Vance Stine
Sifford-Stine Insurance

What’s one thing everyone should know about you?  
In 1992 I rode a motorcycle to the Arctic Circle in Alaska (and back) with two good friends. We rode 10,000 miles in 28 days! It was a trip of a lifetime which I would do again tomorrow given the chance!  
    
How do you define success for yourself as a leader and for your organization?
The ability to get things done.

What keeps you up at night? 
I get concerned about East/West issues within York County, as well as those that exist in Clover and Lake Wylie. There are many myths on both sides of these issues.
 
We often learn more from our failures than from our successes. Tell me about an experience that didn’t work out and what you learned from it.    
In 2010 I ran and lost a primary bid for the state house of representatives.  Running for state office gave me the opportunity to shed light on issues such as public education, tax reform, Act 388, and road safety.  It is sad that we are still talking about these same issues today.  The lesson I learned is that not much gets accomplished at the state level, we need leaders that will do what is best for our state, and are not afraid to lose an election.  

Can you tell us about an experience that you are most proud of in your career?
I was proud to serve as Mayor of Clover for from 1995 to 2001, and to have a town council that wanted to do what was best for our community.  We hired the town’s first Town Administrator, who helped us solve our water and sewer issues that had been talked about for 40 years.  We created an industrial park with York County Natural Gas Authority and brought two quality businesses to the park (Jameson and Part, Inc.).  We renovated our downtown, purchased and renovated the Larne Building for community use, and purchased another building that is leased to the YMCA.  The YMCA and community raised the funds to renovate the building. Both of these buildings brought life to our newly renovated downtown.  We also built a new Fire Department building.  Many changes and improvements were made in a short amount of time by a great town council, of which I was proud to be a part of.  

As you look to the future, what do you feel will be the most important thing for York County to focus on? 
We need to plan for the growth that is coming as part of the Charlotte Region.  We need to have infrastructure in place for growth and preserve green space, which helps us preserve our quality of life.