I’m a little surprised to be writing this, but after a lot of prayer, thought, and discussion, I’m running for Seat 1 on Mauldin City Council this year.
I wanted you to be among the first to know, and I wanted to tell you why — kind of a “how I got from Point A to Point B” explanation.
Mauldin is home. My heart is here. It’s where I grew up. It’s where I graduated high school, and it’s where I wanted to anchor my family as an adult.
Except for the first six months of my life, when we were waiting for my grandfather, dad, and uncle to finish building our house and with the exception of the first couple of years Addy and I were married, I’ve lived in the same house on the same street in the same neighborhood. The running joke is that the only place I moved has been across the hall.
So, why am I running for city council?
The bottom line is that I know Mauldin’s potential and that as a city of roughly 23,000, we aren’t realizing that potential.
There are a lot of things that Mauldin does well, but when we look at neighboring municipalities and how they plan to meet the future needs of their residents and their businesses — whether they be quality of life, service, or economic issues — there are a number of areas where we as a city can and should strive to do better.
I want to be a voice on Mauldin City Council that looks to the future. Our city’s history is important to who we are, but as other area cities and towns plan for a new type of economy and greater expectations from residents, we cannot lock ourselves to the past. We cannot be content doing things certain ways just because those are the ways they’ve always been done.
Mauldin does not exist in a bubble. We have to compete for new business and new residents, and to do that, we need to foster an environment and a look and feel that makes people want to stop in Mauldin, do business in Mauldin, and live in Mauldin.
This year’s election is November 5.
Soon, I’ll start knocking on doors and making phone calls to talk about thoughts on issues important to this election.
Hopefully, as you read this you’re thinking, “This is great news, Taft. I’m all in. What can I do to help?”
If that’s your thought and if that’s your question, I’m glad you think so, and I’m glad you asked.
First, whether or not you’re able to vote in Mauldin, Addy, Trey, and I need your prayers. Both Addy and Trey believe this is the right thing to do, and I have their buy-in 100%. At the same time, campaigns are not easy on families, and I ask that you constantly lift them up as we move toward November 5.
Second, and this also applies to anyone in or out of Mauldin, I’m asking for your financial support. It’s costly to spread a campaign message, and I need your help to communicate our issues as we work to reach the city’s voters. State ethics laws limit contributions to $1000 per person per election cycle, and even if you cannot contribute that maximum investment, I would appreciate any help you can provide.
Third, I need your volunteer help. As we reach out to residents throughout the city’s approximately 10 square miles, there is a lot of ground to cover and a lot of doors to knock. If you can help in your neighborhood and organize people to reach out, that would be immensely helpful. I also ask that you talk about me to your friends and family members who live in Mauldin. I want their help, too.
Fourth, I need your house. If you’re willing to host a get together and want me to come to talk with your friends and neighbors, I would love the opportunity to do it. I also hope we can use your home or business for a sign location when the time comes.
Finally, I need your vote. I love watching football games and hearing reporters ask coaches, “So, what’s your strategy?” More often than I can count, coaches respond with something that indicates their teams need to score more points than the other teams. That’s my goal here. Sure, we’ll have a message and a strategy to approach campaigning, but my goal is to score more points than the other team. I can’t do that without your vote, and as I ask for your vote, I have to add that I would be humbled if you would give it to me.
We’ll begin rolling out issues and campaign information soon, but until then, don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email at taft@matneyformauldin.com.
I appreciate all of the support you’ve given our family and to me, and as we get ready to launch this campaign, I again want to ask for your vote on November 5 for Seat 1 on Mauldin City Council.
Thank you, and I’ll see you soon, as they say, “on the trail.”
Sincerely,
Taft
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