WILSON'S MILLS - A town employee and a current council member are squaring off in the race to be the next mayor of Wilson's Mills. Meanwhile, the current mayor, a former mayor, one council incumbent, a former council member and one other are vying for the three council seats up for election.

For Wilson's Mills, the hot topic among contenders seems to be growth. Most every candidate listed the town's needs, from grocery stores to expanded services.

Fleta Byrd and Philip Wright are the candidates for mayor. The council candidates are Clifton Cooley, Kenneth R. Jones, Joe Parrish, Joseph Wilder Jr. and Peter Wilson. Here are capsules of each candidate's thoughts, gleaned from phone interviews with The Herald. Council candidate Joe Parrish did not return phone calls left at his business before deadline.

Fleta Byrd

Occupation: planning director, zoning officer, code-enforcement officer and subdivision administrator for Wilson's Mills. Byrd also raises hogs with her husband.

Experience: joined town planning board in 2004, took town jobs in 2006.

On growth: Byrd says the town will see an influx of businesses and residents as the economy improves. "We need to be in a place where we'll be able to promote and move forward with that," she said.

On services: Byrd says town residents need more services. "Street lights, city water, trash pickup," she said. "These are things that the town residents want, and the town's going to have to address those."

Why she's running: "I want to see the programs we've started completed," she said. "I think that we need to work on continuing the planning."

Philip Wright

Experience: council member for 9 years.

Occupation: retired from carpentry work.

Why he's running: Wright wants to continue the town's programs and initiatives after Mayor Peter Wilson leaves.

On his time in office: Wright helped start the town's Pumpkin Festival and was involved with starting the police department and running sewer to the town, he said.

On growth: The town has very little business and needs to draw in commercial tax revenue, he said. "You just have to get out and start recruiting and talking to people," Wright said. "Try to find out what the people want, try to make arrangements for some of them to come in." The town is in particular need of a grocery store, he said.

Clifton Cooley

Experience: council member for 8 years.

Occupation: retired from the Department of Transporation, but still drives a dump truck and cuts grass.

Why he's running: "I just don't want everybody to change over and none of the old ones be there," he said of the council. "I think that I can be an asset." He also wants to continue his work with streetlights, signage and programs for senior citizens.

On services: Cooley says the town's streetlights prove a point about the need for services. "A lot of children were catching school buses in the dark; it was a bad thing," he said. "When people see where their tax dollars are going, they don't mind supporting."

On community: Cooley thinks the town's residents need to pull together to raise their children and improve the town. "We've got to be role models for this young generation," he said. "They're our today."

On growth: The town must pursue commercial development, Cooley said. "[Residents] need to sell property for cheaper [to developers]," he said. "We need to build something that's stable here in Wilson's Mills."

Kenneth Jones

Experience: Jones was interim mayor for one year and mayor for another four years immediately after Wilson's Mills incorporated.

Occupation: real estate and the rental business, with some farming on the side.

Why he's running: "I've decided to get back into the mix," Jones said. "You can't just walk away from the town; somebody's got to help with it, and we need commercial growth in this town badly."

On services: "The only way to get commercial growth in a town is to get sewer and water," Jones said. "We've got a backbone," he added, referring to the sewer main that has been laid in town. Jones said he would like to pursue grant money for sewer extensions in the town.

On stimulus money: Jones thinks the town hasn't pursued stimulus funding enough. "I haven't heard anybody say why we didn't go after some stimulus money," he said. "You don't never know until you ask."

On growth: Wilson's Mills must expand services and improve the town in order to create a stable tax base, Jones said. Landing a grocery store could form an anchor for other businesses, he added.

Joseph Wilder Jr.

Occupation: self-employed in janitorial services

Experience: served four years on council in the late 1990s.

Why he's running: "I wanted to see a change," Wilder said. "There's some things in Wilson's Mills that need to be done."

On services: Wilder says the town needs to bolster its police department, put up streetlights and expand sewer service. "My concern is about the people of Wilson's Mills and what they want, because they are the ones that pay the taxes," he said.

On growth: Wilder says the town needs to attract new businesses. "We just need to incorporate business and industry to help with the taxes," he said. "The council can go and talk with them, and the landowners around here as well."

Peter Wilson

Experience: Wilson has been mayor of Wilson's Mills for four years and served on council for six years.

On growth: Wilson says the town must be ready for the return of developers. "Wilson's Mills is a bedroom town, and we need to continue working to make our schools better, build sidewalks for our students and citizens, and complete the community center and possibly a swimming pool," he said.

On efforts to make U.S. 70 stoplight-free: Wilson believes "Super-70" elsewhere is unsafe and has harmed local economies. "A freeway concept can be constructed without closing developable intersections and building U-turns on a major artery," he said.

Why he's running: Wilson wants to continue developing sewer service, police protection and parks and recreation while managing planning and zoning.