Name as it appears on the ballot: Vickie T. Maxwell
Full legal name, if different:
Date of birth: 12/12/1956
Home address: 111 Bathgate Lane
Mailing address, if different from home:
Campaign Web site: www.vickie4council.com
Occupation & employer: Homemaker/Community Advocate
Home phone: (919)-677-0955> Work phone:
Cell phone: (919)623-3091
E-mail: Vickie@vickie4council.com

1) What do you believe are the most important issues facing Cary? If elected, what are your top priorities in addressing those issues? There are many important issues facing Cary.

There are many important issues facing Cary, but Cary’s massive growth is the one on everyone’s radar. I wish to serve on the Council so that we can offer the citizens the best balance between sustainable economic growth and responsible urban planning for infrastructure needs, present and future. I believe the best approach is to form collaborative partnerships between the vested stakeholders in the equation. It does not serve the citizens to either draw a line in the sand, or bury our heads in it. At the same time we can not allow the developers to control the agenda, nor can we stop all growth completely. We wouldn’t want to. I pride myself on being able to negotiate outcomes that serve all citizens in our community. Every neighborhood, every shopping center, every business district can and will prosper if we balance the needs and work to achieve healthy economic growth that balances our right to a sustained quality of life. The poorly managed growth we have experienced can not continue. I pledge to work with all the interested parties to develop a town we can be proud of.

2) What is your philosophy regarding the pace of growth in Cary? Has it been too fast, about the right pace, or has growth been encumbered?

The current rate of growth has been too fast. Every neighborhood, every shopping center, every business district can and will prosper if we balance the needs and work to achieve healthy economic growth that balances our right to a sustained quality of life. The poorly managed growth we have experienced can not continue. I pledge to work with all the interested parties to develop a Town we can be proud of and call home.

3) Please reflect on the recent developments approved by council at the intersection of Davis Drive and High House Road and explain whether you believe those development plans, and the process by which they were negotiated and approved, represent healthy growth for Cary.

From the outside looking in, it appears the process for at least one of the developments was flawed. Once elected to Town Council, I will be faced with many decisions, some unforeseen. I will use my experience and information provided by staff and interested parties to reach decisions that are in the best interests of the voters in District B and the Town of Cary.

4) How can the Town of Cary best ensure that infrastructure needs keep pace with growth? Please cite specific examples of policies or actions that the Town Council might undertake, or has undertaken, that you believe are effective or ineffective.

I believe in a pay as you go arrangement, as developers come and request City Council approvals especially variances, they could be conditionally approved. I believe developers should share the burden of infrastructure costs. I also believe that a strong healthy business economy provides for a healthy revenue base that can be self-sustaining. As a member of Council I will offer the citizens the best balance between sustainable economic growth and responsible urban planning for infrastructure needs, present and future. I believe the best approach is to form collaborative partnerships between the vested stakeholders in the equation. It does not serve the citizens to either draw a line in the sand, or bury our heads in it. At the same time we can not allow the developers to control the agenda, nor can we stop all growth completely. We wouldn’t want to. I pride myself on being able to negotiate outcomes that serve all our citizens.

5) Would you support Wake County’s Commissioners if they chose to put a land transfer-tax referendum on the ballot? Why or why not.

I believe that taxing individual citizens should be a tool of last resort for any community. Sustainable growth means that newcomers to communities share the burden equally with existing residents, and that a natural increase in tax-paying citizens and businesses in a community can pay for growth needs without increasing taxation. It is the spending side of the equation that could stand for closer inspection, both here in Cary and in Wake County.

6) What sort of relationship do you think the Town of Cary should have with the Wake County school system? Do you believe that, in the future, western Wake County municipalities should form their own school system, either by a formal breakaway or through the creation of a sub-district? In general, what can town leadership do to improve or strengthen the education system for Cary’s public school students?

I believe the Town of Cary should have a stronger voice when decisions that affect our quality of life are made by the Wake County School System. The Cary Town Council can speak with a resilient and unified voice, and the Schools System will listen. I wish to add the specific concerns of our town to the debate on what to do and how to handle the growth of the student population. The current mix of year round, modified, and traditional calendars, plus the great distances that some of our students must travel are concerns of mine and of many other parents with school age children in Cary. The quality of education must always be the first priority; any other goals, no matter how admirable, must be balanced against the primary mission. Our schools are our foundation. The Town of Cary deserves the best that our school system has to offer. I will fight to ensure that we have access to the best. I believe that our community must be a strong voice in deciding where our schools should be built and where our children will attend. All options should be considered to make our school system successful.

7) Do you believe the Town of Cary has done a good job in recent years of involving citizens in the public process with regards to growth, education and other issues of interest? What, if anything, would you change about the way public input is incorporated into the town government’s decision making.

I believe that every community can always do a better job of involving its citizens. As a citizen who has always been involved in this community, I know what kinds of things get folks interested and involved. I will use my experience with volunteer missions and activism to bring new faces into the discussion so all points of view are better heard and represented.

8) Are you concerned about the long-term water quality of Jordan Lake, Cary’s primary source of drinking water? If so, what measures would you take to preserve or improve it?

Yes, I am concerned about the pollution of Jordan Lake. As Town Council Representative of District B, I will work to ensure long-term water quality in Jordan Lake as well as protecting water sheds and other natural and man made resources that are in, or affect our community. I believe that solid and balanced input from environmental engineers and conservationists will allow me to formulate the best positions on these issues.

9) What is there in your public record or other experience that demonstrates your ability to be an effective leader? Please be specific about your public and community service background.

10) How do you define yourself politically and how does your political philosophy show itself in your past achievements and present campaign platform?

I am a registered Republican running in a non-partisan race. My past achievements, as well as my current platform are a result of my commitment to my community and its people, not my political affiliation.

11) Identify a principled stand you might be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some popularity points with voters.

That I will always put the interests of the constituents in District B first.

12) The Independent’s mission is to help build a just community in the Triangle. How would your election to office help further that goal?

I, too, believe we should all work together. Municipalities should compliment, rather than take away from one another. I believe in collaborative partnerships working toward the same goal. I see the success in this process through my work with Interact.