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Oddo is sole non-incumbent on Fayetteville ballot

By BEN NELMS
bnelms@TheCitizen.com

Fayetteville’s only contested race for the City Council in the Nov. 8 election has challenger and business owner Paul Oddo facing incumbent Post 5 council member Al Hovey-King. It’s not his first foray into campaigning in his hometown.

Oddo ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1999 and for City Council in 2003. Acknowledging that his choice of the council member to oppose came from a coin pulled randomly from a hat, Oddo said his candidacy is structured from a serious point of view. The intention, he said, is to secure a seat on the council and bring an different perspective to that elected body.

“I believe I have something I can give to the citizens of Fayetteville,” Oddo said. “I’m running because I come at things from a different perspective. I’ve lived in the same place for 35 years. I’m a resident of the city and I own a business in the city. So I understand the problems of the homeowner and the problems of the business owner and I have an appreciation for both. In my opinion, I believe I can bring to the city that alternative perspective of an individual that not only has the homeowner at heart but also understands the needs of the business community and can make both mesh.”

Oddo cited several issues that he believed have both a current and a future impact on Fayetteville. One of those is the business climate and factors that accompany it.

“What’s lacking in my opinion is a concern for how business in going to come into this city. We want business to come in. Business is good. I think it was Calvin Coolidge that said the business of America is business. And I do believe that,” he said. “But in their zeal, in order to do the right thing, I think they are coming at growth the wrong way and, in fact, making it more difficult for business that is moving into the city. I think business should be welcomed and I think we should have guidelines. When a business meets the guidelines we should say ‘Great, go to it, let’s go build.’ But not willy-nilly. I’m not for overreaching on zoning. I’m not for picking up every new piece of property or every new development that’s going to be high-density. There’s got to be a rhyme and a reason. You have to study it and if it makes sense let’s look at it.”

Another area of city government Oddo expressed concerns over involves a consistent net increase in the amount of property taxes paid by residents. Assessments increase, the millage rate stays the same, and property owners continue pay more taxes, he said.

“With taxes, since 1999 when I first ran, if you look at the taxes collected by the city, there’s been approximately a $150,000-200,000 increase each year in dollars flowing into the city coffers as a result of appreciation and assessments. The millage rate hasn’t gone up and so I, if I was on the City Council, could stand before you and say I haven’t raised taxes,” Oddo said. “Yes, I haven’t raised the rate but we’ve received the benefit of that increase each year. The dollars increase every year. The tax bill increases every year even though the millage rate stays the same or is being rolled back. It’s not being rolled back sufficiently to offset that increase in assessed value. And that’s the bottom line. There’s been no explanation for that. It’s been kind of silent. We’ve been sitting back and accepting it.”

Another plank in his platform was Oddo’s position on some city ordinances such as signage. He said ordinances since 1999 have become far more restrictive than common sense would dictate. He gave the example of signage at Chick-fil-a and Starbucks on Ga. Highway 85. The signage at Chick-fil-a should be the base point from which signage is viewed and approved, he said. Signage at the recently approved Starbucks is more restrictive and more difficult for travelers to recognize and patronize.

Extrapolating from that viewpoint, Oddo said the requirement of much smaller signage may not be an economically compromising factor for large, national or international concerns, but does affect smaller businesses that only operate locally.

“If you or I set up business with a little sign on front and a little bitty logo on the side we would really be hard pressed,” he said. “Why make business do business with one hand tied behind their back? There’s an inconsistency and I would like to straighten out some of those inconsistencies if I have an opportunity, and put everyone on a level playing field.”

Also on Oddo’s list of concerns was the increasing vehicular traffic on city roadways. Though there is no way to undo the layout of streets that already exist, Oddo said the future connectivity of secondary roads can be addressed and structured to alleviate some of the traffic intensity that will only increase over time. Doing so, he said, would enable drivers to be able to access adjacent areas without having to access main roads.

“The main problem with traffic in the city is the lack of a good secondary road system. People are forced onto the main thoroughfares which are hard-pressed to take the traffic anyway. In my opinion, the solution would be, when considering future development, that new subdivisions, new areas, do connect one to another,” he said. “They should be planned to connect. Every time you can take one car off the main roads that one more car you don’t have to worry about from a traffic standpoint.

Oddo said meeting the needs of law enforcement is also an ongoing area to continue to be supported. Fayetteville will continue to grow, and with that growth, the city must have the resources and the wherewithal to meet those law enforcement needs.

“We shouldn’t have to put up bars on our windows because we’re afraid of the criminal element because the police aren’t sufficiently staffed to take care of it,” he said. “We need to be able to walk the streets and enjoy the benefits of increased growth.”

Oddo was asked if he would act as an advocate for citizens and be willing to let that perspective be a prime influencing factor in the decisions he makes if elected.

“I’m not looking to make a career to public service. I just believe there are voices that are not heard, there are doors that are not open,” Oddo said. “My door will be open to the people of Fayetteville. That’s probably the main reason I’m running, to give the people a voice where they can be heard by someone on the city council, where they can feel free to stand up and approach the council because they will have at least one face up there who will listen to them and take their concerns seriously and see what can be done to help them.”