Who is Jack Smith
Like many others who call Cary home, Jack Smith is a 'transplant to the area' when he accepted a job opportunity in RTP & moved his family here from Boston in 1986. Jack has held vice president level positions in both Fortune and NASDAQ 25 companies. In 2001 he founded Organizational Capability Services, LLC, an executive search and professional staffing company.
Jack Smith has served as the District C Cary Town Council representative for twenty years, including six as Mayor Pro Tem. He is a member of the Cary Economic Development Commission and the liaison to the Sister City Commission. He represents Cary on the Wake County Growth Issues Task Force and the Wake County Economic Development Commission.
Active in the community, Jack is both a Leadership Triangle Fellow and a Institute of Political Leadership Fellow. Last year in Washington DC, Jack was inducted into the Local Government Leadership Circle for his efforts in promoting international understanding & goodwill by forging cross cultural Sister City relationships around the globe.
Jack is a member of St. Michael's Catholic Church, belongs to the American Legion and serves on numerous not-for-profit boards, having served as an officer on three of them - World Trade Center NC, NC Center Voter Education & Cary Community Foundation. Jack is a speaker for the NC National Kidney Foundation on the merits of being an organ donor & served this year as their Honorary Chair of the annual RTP Kidney walk.
Jack graduated from the University of Oklahoma and is a veteran, having served in the US Army Armored Cavalry, attaining the rank of Captain. He and wife of 35 years, Bridget, have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.RETURN TO TOP
Election Day Is Tuesday, October 6th
Polls are open from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM.
Cary's October 6th Election Day is a month earlier than most of our neighboring municipalities. It is on the same day as our School Board elections. If don't know where you need to go to cast your vote, or if you want information on early voting, absentee voting, or have any other questions contact the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh at (919) 856-6240.
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Contact Jack or Help With His Campaign
Jack has always welcomed people contacting him to get information, to get help with their own or neighborhood problems, or just to talk. Feel free to contact him about Town matters or to offer help with his campaign.
Jack can be reached by phone: (919) 816-0999
by email: Send an email to Jack Smith
or by postal mail: 104 Cricket Lane, Cary, NC 27518
Campaign contributions should be made out to: 'Jack Smith Campaign' and can be mailed to:
Jack Smith Campaign
104 Cricket Lane
Cary, NC 27518
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A Message From Jack
Dear Neighbor,
Thank you for allowing me the privilege of serving you these past twenty years. I am again seeking your support as I believe; now more than ever before, we have many challenges facing our community.
Responsible growth, fiscal management and economic development are the cornerstones of my campaign platform. But at the end of the day this election is about trust, respect and leadership.
My style of leadership is to bring people together, to find common ground and move our community forward. It is an approach that has served me well in providing our neighborhoods with solutions to their concerns.
Cary truly is a special place to live, work and play. We have a quality of life which others admire. However, we want to do more than just maintain our affordable quality of life, we want to improve it for the generations to come.
District C needs an experienced 'common sense' leader with sound business principles to focus the Town's resources on 'results, not rhetoric' while solving traffic problems, strengthening public safety and services, and addressing regional issue such as school reassignments. I am that leader.
My pledge to you remains the same as it was in 1989 when I first ran for this office -- "keep taxes low", "maintain fiscal responsibility", "protect our neighborhoods" and "enhance our quality of life."
I have kept my pledge and I believe I have served you well. For that, I seek your continued support and your vote for reelection.
Thank you for the honor of serving.
* Listening * * Learning * * Serving * RETURN TO TOP
Jack Smith's Campaign Platform
People have described my approach to serving as "neighborhood-friendly." I like to agree. I've represented District C for five terms, making me the Council's senior member. I see this experience as a big plus.
Two years ago people overwhelmingly chose to change Cary's course to slower, more manageable growth with a focus on addressing regional issues such as school reassignments, road maintenance, water and waste water management needs. In short, even in these difficult economic times, we are catching up after a number of years of 4% + growth -- and it feels good.
Of course, with less growth, it now means operating our Town with far less revenue & the job now is to fine-tune our course, focusing on maintaining our fiscal health while keeping an open ear and an open mind to what people tell us is important to them. These are my platform issues:
RESPONSIBLE GROWTH
-- Cary should stay its present course - growing in a slower but responsible manner and not grow at the expense of our current residents. Growth can be good, but it must pay for itself and not harm our quality of life. We must protect our neighborhoods, invest in parks and open space and maintain our high quality recreational programs.
-- Cary should expand its reclaimed water system because it’s economically smart and environmentally friendly.
-- Trees are wonderful things. Cary should do more to preserve the Town's "open space" and add to its parks and greenways. It's also an ideal way to protect environmentally sensitive areas from encroaching development.
-- Cary should continue working closely with both the school board and the development community to get more and better schools.
-- Cary must never forget its senior citizens and all they have done to make Cary what it is today. And we must continue to expand the facilities and programs that serve them.
FISCAL MANAGEMENT
-- Cary taxes should remain as low as possible without forcing us to reduce our nationally recognized 'best in class' Town services. Cary's taxes and fees combined are the lowest in Wake County. Yet, we are the safest community in the Southeast and the seventh-safest in the nation. Cary's fire, police and parks & recreation personnel are nationally accredited - the only community in North Carolina to achieve this triple recognition.
