Candidate For Village Council

Name
Robert Epps

State
517 Pacer Lane
Marvin, NC 28173

Subdivision
Marvin Estates

Phone
(704) 5606303

Email
robertepps1@gmail.com

Education
University of New Hampshire

Occupation
General Contractor

Briefly describe yourself and your background.
My wife Marisa and I have lived in multiple states but chose North Carolina 26 years ago when we decided to raise a family. The green spaces and natural back drops, the tangibility of nature, and the rural feel of our community is exactly the enriched environment that we always wished for our daughters. Our daughters are grown now. I believe that their North Carolina environment helped to make them the wonderful adults that they are now. I am a Dad and husband first. I am a general contractor second. Protecting and caring for my family is my primary purpose. I take it very seriously. I love all animals including our aging pets and farm animals. They have been loyal to us and I will always be loyal to them.

Describe your experience and accomplishments.
I have served the Village of Marvin in the following ways: Council member twice. First design review board Chairperson. On council I advocated and fought for rural over commercial. I proposed safety related ordinances. I advocated for property rights over any eminent domain uses. I built buildings at Marvin Efird park. I helped to build trails when our greenway trails were built manually by volunteers on weekends. My wife and I hosted the M.A.R.E.S. event on our property for multiple years back when the village supported the horse event. I have volunteered for that event and multiple other events over the last 22 years here in Marvin. I clean the marvin branch creek on an ongoing basis to keep Joe Kerr and properties from flooding, while maintaining the natural habitats for the blue heron and other critters that reside in our village creek.

What would be your top priorities for your term in office?
To get Marvin back to the simple bedroom community that attracted so many of us to Marvin in the first place. There has been a too much emphasis on commercial development and large scale development. It is sold as a coup for tax dollars, but do you want safe and quiet or do you want a bigger government in the village? I do not believe that the tradeoff of a few extra tax dollars is worth giving up the tranquility that most of us moved here for. I also believe the backyard trail systems need put on hold and reevaluated. There have been some moves that I believe need looked at and possibly audited.

How do you plan to address those priorities?
One first step would be to freeze any taking of land. Some of you are having to fight for your own property rights and that needs to stop. The public at large does not have a right to trespass your back yard or otherwise. The village wants connectivity to a commercial/downtown district but do you feel like it should be through your yard? I don't. We have a loop trail that does just that and has been working well for years. It is close to completion. The village does not need your back yard in order to walk to a bar or event. The loop will do the same thing and is accessible to all the same neighborhoods. Your land is your land. Let's get it back to you and your neighborhoods and you can decide how to manage your own properties.

What is your long-term vision for the Village and how do you plan to make it a reality?
I envision the Village of Marvin getting back to the simpler bedroom community that it used to be, while maintaining some of the amenities that we have fought hard for over the years. I wish to see homeowners feel comfortable that the village is not going to take, or use, a persons land without the owners expressed permission. I hope that we get back to a place where your families and friends can feel safe, at peace without worrying about the next big village controversy. Thank you for the time that you spent reading this and thank you for your support.