Rick Danner filed today to seek a fourth term as mayor of the City of Greer.
Danner joins the remaining City Council incumbents who have filed for the July 24 municipal election. Jay Arrowood (District One), Kimberly Bookert (District Two) and Wryley Bettis (District Five) previously filed. To date there are all running unopposed. The filing deadline is noon on April 20.
Jerry Balding has filed for the at-large seat for Commission of Public Works now held by Perry Williams.
Danner has been mayor during arguably one of Greer’s biggest growth periods in the early 2000s and has also seen the communities’ economy paused with the national slowdown in the financial, construction and manufacturing industries that sparked unemployment above double digits locally.
Greer is on course for another growth spurt and Danner sees it as an opportunity to steer the city forward and adjusting the budget that has been locked in for the past two years. The 2011/2012 fiscal year city budget is $17.5 million. That’s an increase of 3.74 percent from the 2010/2011 FY budget of $16.9 million.
“This year, from a budget standpoint, we have to make some critical strategic changes,” Danner said. “We’ve got to address compensation, address capital purchases and construction. The budget process will be critical.” City employees haven’t seen a pay increase for the past three years. Employees’ raises this year are contingent on the city coming under budget in the amount of the raises.
Capital expenses have been held to the $1.1 million renovation of the McKown Center into a multi-purpose use facility that will serve the cultural arts community and city hall events.
Danner’s tenure includes the construction of the municipal complex which includes a 3-story City Hall, police and courts complex and Greer City Park which has been a magnet for surrounding communities to visit and spend dollars in downtown Greer.
Remaining at issue is the $1.4 million sale, in December 2010, of the Allen Bennett Hospital campus to Garrick Good, CEO of Cardinal Real Estate. Good, earlier this month, filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court. The Greenville Hospital System gifted the campus to Greer.
“The driver in our economy is going to be less residential and more industrial and commercial,” Danner said. A Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport land-use study is scheduled to be available in October. That and the commercial bump Greer is getting from retailers Walmart and Kohl’s is sending ripples of confidence through the business community.
“A lot of what we’re doing now is laying the groundwork for Greer for years to come. Our generation won’t see the results of what we’re doing now,” Danner said. “I believe we are living in a time as dynamic as any time Greer has had, since the beginning when the railroad founded the community and right after (WWII) with the mills manufacturing.”
Danner said the future is what his campaign theme will be. “It’s easy to say I will run on my record. I’m proud of what we have accomplished. This go around I’m anxious to continue the kind of things we have to do to accomplish what we’ve done.”
He currently serves as the Vice President of Human Resources and Security at Greer State Bank. He and his wife, Rita, have two sons, Sam and Jacob.
City of Greer Municipal Election
Candidates filed as of March 27
Deadline to file, April 20, noon
Mayor
Rick Danner (incumbent)
City Council
District 1
Jay Arrowood (incumbent)
District 3
Kimberly Bookert (incumbent)
District 5
Wryley Bettis (incumbent)
CPW Commissioner
Jerry Balding
Greenville County Council
District 18
Joe Baldwin
4th Congressional District
Trey Gowdy (incumbent)
Jimmy Tobias