Although he doesn’t have competition in the race for Mayor of Hillsville, incumbent Bill Tate said he is nervous all the same about Hillsville’s May 4th election.

“I won’t have to campaign as hard but I am campaigning,” Tate said. “You’ve got to show interest. If you don’t show interest, people might not come out and vote. I’m running unopposed, but I’m still nervous; you never know.”

Tate was elected Mayor in 2008 after serving as Sulphur Springs Councilman for 10 years. He said his new office has given him a few eye-opening experiences, but he said they’ve been mostly positive.

“It’s interesting. I’m meeting a lot of good people. It’s challenging. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s not like I thought, you know, somebody down my back all the time but it’s not. The people have been good to me. We get a lot of good compliments; the Mayor and Council too. Of course, we’ve got the office crew, you can’t beat them. (Town Manager) Larry (South), (Treasurer) Judy (Bolt), Vicki (Yonce), Lynn (Burcham) and Faye (Rakes), Steve Bowman.”

Tate said in his years of public service, Hillsville has seen many changes, most for the good.

“The Town is going good,” Tate said. “It’s gone good since I’ve been in and I would like to see it stay that way. We’ve seen improvements over the 12 years on Council and as Mayor. I’d like to continue to see improvements.”

He noted that having a Town Council that works well together and gets along helps in making positive steps happen for Hillsville.

“I’d like to keep it that way,” Tate said.

And as a new two-year term approaches, Tate said the problems facing the rest of the country are also the problems facing Hillsville. Times are tight, but Tate said Hillsville is doing what it can to keep popular activities and services going.

“The economy’s what’s hurting the Town,” Tate said. “We’re not going to raise taxes but we’re going to have to cut back on some of our spending. We want to keep the concerts going, Fourth of July, Safe Halloween. That brings people into town.”