Town of Farmville
Eight Board of Commissioners Candidates - Voters Choose Three
Shirley D. Rhodes
Your current job and title:
Program Director & Production Manager at Pirate Radio in Greenville, NC
Your highest level of education:
Bachelor's Degree in Communication
If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority?
My top priority is to ensure that Farmville continues to move forward, not backward. We need to move towards a more inclusive community, increase infrastructure and continue the popularity of our cultural events.
If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?
I am a good listener, and I will not make an ill-informed decision. I will weigh ALL opinions and options before I cast a vote on any issue placed before me.
Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?
I always thought Farmville was the little town that "could." I want to change that. I want to make it the little town that "would." I want to take chances (within reason) and think outside the box. We have a unique opportunity to make Farmville a destination and an example of what a true community can be.
Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?
First and foremost, I am running in honor and memory of my former youth minister, mentor and dear friend, Commissioner Brenda Elks, who passed away in April of this year. Brenda was a tremendous asset to Farmville, and I wish to continue her work. I am honest, loyal and trustworthy. I can be tough but I will be fair.
Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?
I appreciate the opportunity to tell everyone a little about myself. What I do not have in experience in the political arena, I more than make up for in passion. Let's get to work!
Bobby L. Evans, Scott J. Fields, Linda Kay King, Bert Smith, and Carolyn D. Ward
Awaiting candidate responses.
Mark Flanagan
Your current job and title:
Vice President and Operations Manager at Jack A. Farrior, Inc.
Your highest level of education:
BS in Civil Engineering (NCSU), Master’s in Business Administration (ECU)
If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?
My top priority will be to pursue the completion of the new fire station as quickly and efficiently as possible. Farmville has an active and capable volunteer fire service that provides protection for the town and surrounding areas. They need and deserve a proper fire station.
If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?
I will proactively seek input from Farmville’s citizens, employees, and businesses for issues before the board of commissioners. I will carefully and respectfully consider that input before making decisions.
Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?
I have the education and business experience to effectively understand the issues, consider options for resolution, and select the solution that best serves Farmville.
I was born and raised in Farmville. I have chosen to spend my adult life in Farmville and to raise my children here. My efforts will be to build a community where residents will want to remain, where new families will want to move, and where our children will want to return. A town built for today and for the future.
Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?
- I believe in servant leadership. Elected leaders work for their constituents, not the other way around.
- I believe that elected leaders are stewards of their constituents' tax dollars and resources. All decisions should be made for the greatest benefit of our citizens.
- I believe that all people should be treated fairly and respectfully, regardless of whether we agree or not.
John O. Moore is unopposed for Mayor
Awaiting candidate response
Chante F. Hopkins
Your current job and title:
Corporate Hospitality Management Advisor
Your highest level of education:
Bachelor's degree in Political Science
If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority?
My top priority is to ensure I am an advocate for the needs of ALL Farmvillians. We need representation that understands the importance of healthy recreation for the youth, adults and senior citizens of Farmville. I wish to partner with local contractors, engineers and educators to create recreational enrichment centers that specifically target at-risk students, neglected adults, and underserved senior citizens.
If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?
In the past two years of self-funding my father’s nonprofit organizations in order to directly address some of these needs of residents, I have established an open line of communication with citizens, absorbing some of their concerns, wishes and demands for a better quality of live. I will continue to use the information given to me, by residents to ensure they have transparent leadership that takes their issues seriously.
Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?
Luckily, the residents of Farmville can vote for THREE people; I just hope I can be one of those votes. I believe we need younger leadership that’s directly connected to the community. Many of my opponents are disengaged and unfamiliar with the true needs of our residents. I am a civic activist who wants to make a positive change in my community. I've proven my ability to get things done. Even now the Town of Farmville has a privately contracted company that is out cutting down trees along the powerlines, to avoid power outages during hurricane season. This is something I directly contacted our Department of Public Works earlier this summer to have done. Throughout the years I have dedicated my career as a selfless servant across the nation, and now here in Farmville.
Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?
1. My extensive political background makes me most qualified and best suited for one of the open seats for Town Commissioner of Farmville
2. I’ve worked for non-profit organizations such as The Fishing School, helping at risk students focus on college preparation and community awareness. I am an advocate for project-based learning centering around STEAM curriculum that accessed and expanded their knowledge and to help them adapt, acknowledge, and accept diversity in their rapidly changing community.
3. The Commission on Civil Rights held a briefing, over seven years ago, in New York to hear from experts concerning current police tactics, training and field implementation to help identify practices that could avoid deadly confrontations. It was my sole responsibility to provide quantitative and qualitative data that supported the idea of police using excessive force toward the blind, deaf, and minorities. I Want to introduce community based strategies that work in conjunction with social service and the police department to address violence, lack of economic sustainability, and enrichment programs that honor our profound history.
Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?
I’ve often heard the quote, “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams.” While I believe that to be somewhat true, I also know that I’m not too far off course with the trajectory of my family’s legacy. You see my family, The Hopkins and Tysons, were an integral part of the growth and economic foundation of Farmville. My great grandfather John Hopkins was a part of the 19th century tobacco harvesting technology that built this town. He was one of the primary caretakers of the horses that brought the tobacco from the fields to the railroads to be shipped off for distribution, working for Bert Smith’s grandfather. My great-grandmother Leatha Tyson-Hopkins was a housekeeper and caregiver of many white families, helping maintain their daily household, and help raise their children (all while raising her own and doing the daily chores in her own home). That’s the strong willed type of lineage of hardworking people I come from, which is why I feel this is most responsible for the growth and future of the town of Farmville. I feel that it is my duty and responsibility to be sure that the place my family has called a home for hundreds of years is a place that can be home to my family for hundreds of years to come.
