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.
This week, we’ll introduce Brian D. Carter. Brian is a branch manager at a credit union who lives in Tega Cay. 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 Brian D. Carter
Please state your occupation:
I have been in the financial services industry for 20 years, and I am currently a branch manager for a credit union.
How long have you lived in Tega Cay?
We have lived in Tega Cay with our family for over 17 years, but I have been visiting Tega Cay since 1998 when my wife and I started dating.
What do you believe is the role of the City Council in our community?
I believe the role of a City Council member is to focus on the safety and well-being of our community and to be a representative for all citizens of Tega Cay. City Councilmen are also financial stewards of tax dollars to ensure that money isn’t being spent frivolously and that we maintain strong reserves. Personally, I will listen to our residents to address issues they may have so ordinances or resolutions can be voted on for the best interest of our community.
What skills and experience do you have that you believe would be beneficial to you as a Council member?
I’ve been in the Credit Union industry for 20 years holding various leadership positions. I have managed and led countless teams to high levels of success and provided coaching and leadership for the professional advancement of my team members. Skills that I have that are beneficial to this role include listening to understand and finding efficiencies in operations or processes. For example,I would plan to work with the city manager and their staff on providing a more efficient payment system at our parks that require permits, such as utilizing a payment machine or a QR code for a parking payment system app or website. These could be placed in parks where non residents frequently come to Tega Cay, and they can pay onsite instead of having to stop by Tega Cay City Hall.
What previous community involvement have you had in Tega Cay or another city?
My community involvement has been connected to these various organizations over the years:
Tega Cay Volunteer FireFighter
Tega Cay Tee Ball Coach
Volunteer for the York County Special Olympics
Board Member for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce
Board Member for the Arrowood Business Association
Judge for the Carolina Panthers Top CatsCheerleaders
Manager for our Tega Cay adult kickball team
Volunteer for the Dam Road Clean Up
Coach for Fort Mill High School Interview Prep
Volunteered at Career Fairs for Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools
What do you see as top priorities for the City and why?
My top priorities are controlling our growth and building unity in our community.
After listening to our fellow community members, the most important thing that I learned is that we are unified in our feelings toward growth. I hear the concern from our community about the direction we are heading and the impact this will have on our schools, traffic, our safety, and other resources.
I support controlled and smart growth. We need less population density in proposed developments, more green space and walking paths connecting our communities, and no more temporary housing.
Regarding building unity in our community, I believe we should unify the infrastructure and amenities throughout ALL parts of Tega Cay. A prime example of this is our city signage. When You’re driving home onto the peninsula, you know you are in Tega Cay because you see the Tega Cay monument sign along with the beautiful fountain and attractively landscaped area around it. You also see the digital signage updating the community about local highlights and upcoming events. By contrast, our fellow citizens on the newer side of Tega Cay do not share similar amenities. I want to focus on bringing similar signage to the newer parts of Tega Cay so everyone knows when they drive down Dam Road, New Gray Rock Road, or Stonecrest as an example that they are entering our beautiful city.
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.
Over the years, I have held leadership positions on multiple boards including the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce (Southwest Chapter) where I served for over 7 years and held the role of President before retiring from the Board. I then joined the board of the Arrowood Business Association (ABA) where I currently serve and have been on that board for over 8 years. The ABA is a non profit organization that engages in activities that foster and encourage economic prosperity for its members and the Steele Creek area of Charlotte.The ABA also focuses on its philanthropic efforts and proudly gives money back to the schools in the Steele Creek area in the form of teacher grants, scholarships for students, and luncheons to recognize the teachers and staff of the local schools.
What do you believe are the three (3) greatest strengths of the City of Tega Cay?
1) Having a balanced budget while having money in reserves and not taking on any new debt.
2) We are a highly desired location to live in,largely due to our schools and low crime rates.
3) The city manager and city staff have a true passion and genuinely care for what goes on in our city. Tega Cay would not be what it is today without their dedication.
