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Dawson lauds beach sand efforts in county address, candidates response coming

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While the New Hanover County State of the County address began with a flourish of “thank yous” and recognition of noteworthy audience members, its aftermath was much less collegial, showing that the campaign for three open seats on the Board of Commissioners is fully underway.

During the Monday, Feb. 1 speech that attracted about 100 spectators, board chair Beth Dawson delivered a positive rundown of the county’s work on several projects, focusing on key elements of public safety, education and economic development.

“Cooperation, collaboration and communication. We cannot do it alone,” Dawson said. “We need all of the community members to work together. It’s the only way to ensure that New Hanover County grows and prospers.”

However, “collaboration” was precisely the charge leveled by fellow commissioner Woody White, who along with two other Republican candidates, issued a next-day video response that criticized Dawson’s past votes with Democrats on the board as part of a deal that delivered her the board’s chair.

Dawson, a Republican, has denied any deals were made for leadership. She faces a primary election vote on March 15 to be one of three Republican candidates for three seats on the board. She did not return calls for comment on the video.

White, along with candidates Patricia Kusek and Jim Brumit, released a video reply under the title of “Conservative Leadership Team” that accused Dawson of working in league with Democrats and taking votes that expanded the county’s role beyond its essential functions.

The video specifically targeted Dawson’s relationship with Democrat Jonathan Barfield Jr., the board’s vice chair. Barfield and Rob Zapple, the commission’s other Democrat, voted on Dec. 14, 2015, to elect Dawson as the board’s chair, replacing Barfield.

In the video, Kusek said Dawson’s vote for a $6 million tax increase was part of her “support of Barfield.”

“The Republican board members demonstrated that it was a tax increase that was just not needed,” Kusek said.

The video, which cut to each candidate as the others were visible in the background, featured Brumit criticizing the county’s $635,000 child care program, which he said was a role of the federal or state government, not the county.

“We need commissioners who are serious about doing their county’s business, which is attracting new business to the area by keeping taxes down and preventing unnecessary regulatory burdens,” Brumit said.

Dawson’s speech touched on several “quality of life” issues, including coastal storm damage reduction, a priority for Wrightsville Beach and the county’s other beach towns.

“New Hanover County leads the nation in keeping sand on the beach,” Dawson said. “We will work with our partners in the federal government and in Raleigh to ensure that we have a dedicated, sustainable source of funding for our beaches and our inlets.”

In the speech, Dawson said the county’s authority from the state included local oversight of “education, public health and taking care of the poor.”

“We have made decisions to invest in the assets that our citizens have said they want and they need for our quality of life,” Dawson said.

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