As part of our continuing effort to bring local news that’s impactful to our readers, we’ve proactively reached out to the five candidates running for Tega Cay City Council. We’ve provided them with a series of questions designed to provide the answers you need in order to decide on the candidates who will occupy the two available seats.
Each week leading up to the election, we will feature one of the candidates along with their responses to the list of questions provided to them. We will not manipulate their answers in any way, we’ll simply provide to you, our readers. This will allow you to make an informed choice. The order was determined by response time to our inquiry.
We’ll begin with Ron Kirby, a local businessman and resident of Tega Cay for over 30 years.
For a list of all candidates, please refer to our original article from several weeks ago: https://tegacaysun.com/2023/09/08/candidates-for-tega-cay-city-council/
Please state your name:
My name is Ron Kirby.
Please state your occupation:
I am in the automobile business selling new and preowned vehicles.
How long have you lived in Tega Cay?
I’ve been a resident of Tega Cay for over 30 years.
What do you believe is the role of the City Council in our community?
The responsibility of an elected City Council member in Tega Cay is to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of our citizens.
What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to you as a Council member?
I believe that the many years that I’ve served and volunteered in the city will benefit my role on council. I previously served on the Tega Cay City Council for 8 years. During that time I was the Mayor Pro Tem for 2 years. I’ve also served as a Tega Cay Public Safety Committee Chair for 2 years, and Tega Cay Community Relations Committee Chair for 8 years. As council members we have to work together as a team to best serve our city, but there are many committees that we work alongside to make that possible. I believe that having experience serving on multiple committees will be beneficial to my role.
What previous community involvement have you had in Tega Cay or another city?
Over my years as a resident in Tega Cay, I have enjoyed being involved throughout our community. I’ve been involved as both a volunteer, and a Council Member. Those involvements are listed below. During my time as a member of Community Relations we were able to bring many groups together in order to create our 4th of July celebrations. We were able to bring The Tega Cay HOA and the Power Squadron to create the Boat Parade.The Tega Cay Lions Club Fish Fry, The City of Tega Cay Land Parade, the City Birthday Party, and the Fireworks. This was a joint effort to get so many groups together in order to create what we know as our 4th of July celebration. We also were able to bring back the Tega Cay Christmas Tree Lighting.
One of the things I’m most proud of starting on my own was The Father, Daughter Valentines
Dance. With the help of other volunteers in the community, I helped install the lighting in the median of Tega Cay Drive.
As a Council Member there were many projects worked on that I would consider huge wins for our city. Those are listed below:
Pushed to buy our the Tega Cay Golf Course, Clubhouse, Beach Club and the new ladder truck for Tega Cay Fire Department.
Purchased current City Hall building and sold the old City Hall building to create the Marina District
Built the Glennon Center
Completed the acceptance of conveyed property from Stonecrest for the new Fire Station.
Completed the move of the Police Station from its original location (Carmen Miller’s office) to what is now Tega Cay Utilities Building.
Began the discussions to complete Hubert Graham Parkway.
Built Council Chambers in the Glennon Center.
Worked to complete the purchase of our water system.
Purchased the current facility that houses Parks and Rec.
Began the studies on Catawba Park.
We managed the annexed Gardendale area in order to build the sewer system without taking tax payer dollars.
Began discussion in relation to needs of a new Police Station
What do you see as top priorities for the City and why?
The top priorities for our city are keeping a balanced budget, maintaining responsible growth, continuing to educate our staff for the highest standards, continuing to groom partners for revenue sources, and above all continue providing public safety to remain the safest city in South Carolina.
Have you previously served on a governing board of any type (business, government, non-profit organization, church, etc.) or as a leader in any organization? If so, please briefly describe the organization(s), your role, and the number of years you served in that capacity below.
I’ve been honored to be a part of many organizations in the city as well as outside of it. Below are a few of those:
Former President The Durham Sertoma Club
The Chester Jaycees
Past Board of Directors for the York County Red Cross
Past Board Foundation Fort Mill Schools
Past Member of the School Improvement Councils for Gold Hill Middle and Fort Mill High
TC Citizen of the Year 1999
TC Volunteer of the year 1999
TC Business Person of the Year 1999
Public Relations Committee Hendricks Motorsports for 20 years
VP Kirby Automotive Group 15 years over 5 locations 12 franchises and 500 employees
President Kirby/Schrader Automotive Group for 5 years
Served as Trustee to Speedway Children’s Charities for 14 years
Served on the Founding Board for the 600 Festival Speed Street
What do you believe are the three (3) greatest strengths of the City of Tega Cay
Continue to maintain our perfect credit rating
Continue striving to be the safest city
Continue great relationships with Fort Mill School District
Does your interest in serving on the City Council stem from a personal interest or goal? Is there something in particular you hope to accomplish while serving on the City Council, and why is serving on the Council important to you? Please elaborate.
The only reason I want to serve on the City Council is to make sure that it remains the greatest place to live. My passion for Tega Cay is second to none. I want to continue work that I’ve done in the past, and that other Councils have done since. Something important to me, and a goal for me is to make sure we continue to grow recreation for all age groups in our community.
Please list any areas you believe the City of Tega Cay could improve upon:
We need to control and preserve our wildlife. The deer in our area have been an ongoing issue for years. Our hands have been tied at many turns with this matter, but ultimately we have to keep our residents, wildlife, and properties safe.
The City Council must render decisions regarding the implementation of policies and/or programs that may be somewhat difficult. Are you willing to take on the responsibility of making decisions that are in the best interest of the public even though they may be somewhat difficult?
Yes, I am more than willing to take on this responsibility. Not every decision we make is going to be an easy one. As a former council member, I had to make those decisions on many occasions. Some of them came with backlash, but ultimately they were in the best interest of the majority.
What do you believe is the single most compelling issue facing the City of Tega Cay?
Our biggest issue right now is the growing deer population. I know another frustration that
amongst residents has been parking issues at our parks and facilities.
Please tell us about any other activities, specialized skills, knowledge, or professional experience that would contribute to your effectiveness in serving on the City Council.
I’m a people person, and I believe in collaborative decision making. As someone who’s worked on City Council in the past, I know the importance of that. I’m also a former business owner and operator. I helped lead a company for over 20 years. I believe this experience will contribute to my effectiveness.
Many are concerned about the growth within Tega Cay. What’s your plan to help ensure we maintain a small town feel while continuing to grow appropriately?
The growth, especially the growth that we’ve seen over the last few years was inevitable. The annexations that we completed while on council were some of those difficult decisions. We knew there would be push back especially from residents even though ultimately it was in the city’s best interest. Nobody wants our city to continue its small town feel more than me. As a resident of over 30 years, I’ve seen the changes.I understand certain frustrations but as I said some growth is inevitable. The only way to ensure we keep the “small town” feel is to ensure responsible growth.
Is there anything you’d want to tell us about yourself and why the people of Tega Cay should vote for you?
One thing I want people to know is that I’m running for a spot on the Tega Cay City Council for Tega Cay. Aside from my children, there’s not much that I love more than this city. I’ve never used this office as a stepping stone, nor for my own personal gain. I want to be a part of our City Council again so I can show the other residents all of the wonderful things this community has to offer. I’ve done this job before, and I’m proud of the work that was done then. I’m ready to do the same thing with the help of other Council Members and our Mayor.
