Longtime city officials will
be stepping down

•Newcomer running for mayor

By Brook R. Corwin
brook@surrymessenger.com

Some changes in leadership are in store for Mount Airy, with two of its longest-serving elected officials choosing not to run for new terms this fall.

Mayor Jack Loftis and Commissioner David Beal both announced this week that they will be leaving the council when their terms expire in December. Each is finishing up his second four-year term, with Beal’s tenure on the board going back an additional two years.
That opens the door for new leaders to toss their hats into the ring, and one business owner, Gene Clark, said Thursday he’s running for mayor. The filing period for municipal elections begins Monday morning and lasts until noon on July 17. The filing fee for Mount Airy positions is $10.
The only other commissioner up for re-election, Jon Cawley, has said he will run for a full term in order to make a more tangible impact in city government. Cawley was appointed last year to fill out the term of former Commissioner Tom Bagnal, who stepped down for health reasons.
In separately issued statements, both Beal and Loftis focused on the accomplishments of the city council during the past decade, commending staff members and other commissioners for their efforts.
“An elected leader will very seldom, and probably never, make decision that will be pleasing for everyone because we all have varied interests and goals in life,” Loftis said. “We simply have to consider all factors as we can understand them and do what we believe is right for the majority of citizens we are elected to represent.”
Beal, who occupies one of two council seats representing Mount Airy’s South Ward, said he hopes the community stays motivated in maintaining the city’s quality, with new leaders emerging offering fresh perspectives.
“We are fortunate to have a number of people living in the south ward who are very capable of serving the city and bringing a fresh supply of energy, enthusiasm, patience and new ideas to the board,” Beal said.
The filing period will produce at least one political newcomer motivated to enter the fray. Clark, 47, president of furniture company Ligna USA, said he intends to file for mayor, a decision made before he learned of Loftis’ intention not to seek re-election.
“My generation needs to get more involved in what’s going on,” Clark said. “If we’re going to talk about these things and complain about these things, we need to get in there and figure out what we can do to solve our problems.”
Clark said the main issue facing the council is job loss, an escalating problem locally even before the national economy entered its recession. Clark’s company has a warehouse in Mount Airy but manufactures in Asia, and he said the city must focus on growing its existing businesses and defining its economic niche rather than just chase industrial plants that are more and more frequently going overseas.
“The days of 200- or 300- job employers are not around anymore,” he said. “We need to look at our business base in Mount Airy and figure out how the business owners here can create new jobs. Maybe it’s only one here and one there, but that’s how you’re going to create new jobs the fastest. If you just try to court companies from outside the county, that’s a long-term process.”
The mayor doesn’t have a vote on the council, but conducts public meetings and serves as the city’s most visible spokesperson. Loftis was first elected in 2001 and ran unopposed in 2005.
“The last almost eight years have seen many challenges and opportunities, and with all the difficulties and problems our elected board and managers have had to deal with, I still believe significant progress has been made for the future growth and expansion of Mount Airy,” Loftis said.
Beal’s length of public service goes back even longer, including seven years on the Mount Airy school board, 14 years as clerk of superior court and the past 10 years as commissioner. He said he’s retire from the public sphere.
It will then be up to political newcomers such as Clark to chart a long-term course for the city past its current setbacks.
“I think the city has got great potential. We’re in a very opportunistic time if we can start building some consensus on where we want to go,” Clark said. “We need to figure out who we are and who we want to be, and then go forth from there.”