Franklin mayoral candidate Q&A: Paul E. Kaplan

Name: Paul E. Kaplan

Age: 70

Family: Married for 45 years to Joyce Kaplan, a retired Franklin elementary school teacher; son John, 41, married to Stephanie Kaplan, they live in Raleigh, North Carolina, with their three children; daughter Susan living in Zuni.

Education: Petersburg High School, 1973; Camp Community College; St. Paul’s College, organizational management.

Career: Southampton deputy sheriff and Franklin police officer, retired. For the last 24 years, I’ve owned Paul Kaplan Insurance Sales, providing AFLAC benefits to employees of payroll accounts in Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan and Arkansas.

1.) Why do you want to be elected as mayor of the city of Franklin?

I have always had a desire to be on City Council but didn’t want to run against the incumbents in my precinct as I thought they were doing an excellent job. I’ve also thought that my focus should be the entire city, not just one area. When I was approached about running after Mayor Cutchins decided not to run for reelection, I felt this was the perfect opportunity for me to serve the city I love so much.

2.) What would you list as your primary qualifications for being Franklin’s mayor?

I’ve been involved in local government all my adult life. I’ve been an election officer for many years, both in the polling locations and working part time directly with the registrar, helping with logistics around each election. I served as a D.A.R.E./school resource officer for many years where I worked with Frank Davis at Parks and Rec to establish summer programs for Franklin’s youth. As an insurance agent working with employee benefits, I’ve served numerous local and state government agencies, allowing me to work closely with government administrations, giving me insight to how many things are done in various places.

3.) What do you think are the city of Franklin’s greatest strengths?

Franklin’s greatest strength is the amazing citizens of the Franklin community. Downtown is thriving, new businesses are opening. We have wonderful partners in our local industries. We have excellent relations with our neighboring jurisdictions. As one drives through our newer subdivisions, you will see new houses being built and quickly sold with more on the horizon. Our locally owned businesses are doing very well. Soon we should see construction beginning on Global Concentrate. And a new boutique hotel and event center appears to be on the horizon. Franklin has many strengths, but it’s really all about our people!

4.) What do you think are the greatest challenges facing the city of Franklin?

Continuing to grow the tax base is always a need for every local government. Doing so in a manner that is in the best interest of our city is important to me. Franklin’s school system has made great progress in recent years, and I look forward to an excellent working relationship with the School Board as we work together to continue the improvements.

5.) If elected as Franklin’s mayor, what will be your leading priorities?

The same things everyone is concerned about: Educating our children; attracting new industry, businesses and jobs; protecting our citizens; and increasing the tax base through growth. I also want to focus on our amazing city employees. I want Franklin to become a place new employees want to work and remain with us into retirement. That will take paying top-notch wages and providing strong benefits. Our turnover is too high, we’re always in a training mode with too many openings. It costs us more in the long run to train employees for other employers as talented people leave for better pay, benefits and conditions.

6.) Real property value is reassessed every two years in the city. Do you think this interval should be changed? Please explain your answer.

My initial thought would be switching to once a year would mean smaller increases (or decreases) as the market fluctuates. My concern would be that citizens would feel like the process just happened a few months ago when the next assessment takes place. It would seem like a never-ending process. Also, the cost increase to the city could be significant; I imagine the process is very costly. The commissioner of revenue would also probably need additional staff if she had to deal with reassessments every year. I’m sure there are pros and cons to doing it either way.

7.) What, if any, key improvements do you think need to be made to the city’s public education system, and if elected, what will you do to help ensure those needed key improvements are made?

There have been significant improvements in Franklin’s schools recently, but there’s always more to be done. The new CTE Center being opened in September excites me. I applaud Dr. Carter and the School Board for the recent advancements and changes that are on the horizon. I worry about school security issues. Not that we’ve had problems, but I want to be mindful of keeping our children and educators safe at school. Ultimately, it is the School Board who makes school policy. I hope that council and the board work together for a common goal of an outstanding school system.

The post Franklin mayoral candidate Q&A: Paul E. Kaplan appeared first on The Tidewater News .