--- Cary's debt needs to remain balanced and proportional to our revenue and spending. To maintain and protect our AAA bond ratings it is absolutely critical we 'cap our debt at 15%'. New debt should only be for critical infrastructure improvements.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
-- The dramatic nationwide economic slowdown of the past year requires us to be even more competitive in attracting new businesses while nurturing and growing our existing small business and corporate base. Through continued good planning and 'common sense' ordinances, we can balance being business-friendly with maintaining our community's charm and appeal.
-- Strategic/Long Range Planning is an effective tool in laying the foundation for responsible economic development. When used effectively it protects, enhances and respects individual property rights and those of our neighborhoods while affording the business community a realistic and equitable development road map.
These have been and remain my priorities. They are why I want to continue serving you on our Town Council. With your support, they will continue to guide me in the next term.RETURN TO TOP
Jack Smith's Neighborhood Accomplishments
As Cary's District C council representative, Jack takes seriously the trust the voters have placed in him. He believes that his most important role is that of citizens’ advocate or ombudsman. He is never more than a phone call away (919-816-0999) and is quick to address the community’s needs or concerns.
These are some of Jack's neighborhood accomplishments:
Lochmere – Addressed neighborhood concerns regarding Town’s proposed ten-foot greenway and obtained significant consensus on a smaller 'neighborhood friendly' design. He addressed concerns regarding sewer easement clear cutting, ending the arbitrary clear-cutting of property. He negotiated and obtained approval for the entire replacement of the defective water line and the lowering of the lake to minimize destruction of homeowner’s property during the repairs.
Lochside – Negotiated lower-density rezoning of the southern two corners of Cary Parkway and Lochmere Drive, and the installation of a sidewalk from Holly Springs to Tryon Road.
Birkhaven – Resolved the problem of odor from wastewater treatment.
Lochbain & Windsong – Negotiated an alternative to a big-box restaurant, resulting in a well-buffered and unanimously-accepted mixed-use development (the Pavilion).
Lochbain (northside) – During the Crescent Green office park expansion, he negotiated a significantly-reduced scale office park with increased buffers and a parking deck.
Pirates Cove – Lobbied for Seabrook Avenue street and rotary improvements reduced speed limits and support the installation of speed humps. He obtained significant additional buffer and storm water drainage improvements prior to the completion of the Barnes and Noble commercial development.
Walnut Ridge – Led the successful effort to deny a commercial rezoning adjacent to residential neighborhoods and saw to it that additional police were provided for traffic control during the holiday season. He proposed and obtained approval for a neighborhood park on Walnut St. to buffer neighborhoods from Walnut Street traffic and to deter commercial/retail 'creep' along this corridor.
Wimbledon & Ridgepath – Successfully lobbied for increased buffers and plantings to diminish the impact of DOT’s widening of Route 1. He successfully lobbied for a traffic signal at Seabrook Ave and Cary Parkway and negotiated significant buffers and less density on the adjacent Troon Village development.
Farmington Woods – Successfully lobbied for a traffic signal at Hampton Valley Road and Cary Parkway and the installation of speed humps on Farmington Woods Drive. He negotiated setbacks and additional buffers between the Woodland Terrace retirement community and residential houses.
Franklin Chase – Successfully led efforts to block a car dealership from locating adjacent to residential property. Obtained funding to accelerate the completion of the Kids Together Park. He negotiated a compromise with neighbors on buffers/setbacks for Tryon mixed-use development, a community park and other amenities. Successfully led efforts to eliminate a cut-through connector road.
Glenridge – Worked closely with neighborhood on adjacent rezoning, achieving significant buffer improvements, greenway modifications and construction restrictions.
Coventry Glen – Successfully led efforts to eliminate Ravenstone Drive as a connector road by capping the north end, making it a cul-de-sac and supported the installation of speed humps. He worked with the community to realign the Swift Creek greenway through wetlands, resulting in no impact on any neighborhood properties.
Hillsdale Forest – Initiated efforts to improve roads and aging infrastructure.
Wellington Park – Successfully lobbied DOT to build a noise wall as part of their Route 1 road improvements. Supported the installation of speed humps. Successfully led efforts to deny an adjacent car dealership. Obtained funding for the early completion of the Kids Together Park.
Wellington Ridge Condo's – Addressed adjacent greenway design and chronic trash pickup problems.
Thornewood, Ambience – Successfully led efforts to realign storm culverts/drainage away from residents’ properties.
Camden Forest – Supported the installation of speed humps.
Regency and Danbury – Negotiated stricter noise guidelines as well as an earlier curfew for all events at the adjacent amphitheater and increased police presence for traffic/crowd control at all, and timely clean-up after events by public works. He successfully lobbied with development community to rezone adjacent land from high density Office and Institutional to low density Residential zoning.
Windermere and Cotswald – Worked with citizens on improving the low water pressure problem. He initiated the dialogue with the US Postal Service to change the mailing address to Cary.
Windsor Oaks – Worked with citizens to address safety/traffic cut-through problems.
Waverly Place – Negotiated and lobbied DOT to accelerate the installation of the Chick-fil-A traffic light.
Williamsburg Commons – Worked to address flooding problems and negotiated changes to the adjacent property to minimize run-off.
Unincorporated areas – Voted against annexation proposals which required excessive development fees, assessments or mandatory hook-up. "We ought to make it as difficult as possible to take people's property and I will not support any proposal which creates a financial burden."
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