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The Candidate

Name

Chris Domanski

Age

58

Address

Magnolia Ave.

Family

Wife, Susan

Occupation

3A Composites, Statesville, engineer wroking in product development department

Education

Clarkson University, bachelor’s in mechanical engineering

In The Community

• Garden Valley Civic Association HOA president, 2007-2011, 2014-present

• Youth teacher for 15 years, St. Francis of Assisi Church

• Knights of Columbus member, fundraiser lead

• 15+ years as player or coach in recreation department leagues

• Youth coach, 7 years Little League baseball, 3 years soccer and basketball at YMCA

• Member of committee responsible for getting bill passed to repurpose old high school to current park

• Tanglewood Golf Association member, past officer.

Why did you decide to seek public office?

Domanski: My wife and I previously lived in Salisbury and Winston-Salem.  In 1995 we decided to move to Mocksville to raise our family. The education system – which had a very good reputation at the time – did not disappoint. My three children graduated from Davie High School, then went on to receive degrees from N.C. State University. My wish is for other families to have a similar experience.

I have been asked to run for the Mocksville town board a few times during the past 5-6 years. My reason for running this time are probably not much different than the reasons the other candidates are running. I want to give back to a community that has given my family and friends so much. I am proud of the growth that has taken place during my time in Mocksville.  I want to help perpetuate this growth trend.

What is the No. 1 issue facing your town and what is your plan to address that issue?

Domanski: To maintain this growth, a community needs to make sure the infrastructure can handle it. The town board needs to work with the town manager to prioritize which amenities need to be addressed, such as water and sewer.  Together, they need to allocate the proper resources and funds to these projects. This process is not much different than in private industry. I have worked in manufacturing facilities most of my career. Every year meetings are held by the management teams to decide where to spend capital funds. I have participated on many of these teams. Annually, the equipment, processes and facilities are evaluated to see how well they will be able to handle current and new business. The members on these teams represented different disciplines in the plant. It is important to listen to these other members. My experience on these teams has taught me that communication is at least 51% listening. This goes for other teams I have participated on as well, such as a homeowner association (HOA). I don’t expect to have all the answers when I attend a meeting but I expect to listen to and value the feedback from the other team members. The information gained should help the team make better decisions, thus better plans.  I still am amazed when I come out of a meeting with new ideas that I didn’t think existed.  If I came into the meeting with preconceived notions, these ideas might not have come to fruition.

What is the top quality that makes you proud of your town?

Domanski: A growing community entices many other businesses to move into the area.  These businesses supplement the tax base thus keeping personal property tax rates from increasing substantially.  While this growth is exciting, it is important that Mocksville maintain its “small town” charm. Living in Mocksville allows us access to much larger urban areas such as Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Salisbury. It is nice to visit these other communities but it also comforting to know we can stay home in Mocksville and still enjoy our share of restaurants, shops and shows (The Arts Council does a great job of bringing in top notch talent to the Brock). We need to support these local establishments as often as we can. Many of the events held in the downtown area are a great way for all walks of life to mingle.  Residents should make an effort to attend these events.  The town board should ensure that the downtown venues are safe for all to attend.  This might involve providing better/more parking and signage.

Other Issues

Domanski: One of the frustrations of working in manufacturing is recruiting and then keeping quality workers. A small town like Mocksville faces a similar struggle. This is why it is important for Mocksville to maintain its growth AND charm. We want to attract outsiders so they want to work and live here. We also want to keep some of our local talent from moving away. One way to attract visitors to the area is for the leaders of the community to work together in a professional manner.  Leaders need to appear – even though they may disagree – that they are on the same page and moving in the same direction. If a plan doesn’t pan out, then they agree on an alternate path. Dissention is a sure way to turn off people. Life in the next couple of years is going to be different as we work our way out of the pandemic. Once again leaders need to demonstrate more unity, less polarization. Not only do we need to support local businesses, but we also need to rally around our local law enforcement. Rally, but also hold them accountable.       

There are other areas of interest that I have not addressed. I look forward to discussions with town residents and fellow board members if I’m elected. Thank you for taking the time to read this survey and please vote on Tuesday, Nov. 2.