Politics & Government

Candidate Q&A: Michael Zenchuk

The incumbent Post 3 Councilman lays out his case for re-election today.

Name: Michael Zenchuk
Age: 40
Occupation: Sales
Education: BA History Augusta State University
Family: Wife of 17 years, ReneeSon, Michale "Tres", (13)Son, Matthew, (11)Daughter, Lillian Grace, (5)  
We have lived in Holly Springs for over eight years.  

1. What are Holly Springs residents telling you as you campaign for office about what their concerns are?

There are three main concerns that come up in conversations I have with residents of our City, taxes, growth, and security.  

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Starting with taxes, I have said for a long time that Holly Springs cannot continue to deliver basic services when 60% of the revenue coming into the general fund comes from personnel and property taxes.  We have to have to move in a direction where we bring in more revenues from commercial and business professional sources.   When those revenues come into the City I will continue to make sure we are a fiscally sound and transparent with every dollar spent.

That brings up the next concern which is growth.   The City of Holly Springs is growing and where there is residential expansion other services such as commercial and business professional will follow.   The key is to make sure the growth we experience conforms to the strict planning and zoning regulations the City has on the books.  When I was a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, I was part of a team that creating a standard that was tops in Cherokee County.  Our new Downtown is that is in the planning phase will be the new focal point for the City.  This will allow us to keep that small town feeling while bring new services to town.  As far as the new Wal-Mart, that shopping center will be strategically located off the interstate and outside the historic downtown center. 

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As far as security, we have a tremendous public safety department that has done a great job of partnering with the citizens. Our goal should be to equip them with the tools they need to keep our streets safe and our citizens secure.   

2. What can and should Holly Springs do for its residents? 

The City has many responsibilities to its citizens.  The most important is to keep them safe.  As mentioned, I am supporter of our public safety team.  My goal is to make sure they have the tools needed to do the absolute best job keeping the Citizens of our City safe and secure. 

The City leadership and City Council also has the responsibility to make Holly Springs an attractive place for people to live, and business to locate.   That comes from creating a community that is family friendly, with access to parks and green space.  It comes from proper planning and zoning regulations, once again keeping that small town feeling.  And finally, it comes from being fiscally sound and transparent, which I have pledged from day one.  

3. What are the top 3 needs for Holly Springs, and are these best handled by the city? 

The top need is new revenue sources to reduce the disproportionate tax burden the citizens currently face.  The City leadership can work to attract and retain new commercial and business professional opportunities for the City.

Another need that we face is bringing the sewer to the downtown area.  This is an area that we have lagged behind in for many years.  The City has a responsibility to take SPLOST revenues that come in and use them to update the infrastructure. 

And the third need is more citizen input.   The business of City government affects every citizen in Holly Springs.  Without input and participation it becomes diffiuclt  to communicate the vision for the future. I would encourage everyone to get envolved and learn more about what is going on, a silent voice is never heard. 

4. Why should residents re-elect you over your opponent? What are some things you want to accomplish for the city in your next term? 

My service and leadership make me uniquely qualified to continue to serve as Councilman. The experience that I have as not only an elected Councilman, but as a volunteer and leader for years within the City have given me the knowledge that is needed for such an important position. Over the past eight years, I have served as the chairman of the Holly Springs Centennial Committee, I have served on the Planning and Zoning Commission, and I currently serve on the Downtown Development Authority. Each of these positions has introduced a new facet of how the City works, and what it takes to lead the City into the future. 

Why Should I be re-elected?  I have presented real ideas for our city and presented an agenda for the future throughout this campaign. We cannot lead on generalities, we need specifics.  I have sat in the front rooms of our citizens and listened to the needs.  I am invested in the future of our City.  I am invested in the needs of the Citizens.  And most importantly, I am invested in a brighter future for the City of Holly Springs.  I ask the Citizens of our great City for their support on November 6th.


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