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Henderson Mayor Eddie Ellington was the guest of honor on Monday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk.

Ellington is running as the incumbent mayoral candidate against Sharon Owens in the October 8, 2019, City of Henderson non-partisan, municipal election.

Noting that continued improvements to public safety are of the utmost importance to many in the community, Ellington said it has been his goal since taking office in 2015 to increase pay “across the board” for law enforcement officers.

“There has been a 31% increase in officer pay and a 51% increase in sergeant’s pay,” Ellington said of his time as mayor. “We are not quite there [goal pay], but we are well on our way and are mindful that we need a top-notch police department.”

Emphasizing the importance of economic development in the area, Ellington also said that it is essential that local leaders have the appropriate contacts in Raleigh to attract businesses and make decisions quickly.

“Economic development is driven by Raleigh and you’ve got to have the contacts,” Ellington said. “When you have the contacts and you say ‘we’re ready and we’re open for business,’ then if they get someone on the hook, they’re going to bring them right our way.”

A testament to the current relationship City leaders have with Raleigh, according to Ellington, is Mako Medical Laboratories which is now “well on its way to exceeding the 150 jobs they initially promised us.” Mako opened their Henderson location in late 2017.

Ellington said he also wants to continue to focus on code enforcement, especially as it relates to dilapidated housing, and praised local groups that assist with either the removal of or the recovery of these properties.

“We don’t need to pass any more laws or ordinances until we can enforce what we already have on the books,” stated Ellington.

With the removal of over 400 dilapidated structures since 2010, Ellington said the City of Henderson and County of Vance work well together to get through the “red tape, letters and ordinances that have to be enforced to be able to bring down these houses.”

The City’s recent hiring of an additional full-time code enforcer is a move that Ellington said he believes will help with the backlog of structures in need of repair or demolition.

The process of removing potential safety hazards such as these does not happen overnight or with minimal effort, and Ellington thanked local volunteer group Citizens Aligned to Take Back Henderson, NC for the work they do “simply because they care about their city.”

Ellington said Citizens Aligned founders Tommy Haithcock, Hope Hoyle Howard and Heidi Owen “are wonderful people and we need more residents like them.”

A new program for the City, Urban Homesteading, was also mentioned by Ellington as a means of properly updating non-compliant structures that meet certain criteria.

In addition to volunteers and programs, Ellington said it takes the cooperation of local government leaders to make positive changes happen.

“I’ll echo what Chief Marcus Barrow and Sheriff Curtis Brame have said on Town Talk recently about the collaboration they have – local leadership is getting along,” Ellington said. “The City of Henderson and the County have a team that gets together right now and can get together in a day’s notice if industry is looking to come to Henderson. I have a great working relationship with the county commissioners; the relationship is there.”

Ellington said his tenure as mayor has reaffirmed his belief that Henderson is a great place to call home. “It’s easy to criticize, condemn and complain; we are all guilty of that. We have so many great things that are moving in Henderson. We are in the best place that we’ve ever been – all systems go – unless we let the naysayers talk us into thinking otherwise.”

Early voting for the City of Henderson Municipal Election will be held at the Vance County Board of Elections Office located at 300 S. Garnett Street through Friday, October 4.

The submission of absentee ballots by mail ends tomorrow, Tuesday, October 1. Anyone that would like to request a ballot can call the BOE office at (252) 492-3730.

(This is not a paid political advertisement. Sharon Owens participated in a similar Town Talk interview with equal on-air and online coverage.)

To hear Ellington’s Town Talk interview in its entirety, please click the play button below. Listen live to WIZS’ Town Talk Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on 1450AM, 100.1 FM or online at www.wizs.com.