leading the Traffic Impact Analysis Sub-Committee.
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?
Currently the town is not using all available authority to address traffic impacts from new development and the authority we are using is not being used to its fullest extent. We need to implement all recommendations from the TIA Sub-Committee report, enable all other related authority and consider the use of tax increment financing (TIF) and other related financing tools to accelerate construction of road improvements.
What are your ideas about how the town should recruit and retain more police officers specifically? And all town employees more broadly?
Based on conversations with current and retired police officers pay and housing affordability are factors. We need to create policy via town ordinances to incentivize the development of housing that is affordable and attainable for our police, fire and municipal staff as well as teachers, nurses and workforce. My understanding of regulation and experience in real estate and home building will be beneficial to achieving this goal.
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?
Finding balance is the best approach. If we stop new development it will ultimately lead to higher taxes and housing that is less affordable yet if we allow unrestricted development it will overwhelm our infrastructure.
Why should voters choose you over others who are in the race?
Track record of commitment to the town (5 plus years), relevant experience (Municipal Finance, Certified Zoning Official Training, Real Estate and Home Building) and ability to find and develop solutions that address problems the town is facing.
