Michael Grannis, candidate for Clayton Town Council
Six people are competing in the November election for three seats on the Clayton Town Council.
Michael Grannis, a member of the Clayton Town Council since 2005, is running for re-election against Andria Archer, Porter Casey Jr., Alsey J. Gilbert, Bob Satterfield, and Mike Sims.
The council is guaranteed to get at least two new council members, as members Art Holder and Bobby Bunn are not running for re-election.
Early voting in the nonpartisan election begins Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 30.
To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit johnstonnc.com/joconcelections or contact the Board of Elections at 919-989-5095 or elections@johnstonnc.com.
Name: Michael Grannis
Age: 74
Residence: 215 Beaufort Loop, Clayton
Occupation: Local business owner
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration, Industrial Management Major, Theology Minor
Political or civic experience: 16 years on Clayton Town Council, former Clayton Planning Board member, former Downtown Development Association president and member. Current Clayton Civitan Club president and board member to several local nonprofit organizations.
Campaign website: N/A
A town manager and police chief both left their positions this year. What will you do to bring stability to Clayton?
Those two departures created the needed stability for our municipal leadership to take Clayton into the future. The leadership restructuring that is in place has, and is, bringing sound business decisions that will lead our municipality in the right direction as we continue to grow as a community. We intend to stay on the right track now and into the future.
What is Clayton doing right, and wrong, on managing growth?
The things we are doing right: 1) Being in compliance with the new requirements brought about by the state Legislature in the 160D General Statute mandate which the Clayton Town Council approved in February 2021. 2) Reevaluating, updating and/or modifying our town ordinances where applicable. 3) Taking direct responsibility for storm water requirements in the town for all development. Formerly this responsibility fell to Johnston County’s storm water engineers.
The things we are doing wrong: 1) Taking too long to go through the approval process for development; there is too much “red tape.” 2) Our Technical Review Committee process needs to be reevaluated and streamlined. We should be able to have a process that can be conducted over three “TRC” meetings or less, and the town’s response to applicants should be quicker than what we are experiencing today. 3) I think our staff can be much more timely in their responses to applicants.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
1) Ensure our new wastewater treatment plant will be on line by 2024, if not sooner, and that this project will be done in the most cost-effective manner possible. 2) Ensure our fiscal budget does not have “fat” in it, but rather that the taxpayers’ money is being utilized effectively and responsibly for truly needed projects that serve the citizens’ best needs. 3) Stabilize our top-level management team.
What unique skills or life experience would you bring to city governance?
I have 16 years experience as a Town Councilman, two years as a Planning Board member. I have been a business owner in downtown Clayton for the past 18 years. I have been heavily involved in various local Clayton service organizations. I am a strong advocate for Clayton’s downtown district. But most importantly I listen to what our citizens have to say, but more importantly I HEAR what they have to say. We may not always agree, but our dialogue is always important and almost always produces a win. Communication is the essence of success; without it we will fail!
This story was originally published October 14, 2021 at 10:42 AM.