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Friday, March 29, 2024

Commission candidates invited to stump at beach

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The 2014 New Hanover County Commission candidates will head to the beach for a Sept. 17 roundtable discussion with officials from Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure beaches.

The Pleasure Island Foundation for a Sustainable Community has organized the discussion in an effort to create a culture of understanding and cooperation between the county and beach town governments. Foundation president Bruce Holsten cited a disconnect between the entities, noting scarce beach town representation on the board since the 1970s, but said the time is ripe to strengthen the relationship.

“In November, we will have two new county commissioners and regardless of who wins, the composition and the agenda of the county commission is going to be changed. So it’s important that the candidates understand that we have a role and that we have issues and concerns that we hope can be addressed in an open, friendly and mutually beneficial way,” Holsten said during a Sept. 9 phone interview.

Out of the four candidates, Holsten said Democrat Rob Zapple is the only candidate who campaigned at the beach so far this year.

“No one would criticize that historically,” Holsten said, but he hopes the event will change that by reestablishing a dialogue between the county and the beaches.

Zapple, fellow Democrat Patricia Spear, and Republican candidates Skip Watkins and Dr. Derrick Hickey all confirmed attendance at the discussion.

With no moderator and an open format at the event, the candidates engaged in back-and-forth conversation to give officials and citizens a better understanding of their issue stances.

“We hope that everybody gets a clearer understanding than a traditional two-minute prepared statement,” Holsten said.

Elected representatives from the beaches have compiled a list of topics, including sustainable funding for inlet dredging and beach renourishment, use of existing tax revenue and exploration of other options like a food and beverage tax, equal distribution of county funds for parks and recreation and public transportation, and a Cape Fear Community College campus in southern New Hanover County.

The list of topics will guide but not dictate the discussion, and Holsten plans to open the event for public comments and questions at the end.

The event begins at 6 p.m. at the Kure Beach Community Center. The doors will open at 5:30 for light refreshments and mingling.

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