Three more Apex residents have thrown their hats into the political ring, bringing the total to seven candidates who will vie for three town council seats.

Lance Olive, Thomas Haynie and Jody Garrett Smith all recently filed with the Wake County Board of Elections prior to the July 17 deadline. None of the three has previously run for a political office.

They joined incumbents Mike Jones and Gene Schulze along with challengers Scott Lassiter and Margo Bills, all of whom announced their candidacies in early July.

Incumbent Bill Sutton announced that he would not seek reelection.

Olive has served on the town planning board since 2003, including the last two years as vice chairman.

The Apex native said that after six years involved with planning he would like to take his interest in the town to the next level.

“I feel it is a natural progression,” said Olive. “I’ve been a vocal member of the planning board and the vice chairman and I’m ready to help make the big decisions for the town. I just think the timing is right to be involved with the council.”

Olive said he is interested in “smart growth” for Apex that will have both short-term and long-term benefits. He also wants to keep Apex’s small-town feel intact.

“I don’t want out of control growth and I don’t want (zero) growth,” said Olive. “I think what we need is healthy growth. Is what we are planning for today still going to work in 10, 20 or 30 years or will it become an eyesore?

“When I was growing up in Apex I walked in the Christmas parade and I dressed up my bike in red, white and blue for July 4. This is a great place to live and I want to keep it that way.”

Olive said his time on the planning board has also helped him develop a sense for what residents want in their community.

“I hear what neighbors say,” said Olive. “I’ve a got feel of what people want, what they don’t want, and what they are afraid of. I want to represent the people and voice their concerns.”

Olive said he admires the job the current town councilmen have done and believes he is qualified to join them.

“We have a very good tax rate right now and I want to make sure we keep taxes low,” said Olive. “I want well-considered decisions not wasteful spending.

“We have great councilmen right now who do a good job. But there are only a certain number of seats available and I believe I’m uniquely qualified.”

Olive is a software engineer at Cisco Systems. He and his wife, Cheryl, have two children.

Haynie is a successful businessman who owns six McDonald’s restaurants, including two in Apex. He plans to open a third one in town in October.

When his third restaurant opens Haynie will have brought over 100 jobs to town, including 22 management positions. Responsible for the payroll of 325 employees, Haynie believes his strong business experience would benefit Apex.

“I’ve been fortunate during these difficult economic times,” said Haynie. “But I have friends and neighbors who don’t have jobs right now.

“We have a lot of people driving to other towns for work. We need to bring more jobs to Apex.”

Haynie said the town needs a better balance between residential and commercial building. He said the massive Veridea development could change that percentage drastically and he would like to help play a role in its planning.

“Apex is only 20 percent commercial right now,” said Haynie. “A healthy balance is 40 percent and I understand that Veridea could actually make it 48 percent when it’s completed. That would really help the tax base.”

One of Haynie’s top concerns is the poor condition of roads in town. Although many of the pothole strewn roads are owned by the state he would like the town to assume control of them.

“The streets, such as Old Raleigh Road, are in dire need of repair,” said Haynie. “I realize right now the state doesn’t have the money but in the long-term I would like the town to get hold of these roads, set up a revenue stream through the state, and help repair them.”

Haynie and his wife, Arlene, have been strong supporters of Apex High School for many years. They donated the band’s first equipment trailer and managed the concession stand during games.

Haynie has also supported education by sponsoring “McTeachers Night” and donating a percentage of the sales to local schools.

Holding a 41-year association with McDonald’s, Haynie served on the McDonald’s National Advisory Board.

He and Arlene, who have lived in Apex for 23 years, have three children and four grandchildren.

Smith is a successful businessman and entrepreneur. Holding an MBA from Duke, he founded the company Brightfield Virtual, which creates graphic environments for Internet applications. He sold the company in 2008 and is now a business analyst with CenturyLink.

Having moved to Apex in 2006, Smith became concerned about the town’s future following the EQ explosion.

“The chemical plant fire was just down the road from our house,” said Smith. “I began to think how we need to balance our growth with safety. We need to keep an eye on what is being built so that industrial and residential can both thrive and remain safe.”

Smith said wise long-term planning is essential to keeping Apex one of the best places in the nation to live.

“We’ve been in the national news recently for being such a great place,” said Smith. “Apex is a wonderful place to be and we love it. But you can’t take that standard of living for granted. You need to work to keep it safe and strong.”

Smith wants to attract nice businesses to town and maintain a healthy growth rate while being careful not to destroy all the open space in Apex.

Smart planning, said Smith, is the key.

“When we make decisions we need to ask how it will impact Apex in 5, 10 or 50 years,” said Smith. “There are important issues with traffic and roads. If we make good decisions about traffic, 540 and changes to US 64 it will have a dramatic effect.”

Smith said he wants the town to continue its support for the burgeoning art community, citing the Halle Cultural Arts Center, the PeakCity Film Festival and downtown art galleries.

Smith, a Clinton native, and his wife, Emilie, a native of France, have lived in the Triangle for 15 years. They have a son, Tristan.