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RADER: It's the long-term view that's crucial for town
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Published: October 23, 2009
At-large commissioner Frank Rader has a long-term view for Mooresville. He wants to make the town a better place for his elementary school-aged daughter.
"I'm an infrastructure and a future guy," said Rader, who is seeking his second term on Mooresville's town board Nov. 3. "So, if you're worried about this month's water bill and the pothole on your street, I'm really not your guy.
"The real reason I'm running (again) is my daughter will graduate from college in about 2022," he said. "She'll be able to live and work anywhere in the world. I'd like Mooresville to be an attractive place for her."
Rader says that long-term view is a big reason why he has been such a big proponent of the town's 2007 purchase, with Davidson, of the cable system now known as MI-Connection.
While some Mooresville residents, including mayoral candidate Chris Montgomery and Rader's opponent in this year's election, Rhett Dusenbury, believe a public entity like the town should not be involved in a private cable system deal, Rader says he refuses to "take a short-term view of a long-term investment."
At a candidates forum held Tuesday at the Charles Mack Citizen Center, Rader made it clear he'd like to see the town be involved in MI-Connection for the long haul. When each candidate was asked whether he would support the sale of MI-Connection if the town could break even on the deal, Rader emphatically answered "No."
"We're where the business plan model said we would be," Rader told the crowd of about 75. "We're at the low point in the system. We spent a lot of money to buy it. And we spent a lot more money to make it what it should have been…The upside is ahead of us, and I would not sell the upside."
In an interview with the Tribune, Rader elaborated why he would stick with MI-Connection long term.
"I think it's fairly obvious," he said. "If you made the decision for the future, why hand that over to someone else, especially to a (company in an) industry that has consistently promised 'X' and consistently provided less than 'X?' "
Rader says his long-term view is evident in other areas of the town, as well.
"I get passionate about two things," he said. "One is education, and not just because I have a daughter in fourth grade. The benefits of education are so obvious and so long term, we just don't see them."
Rader added that he would like the town to act as favorably toward local schools that perform well just as it does to promote economic development.
"I'd like to give incentives to schools that are doing well," he said. "Nobody moves here unless we have good schools." The better the schools, the more businesses move to the area, and subsequently more jobs are available, he said.
Rader says his other passion is good town finance.
"We can't talk about potholes, roads and sewers unless we have a good score in the bond market," he said. "I believe in heavy savings and good, strong balance sheets."
Rader said the current board's track record on town finances and public services is "exceptional," pointing to the town's much improved bond rating and overall enhanced television, Internet and phone service through MI-Connection.
"I'd give us a good, high score," he said.
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The Rader-Dusenbury race is Mooresville's only contested commissioner election on Nov. 3. Chris Carney and Mac Herring are unopposed in seeking a return to their seats.
Mayor Bill Thunberg faces a re-election challenge from Chris Montgomery. A profile on that race appeared in Wednesday's Tribune.
(A complete Q&A with Frank Rader can be read at www.mooresvilletribune.com)
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