Cary Town Council runoff pits newcomer versus longtime resident

Oct. 26--CARY -- Cary Town Council's District D seat, which has been vacant for almost a year, will be filled Nov. 3 by either a longtime resident and businessman or a newcomer wanting to encourage new ideas and more community involvement.

Cary residents Ken George and Maria Cervania first faced off during the Oct. 6 election, along with two other candidates: Nancy Caggia and Gray Rinehart. The candidates were running for the seat that covers covers parts of central and west Cary. It's been unoccupied since former Councilwoman Gale Adcock was elected to the state House last November.

George and Cervania were the top two vote-getters on Oct. 6. George had 1,093 votes, or 42 percent of the vote, and Cervania had 727, or 28 percent, according to official results.

Because George did not receive a majority of the vote, Cervania was eligible to call for a runoff.

The Nov. 3 runoff election will coincide with elections in other Wake County municipalities.

Maria Cervania

Maria Cervania, 47, moved to Cary last year. But she said living around the country, plus her extensive involvement in Cary during her 15 months of residency, make her the best candidate to represent District D.

"I represent the future of Cary," she said. "I may be new to the community, but in my short period of time, I have already been in leadership positions and have made a change in Cary."

Since her arrival to the Triangle, Cervania has served in numerous capacities, including as a co-precinct leader in Wake County, a board member of the Berkeley Homeowners Association and vice chairwoman of the Wake County Asian American/Pacific Islander Caucus.

But Cervania said she also brings experience from other municipalities where she has lived: the San Francisco Bay area, Chicago, Austin and Phoenix. She moved around a lot for work and school, but said she finally decided to settle in Cary because of its schools, community and quality of life.

"I've seen what cities and towns have done right and what lessons were learned," she said. "(I would be) able to put that experience towards decisions that we make for Cary."

If elected, Cervania's main priority is community engagement.

"The only way that we can solve the issues and the concerns of our citizens is through solid community engagement," she said.

While getting town information to residents via the Town of Cary website, newsletters and blogs is a start, she said, more can be done.

"The website is only one direction," she said. "We need to find ways to communicate in both directions. It may be more in person, in groups, one-on-one -- trying to have more two-way conversations, because engagement actually is not just communicating out, but communicating together."

Cervania said the town also could incorporate more tailored approaches to improve communications between the town and specific growing populations, including residents over 65 or residents with disabilities.

Cervania said she feels like she is the right person to make that happen.

She worked with people with disabilities, seniors and children in Texas as a project manager with the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and as a performance management analyst with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

She said her familiarity with these populations, which are experiencing the most growth in Cary, along with her health background, would complement the current council.

"Because I come from a health and well-being background, I think that to continue our quality of life, I think that's the aspect of our council that has been missing since Gale (Adcock) has left," she said. "And I think that would be the complement that it needs."

Ken George

Ken George, 57, founder and president of NetSmart Inc., has been active in the Cary community for almost three decades.

Since he moved to the Scottish Hills subdivision 27 years ago with wife, Karen, he has served the community in numerous capacities, including as the chairman of the Town of Cary's sister cities commission for eight years. He has served as president of Cary Central Rotary Club and chairman of the Scottish Hills swim team, and he has volunteered in Cary's schools as an activity bus driver, co-president of Cary High School's PTA and more.

George has worked alongside numerous past and present town officials, including former Councilman Bill Garmon and former Councilwoman Regina McLaurin.

"I knew (former Mayor) Fred Bond when I was in the high school band," he said. "At that time, (former Mayor) Koka Booth and Ralph Ashworth, (co-owner of Ashworth Drugs) were band boosters."

Even though George said he has seen the town run well for many years, it doesn't mean he won't look for ways to improve operations.

"I don't want to look at things and say, 'We can't do it,' or 'It hasn't been done this way before.' I want a can-do attitude," he said. "An A-plan is good. Why not an A+?"

If elected, one of George's top priorities is taking care of Cary's aging neighborhoods. In some neighborhoods, such as Park Village, residents who bought homes in the neighborhoods when they were new are now noticing cracked and damaged roads, he said.

"They've kept the house up, but when I look at the street, the streets are cracked and broken," George said.

He said he will advocate for prioritizing the town's budget to ensure aging neighborhoods are not neglected.

With his experience in the health insurance industry, George said he would suggest looking at the town's funding of health care plans for town employees to lower costs while still providing high quality service.

"Not all plans are created equal," he said. "I think we can save some money if we look at some alternatives in that area."

Throughout his campaign, George has met with several town staff members, including Police Chief Tony Godwin, Interim Town Manager Mike Bajorek and former Town Manager Ben Shiver, as well as the traffic department and planning department to ensure he is "ready for questions from potential voters."

"Across the gamut, I've met with people in those departments to be able to answer questions accurately," he said.

During his campaign, George said he has lost 20 pounds going door to door to speak with thousands of District D residents.

"I've been hearing input as I campaign, and I want to put that input into practice," he said.

Kathryn Trogdon: 919-460-2608; @KTrogdon

Campaign signs

District D candidates Ken George and Maria Cervania have had many of their campaign signs removed since the Oct. 6 election. Because George earned 42 percent of the vote earlier this month, he said some people are pulling the signs up because they believe the race is over.

"The candidate signs can still be out because there is a runoff," he said.

Early voting

Early voting for municipal elections, including the Cary Council runoff, goes until Saturday, Oct. 31. Go to wakegov.com/elections for details.

-- Wake County Board of Elections Office: 337 S. Salisbury St., Raleigh. Voting is 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Oct. 30, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31. There is no voting Oct. 24 and 25.

-- Herbert C. Young Community Center: 101 Wilkinson Ave., Cary. Voting is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28 to Friday, Oct. 30, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31.

-- Avery Street Recreation Center Annex: 201 Avery St., Garner. Voting is 1 to 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30, and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 31.

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