Paul Franklin Chavez is a rarity in Seven Lakes — a native Moore Countian. He graduated from Southern Pines High School in 1962 and was drafted into the armed forces the following year. That service would evolve into a twenty year career. A "crypto technician," Chavez worked on every major piece of crypto equipment in the Army's inventory.
Chavez married Nancy Garrison, of West End, and they had two sons Paul H. and Carl. Chavez began his second career as a civilian employee for the US Army in crypto, which eventually led to becoming a computer specialist.
The family moved to Seven Lakes in 2000. “I told my wife and son that I wanted to buy a tractor and move to a place that had water,” Chavez said. He got one of the two.
Chavez has known his share of heartbreak. He and Nancy lost their eldest son in 1999. Nancy died in 2007 from breast cancer. Chavez's younger son and his two grandsons, Currie and Trevor, live with him, giving him a firsthand perspective on the interests of younger residents.
“This is a good place to raise kids," he said during the Wednesday, February 5 SLLA Candidates' Night. "I have two teenage grandsons. One loves to go fishing. He will be out there until it is time to go home. Both boys go swimming and fishing in the lakes in the summertime. Walking to McDonald's the back way seems to be popular with teens. There were some problems last year with teens, but I believe we got that cleaned up. It something to keep an eye on.”
Chavez is confident that he can grow in a leadership role. “I am not used to being in management," he said. 'In my career, I was more support. But I was told, 'If you don’t move you die.' It will be a learning experience.”
If elected, Chavez said, “I would like to serve on the Security Committee, since I have background and training in emergency services.”
Chavez’s interest in the ongoing revision of the SLLA Bylaws was one reason he decided to run for office.
“I am pretty much satisfied with how things are going in Seven Lakes,' he explained. "I got involved in a couple of meetings on the bylaws. My major concern was there were several articles in The Seven Lakes Times about a new attorney from up north that moved down here and that this was his specialty. Most of us have lived here a long period of time and we tend to take a more relaxed view of things."
[Jim Slaughter, the attorney who is helping the Board rewrite the Association's bylaws, is a specialist in the law governing homeowners associations, but he is a native of Kannapolis, educated at UNC-Chapel Hill, and practices almost exclusively in North Carolina. —GH]
Chavez said serving on the Board would require a small adjustment to his weekly routine. "If I am voted in, it will take up Bingo at the Elks Club, but I can give up one night,” Chavez laughed.
A grandfather to two active teens, Chavez recognizes the importance of safety: “I would like to see a path put alongside one of the roads for walking and riding bikes," he said. "I would also like to see an area for children to ride their skateboards. Riding down the roads without helmets is not safe.”
Chavez has less interest in the stables. “We might want to sit down, take a look at it, and prune some of the activities," he said. "At one time, there was talk about terminating the stables. They are a lot of money; and, the next thing you know, they are buying more horses. I am not an expert, but maybe we should look at pruning costs and reducing activities.”