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 simple answer is no. My interest in serving on the City Council does not stem from any personal interests or goals. I simply want to serve the community that I live in and that I love. Helping and serving people is what I naturally do all day every day at work, and I want to be able to bring this passion home to our community.
Please list any areas you believe the City of Tega Cay could improve upon:
I believe the city overall is doing a wonderful job. I addressed earlier that the growth of our city is something we can improve on. I believe we should focus on more commercial growth within the existing parts of Tega Cay. We can do this by attracting new entrepreneurial businesses and mom-and-pop businesses into Tega Cay, which would continue to make our city a destination where people want to visit. With the predicted expansion in Tega Cay over the next few years, the right commercial growth will really need to be a focus.
Building unity in all parts of Tega Cay is another area the city could improve on. We need to focus on having the same amenities in all parts of our city. Signage when entering from different areas and installing poles with the Tega Cay flags on them in all parts of our community like the ones that line Tega Cay Drive on the peninsula would be just a few examples.
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?
Absolutely! I will always make the best decision that I feel is in the best interest of our city, first and foremost. Sometimes it may not be popular among all the citizens, but I know in my heart I will make the best decision given all the information provided,and I will be able to lay my head down easily at night.
What do you believe is the single most compelling issue facing the City of Tega Cay?
Currently, I believe that the most prevalent issue facing the city is the large deer population and the way that the city is handling the issue. I respect the decision that the current City Council has taken with the direction of SCDNR to cull the deer, and I realize that this was not an easy decision for them to make. However, I personally would not have supported the decision to cull a deer population. Moving forward, I appreciate the fact that the current City Council is actively working with our residents to find a more humane way of reducing the deer population, such as focusing on an immuno contraceptive method using PZP. I will continue to support humane decisions that allow our residents to live in harmony with a healthy deer population.
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.
So, a little lesser-known fact about me is that I was a professional dancer before my financial services career. Yes. I said dancer, including; jazz, hip hop, modern, and ballet. I performed in music videos and fashion shows, and several professional dance companies allowed me the opportunity to tour most of the United States. This time in my life sparked my passion for group collaboration as well as travel. Professional dance was not a long-term career for me, so eventually I transitioned to the corporate world. However, my dance career allowed me the unique opportunity to work with individuals from all over the United States, as well as all over the world. That experience taught me to understand others, respect different ideas, remain open-minded about differing political ideas, and work together as a team. Those qualities are among the many reasons that I would fit in seamlessly with the council to find the best solutions and make the best decisions for our city.
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?
Tega Cay is a small town and I hope it will always maintain its small-town feel. In order to keep it that way, we need to understand our city limits and our appetite for annexation and more development. We need to stop growing as rapidly as we have been and focus on developing what we currently have in process. We need to focus on Main Street, Tega Cay in order to make that location the Crown Jewel of our small town. If we do this right, it’s going to be the focal point of our beautiful city.
Another way to keep a small-town feeling is by building a walking path network throughout all parts of Tega Cay to ensure that we all stayconnected. I would also like to focus on keeping as many trees as possible and adding additional green spaces into future growth plans.
Is there anything you’d want to tell us about yourself and why the people of Tega Cay should vote for you?
I have been married to my beautiful wife for over 22 years and we have two amazing young adults that we have been fortunate enough to raise here in Tega Cay. They are both products of our Fort Mill School system and watching them grow and pursue their dreams after graduating from Fort Mill High School has been an astounding honor. Our daughter is a senior at the College of Charleston studying Public Health, and our son is a sophomore at the University of South Carolina in Columbia studying Computer Science.
Residents of Tega Cay should vote for me because I will work hard to represent everyone collectively in Tega Cay, especially those in the newer areas of Tega Cay who feel they aren’t represented. I am your man! Remember, I want to Build Unity In Our Community!
BDC For UNITY
