Meet your candidates: Chris Crump for Pegram

The local election season is upon us in Pegram, and residents are eager to learn more about the individuals vying to represent their interests and lead their community forward.

The Gazette sat down with each of the five candidates running for the town’s two open alderman seats, offering insights into their backgrounds, motivations and visions for the town. Current Pegram aldermen Randy Howington and Michael Paszek are not seeking reelection.

Early voting for Pegram’s local election will take place Friday, July 17 through Saturday, Aug. 1. See the early voting schedule and polling locations here. Pegram residents can also vote at Pegram City Hall on election day on Thursday, Aug. 6.

Each candidate brings a unique perspective shaped by their experiences and dedication to Pegram. Whether they are long-standing residents deeply ingrained in the fabric of the community or newer arrivals driven by innovative ideas, their stories represent a diverse spectrum of voices committed to tackling local challenges and propelling positive growth.

Below, get acquainted with alderman candidate Chris Crump, 56, who moved to Pegram from L.A. five years ago, and delve into his perspectives on crucial issues through our comprehensive Q&A session. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

KSG: Why are you running for alderman, and what unique perspective would you bring to the board?

Crump: I'm looking at trying to ensure that Pegram is situated for growth in such a way that we have the proper infrastructure and we also do growth with intent. We don't grow just because it's going to bring more money or more taxes, but we grow because it fits the natural growth of Pegram. 

When we authorize permits for building, we can definitely force who's ever created that new subdivision that they have to put in better roads or ensure that they have the resources for that infrastructure in place before we approve those – we shouldn't just approve it because it makes money, we should make sure that the plan addresses the growth properly.

KSG: What do you believe is the biggest issue facing Pegram over the next four years?

Crump: I think the sewage system is a big issue. The one that we have in place right now seems to be very expensive. Our house in Tanglewood, and where my mom lives in Pegram proper, her water bill is two to three times more than mine, and she's using nothing. I mean, we're pulling like 3000 gallons a month in our house, and she pulls maybe 500 and her bills are two to three times more than mine. How is that possible? All of it is just covering the cost of the sewage system. When you think about that, that's a heavy burden on anybody down there.

KSG: Pegram continues to grow. How should the town balance new development with preserving its small-town character?

Crump: One of the charms of Pegram is that you have all these nice, unique individual houses, so you drive anywhere in Pegram and each house is different. You see these developments going up in Davidson County, where it's all shotgun homes, they all have the same look and feel. It's just like cut and paste. I don't know if we have the ability and planning to maybe enforce some type of uniqueness, so that we don't just look like another row of cookie cutter homes going in.

I also think we shouldn't just build for the sake of building. There should be a plan to it. There is a plan that goes in effect until 2028 but they're not following that plan. If I get elected, I think we should revitalize and look at that plan and bring in the public's input on that plan. I know we need revenue, and I know we want to grow, but I think it should be really thoughtful with how we do it. 

In my former career, I was dealing a ton with state, local, and federal governments, that's what I did, it was more around security, but so as far as sitting on advisory boards, sitting on committees, writing standards and stuff like that, that's decades of experience, so sitting down and looking at building codes – that's something I think I could add to Pegram. Because I don't know if everybody on that BOMA has that capability to look at some of those complex nuances that come with government regulations.

KSG: What infrastructure projects should be prioritized?

Crump: When we look at the building codes, when we look at homes, and especially when doing new subdivisions, I think we should require new electricals to be underground to avoid some of the things that happened in these last storms. We can't deal with the existing infrastructure, but with new infrastructure, we should look at underground power. 

KSG: What is one thing Pegram does well and one thing it needs to improve?

Crump: I think they do very well with a sense of community. They do a really good Fourth of July. 

KSG: How can the town better engage residents in local government?

Crump: It's not easy to get that information from the meetings. I think we really need to either find a volunteer or find a budget, so that these meeting notes make it into the public, so they can find them easily. Because if you go to the website today, it's not easy to find stuff. I do think we should have as much advanced notice as possible about what the agenda is, and then as soon as the meeting is over, that information should be available, because not everybody can get there at 6:30. And so to find out right away that there was a meeting, that would be nice, and what the result of that meeting was.

KSG: Why should the residents of Pegram vote for you? 

Crump: We've been here five years now, and we love it more than when we moved. It's a great town, and I think the candidates that are all running all have the best in mind for Pegram, so I don't think they're going to lose with any candidate.