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Jerry Dove
Jerry Dove was the Mayor of Southport in North Carolina. He left office in 2019.
Dove ran for re-election for Mayor of Southport in North Carolina. He lost in the general election on November 5, 2019.
Dove completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Jerry Dove was born in Akron, Ohio. He served in the United States Air Force from 1962 to 1966 and in the United States Army Reserve. He earned an associate's degree in criminal justice and law enforcement from Central Piedmont Community College in 1976. Dove's career experience includes working as a North Carolina state trooper and as the Southport Chief of Police. He was first elected in 2015 to serve as mayor of Southport. He has been associated with Southport Baptist Church, Southport Lions Club, Pythagoras Lodge #249, and the Scottish & York Rite Bodies.[1][2]
Elections
2019
See also: Mayoral election in Southport, North Carolina (2019)
General election
General election for Mayor of Southport
Joe Pat Hatem defeated incumbent Jerry Dove in the general election for Mayor of Southport on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Joe Pat Hatem (Nonpartisan) | 62.6 | 1,070 | |
 | Jerry Dove (Nonpartisan)  | 37.1 | 634 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 1,708 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Campaign themes
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Jerry Dove completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dove's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Our waterfront stabilization is an on-going project. It will be up for bid next year. This is very important to me and our city. We must preserve what is special about our city and that is the beauty and uniqueness of our waterfront. It is our drawing card for our tourist industry.
- Infrastructure improvement is extremely necessary due to the growth and expansion that Southport is experiencing. This includes waste water, storm water, and transportation. Being a member of the Rural Transportation Advisory Committee allows me the opportunity to work with the Department of Transportation to address such issues. I am committed to not putting a waste water treatment plant near any personal or residential areas.
- Managing the increased population growth is important. Our population has almost doubled within the past 30 years. Public services will need to be expanded, such as fire and police safety, storm water, and waste water management for our future growth. I want everyone to enjoy the necessities and conveniences of living in our city without it being a financial hardship. Due to the concerns of some of our citizens on a fixed income, we are currently looking at ways to assist them.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Dove's campaign website stated the following:
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Infrastructure Projects: Since being Mayor, Southport has been nationally recognized as "America's Happiest Seaside Town" and " The Best Beach Town in America for Celebrating July Fourth (2017), both accolades awarded by Coastal Living Magazine. As Southport continues to gain national attention for being a wonderful place to visit and live, transportation and infrastructure must have a stronger focus than ever before. Easing traffic congestion and improving our roads is imperative to our community and the key to our future success.
While we welcome these visitors and the vibrant boost to our economy that they bring, it is a fact of life that they bring an added strain to our roads, highways and infrastructure systems. There are currently several transportation projects underway aimed at easing the congestion and improving the flow of traffic around the area, but many residents remain confused about what these projects will accomplish, when they will be finished and what to expect next on the transportation agenda. I am a member of the Cape Fear Rural Transportation Advisory Committe, which affords me the opportunity to work with the Department of Transportation to address the needs of our highway system that are associated with the growth of our city. Continued improvements to our breathtaking waterfront continue to be extremely important as well. It is the main destination for those visiting our city for dining, entertainment, historical site tours, festivals, boating and fishing and so much more! Shoreline erosion is an issue for Southport and I plan to keep the momentum of projects that will address and protect our amazing shoreline. It is important that we work closely with governmental and environment agencies to repair and improve the natural beauty of this area, while not impacting the environment.
Strategic Planning: Long-term planning is essential, not just because the economy and society are changing, but because it is how communities define themselves and commit to working towards a common goal. Involvement of all citizens is vital. Cultivating strong partnerships among all stakeholders - our citizens, public and private businesses and area leaders - allows us to continue to refine our vision of our city's future and work together to successfully execute our plan. Areas to address as part of our strategic, long-term plan include economic development, environmental management, maintaining our traditional neighborhoods and development of new ones, improving municipal services, diversifying the tax base and improving the infrastructure within our city. Public Safety: Having spent five decades in law enforcement, the issues surrounding public safety are obviously near and dear to my heart. Southport has always enjoyed a low crime rate and strong sense of security in our neighborhoods and homes, but public safety is about much more than crimes and criminals. It is about adapting the laws that protect our people in congruence with our growing community; it is about ensuring the variety of services that provide safety and security are run in an efficient and orderly manner; and that we have strong planning, preparedness strategies and fiscal management of these agencies.
The public safety employees found within our police force, fire and emergency medical services take tremendous care of our residents - they respond quickly, they are well-trained and they are our neighbors and friends. As mayor, I have been committed to ensuring that our first responders have the resources and training they need to continue to protect our city's most valuable asset - its people. I will also continue, as I have for decades, to keep an eye on crime and identify areas for improvement and prevention. A low crime rate doesn't stay that way without keeping a vigilant watch on how criminals are ever evolving and staying one step ahead of them. You can be assured that there is no one with more experience, more insight or more passion around the issues of Southport's public safety than myself.[3] |
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| —Jerry Dove’s campaign website (2019)[4] | ||
See also
2019 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- City of Southport website
- Mayor of Southport webpage
- Official campaign website
- LinkedIn page
Footnotes
- ↑ Dove for Southport Mayor', "About," accessed October 2, 2019
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 23, 2019
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Jerry Dove’s campaign website, “Platform,” accessed October 2, 2019
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