Jamie Wideman – Huntersville Town Commissioner
LPMeck Alignment |
Summary of Responses |
|---|---|
| 85% 🟢 | Advocates flexible zoning, opposes regressive tax hikes favoring private transit partnerships, cuts wasteful spending, and supports government retreat from private-sector roles. He champions “live and let live” liberty as an unaffiliated candidate. |
Full Answers Provided by the Candidate:
1. Should zoning laws be more or less restrictive?
Both. I know that’s not a clear answer, but that’s where I am on current zoning in Huntersville. There are areas that the public is begging for more restrictions (ex – apartments), but there are also areas where I think we need to relax restrictions. If we are constantly approving variances for buffer requirements, then we need to revisit those and decide if they are really needed as written or if they need to be made less restrictive.
2. Do you support or oppose the proposed transit sales tax hike?
I oppose the proposed transit sales tax hike, wholeheartedly. Sales taxes are regressive, and they hit working families the hardest. Before asking taxpayers for more money, government should first demonstrate that it can manage current resources responsibly. Transit should be efficient, targeted to where it will actually serve people, and open to innovative solutions such as private-sector partnerships, rather than relying on new taxes that grow government without guaranteeing results. North Meck residents have already been tricked once in 1998, and we have very little to show for the half cent we’ve already been paying since 1999. This proposed increase will make us the highest sales tax county in the area, which will also impact on businesses via lost sales, as families look to spend their dollars outside of Meck to save on sales tax.
3. Which areas of the budget would you cut if elected?
I would focus on cutting waste. Too much of our budget goes into things like “studies”, budget retreats (to the tune of $18K per year) and renting art. We should redirect funds directly to core services like public safety and infrastructure. The goal should be a leaner, more efficient government that respects taxpayers’ dollars and allows private solutions to flourish where they are more effective.
4. Should the government step back in areas better handled by the private sector?
In many cases, yes. The private sector is often more innovative, responsive, and cost-effective than government. In the case where the government does continue to handle certain things, it should do so with transparency and accountability.
5. What is your most Libertarian stance, and why should Libertarians support you?
I believe my most Libertarian stance is that people should be free to live their lives as they choose, as long as they don’t harm others. I don’t tell you how to live your life, and you don’t tell me how to live mine. As the only unaffiliated candidate on the ballot in Huntersville, Libertarians should support me because I have freedom to take positions based on individual issues rather than party doctrine. And every vote for unaffiliated or third-option candidates helps show that there is demand beyond the two parties.