Philip Cheap is running for reelection on the Village of Alamance board of Aldermen. If reelected, Cheap vows to continue prioritizing transparency and using the town’s budget ethically. According to Cheap, the board operates on a budget of roughly $1 million per year.

“It’s hard to have a last name like Cheap and not be fiscally responsible,” he said. “That’s probably my biggest emphasis, is making sure that we are very solvent right now, and I want to remain that way.”

Some of his biggest triumphs in his first term on the board have been keeping property taxes low and ensuring that they will remain as low as possible for at least the next 10 years. In 2023, Alamance County reevaluated properties and greatly increased their values.

Typically, increases in property values are associated with increases in property taxes. But Cheap voted to make the property tax in the Town of Alamance 14.5 cents per $100, slightly above revenue neutral.

Cheap noted that there are sometimes disagreements on the board about tax rates or how money should be spent, but they always thoroughly discuss every issue and respect the majority opinion.

Cheap is also a member of the Village of Alamance Public Recreation Committee.

Dale Hunt is finishing his first term on the board of Aldermen. He initially ran because he felt that municipal governments could have a direct impact on community members that the state and federal government cannot.

“I’ve always looked at government as a pyramid,” Hunt said. “Ideally, the top of your pyramid is the smallest part — which is the federal government — and then it broadens as you go down to the state, and then the local level’s at the biggest level, because I think that’s where people get more bang for their buck on their tax dollars. They’ve got direct input on what money gets spent where.”

Hunt has management and leadership experience from working in the pharmaceutical industry in proposal writing and development. He has maintained discipline and organizational skills in retirement and uses them to guide his work on the board.

According to Hunt, he spent much of his first term learning about common issues presented to the board and maintaining faith in contractors to explain and remedy problems he does not understand.

Hunt also shared he has an endorsement from the Village of Alamance mayor, Don Tichy.

Candidate Shawn Francis has experience in the corporate and business sectors, mostly in cybersecurity and information system development. He said his experiences with business workflow and management would help him as a board member.

Like other candidates, he wants to ensure taxes remain as low as possible and money is handled fairly by the administration.

This is his first time running for the Board of Aldermen, and he said it was a beginner-friendly way to get involved in local politics as it is nonpartisan.

“The mayor is doing an excellent job, and I’d like to just be there to support him in any way I can and keep things running smoothly,” Francis said. “It’s a good position to not have to be like a big political activist — you don’t have to go in there and fight for world peace or abortion rights — it’s just, I go in there and take care of the daily work of actually governing responsibly.”

If elected, Francis aims to keep operations in the Village of Alamance peaceful and free of unnecessary controversy. Francis also said he firmly supports the mayor and wants to support him and his current policies on the board.

Ken Cass, first time candidate for the Board of Aldermen, is running because he believes the Village of Alamance is spending too much money and has lost focus of the interests of the people.

“I wasn’t real happy with some of the things that were being proposed and done in the village,” Cass said. “I think that they were spending too much money, so I thought I would run.”

He is now retired, but spent almost 50 years in the construction management business, regularly managing 400 to 500 people at a time. Cass was also a pilot in the Air Force and served as a captain, which gave him extensive leadership experience.

Cass currently serves on the Planning Board. Additionally, he has run the Village of Alamance’s annual Plaid Day Festival several times, which honors the village’s textile heritage and brings together residents with vendors, music, food trucks and kids activities.