Potter chosen as Seven Springs mayor
By Bonnie Edwards
Published in News on February 22, 2007 1:49 PM
SEVEN SPRINGS -- The Seven Springs Town Board of Commissioners has elected Steve Potter as mayor.
The vote was split during the board's meeting Wednesday night at Town Hall. Commissioners Danny Carter and Allen Cash voted for Carter as mayor, and commissioners Bobby Mozingo and Rodolph Adams voted for Potter. Potter broke the tie as officiating mayor pro tem and became the official mayor.
"This town has been through a lot with mayors the last few years. We need to stabilize ourselves. I think Steve Potter has done a good job. I see no need to change horses in mid-stream," Mozingo said.
Potter had promised the board in January when he took over the job from resigning mayor Jewel Kilpatrick that he didn't plan to make any big changes.
"I said I'd try to steer a steady course. Some things need to be addressed. We have some serious fiscal issues," said Potter.
Commissioners will be looking for somebody to fill his unexpired term on the board.
Barry Guevremont told the board he would be interested in the job of town commissioner, although he had lost interest in volunteering to do work for the town. But now, he said, he wants to do what the people in town want, "not what people who live in the outskirts want. In the past there have been problems with the past administration. I thought about moving out of town a couple times," he said.
The mayor's term will expire at the end of this year, as will Carter's, Cash's and Mozingo's.
Potter's term and that of town commissioner Rodolph Adams will end in 2009.
Potter said at first he was not interested in the mayor's job because of his work schedule. But he said he and Town Clerk Karen Byrd have accomplished so much while he has been filling in for the job that he felt confident he could do it.
"I feel we've made some progress. There's a lot I'd like to do for the town," he said. "My family is here, and I hope to be here until they cart me up the hill and plant me in the ground. I will vote for myself. I believe we have some healing to do in Seven Springs, and I think we can do that. We may have to butt heads over the budget, but we know what we need to do."
Potter and Ms. Byrd ended up finding $1,700 in allocated funds that have not been spent. The town will be able to save that, Potter said.
"Karen did a tremendous job going through the budget with a fine-toothed comb," he said.
He said it looks like the sewer shortfall is growing smaller, and it won't be long before the town's new sewer system will be paying for itself.
The board voted unanimously to sell the old Town Hall on the hill above town to Mack Grady for $5,000.
Grady said he plans to move the seven-year-old modular unit as soon as possible and use it as an office.
The board also voted to change the time of commissioner meetings from 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday each month to 7 p.m. on the third Wednesday.
In other business, the board decided to create a Community Watch group.
Potter said he would contact the Wayne County Sheriff's Office about helping form the Community Watch group, which will meet at Town Hall at a time that will be announced.