Saying he wants to work to make Altavista "a well-rounded community," Mike Mattox said this week he will run for mayor in the November election.
"I think now is the time to do it. We're at a crossroads. We're no longer a growing community. We need to start growing again," Mattox said in announcing his bid.
The 51-year-old Mattox, who's served 10 years on Altavista Town Council, is the first candidate to announce for mayor.
Incumbent Mayor J.R. (Rudy) Burgess hasn't made a formal announcement, but has said unofficially he doesn't plan to run for re-election. Burgess has served in town government since 1972 and has been mayor since 1988.
Mattox, who's lived in Altavista all of his life, said the lack of growth is starting to hurt the community, the economy and the civic organizations.
"And, in general, it doesn't make us look towards the future. And I think I can change that."
Asked how, Mattox said Altavista first has to get people to move back to town. He said the population has been in decline for years. Creating jobs, he said, will bring people back.
He wants to do an assessment of the town and ask why people don't live in Altavista, why they leave and what other communities offer that Altavista doesn't. Mattox also wants to look at housing needs, be aggressive in recruiting startup businesses and begin developing the new part of English Park. He said a public-private partnership might be a way to do that.
"I want Altavista to be a place where people live, work and play," the candidate said. "We have to be a well-rounded community."
Mattox said government's role is to make sure each day is better than the last one for its constituents. He said government should make sure Altavista is a place of opportunity, a place where people feel comfortable raising families, and a place where children will grow up and want to return to raise their families.
To do this, he said Altavista needs a mayor who is open to new ideas and willing to discuss them. Mattox said he wants to invite others into town government and get them excited about being a part of it.
"I think I can be the bridge from what we have today and what we need tomorrow."
Being a good mayor, he said, means being "eternally optimistic about Altavista," being prepared and being there to make the good and the tough decisions.
"The most important thing is you've got to care about the citizens of Altavista. That's who you're representing."
Mattox said he doesn't always agree with Burgess, but said he and the current mayor share a love and concern for Altavista.
Mattox said he has 10 years of experience in town government and has served on every committee. He said there have been few new programs or original ideas that have come to council in the last 10 years that he hadn't helped put forward. He said he had a leadership hand in the downtown work, bringing Walmart to the area, helping the fire company become independent, keeping taxes low, keeping the best personnel possible in town hall, redoing parks, starting the bus system and starting the police department's accreditation process.
Mattox described himself as a doer, not just a talker. He said he's stubborn, persistent, willing to listen and accessible.
A small businessman for 25 years, Mattox owns and operates E&S Mart and a storage unit business. He also teaches earth science at Rustburg High School.
Mattox has a Bachelor of Science in geo-science from Virginia Tech.
He said he'd been thinking about running for mayor the last two years. He considered running for the Altavista District seat on the Campbell County Board of Supervisors last November, but said he thought he could better serve the town as mayor.
Mattox is on the Altavista Fire Company board and the advisory board for Bank of the James.
He and wife Denise have two daughters, Sarah and Emily.
In the Nov. 6 election, Altavista voters will pick three council members and a mayor for four-year terms. Council seats up are the ones now held by Beverley Dalton, James (Jay) Higginbotham and Ron Coleman. They have not announced plans.
The mayor receives $4,500 per year, while council members get $2,500.
Candidates have until June 12 to file with the registrar's office in Rustburg.