NEW HANOVER COUNTY — New Hanover County school board member David Perry is facing consequences for code of ethics violations in relation to remarks made about his fellow board members over the last few months.
At the school board’s April 28 agenda review, Chair Pete Wildeboer made a motion to uphold the disciplinary letter he sent to Perry on April 7; all board members but Perry and Tim Merrick, who was censured by the same board for policy violations in April 2025, supported the action.
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Tuesday was Perry’s second time having committee assignments revoked; in August 2025, he was disciplined for disclosing closed session information to a parent.
The recent letter states Perry “blatantly violated” the board’s code of ethics and several policies, including 2127 on board member technology use and 7300 on staff responsibilities, on several occasions where he disparaged board members, particularly Pat Bradford.
Earlier this month, Perry posted to the New Hanover Educational Justice page calling Bradford a “vindictive b***ch.” This came after Bradford revealed in an April 1 board meeting that Perry had texted her offering his vote in support of allowing a partnership with the Bible-study group LifeWise in exchange for her vote in favor of his employee retention committee.
Perry later posted to social media that the board’s four Republicans (Perry recently switched to the Libertarian Party) are the most “unprincipled, deceitful, hypocritical, and vindictive people” he’s worked with, likening them to the “Pharisees of old” in reference to the Biblical figures that opposed Jesus Christ. He wrote Wildeboer, Bradford, Josie Barnhart and Melissa Mason’s faith was “for show.”
Almost a week later, posted to his Facebook apologizing for “referring to Pat Bradford as a vindictive b***ch” and said he should not have used profanity when discussing his “low opinion of her character.”
Wildeboer’s disciplinary letter also claims Perry made disparaging remarks to district leadership in a March 31 meeting, though doesn’t specify what was said.
The letter states Perry would be removed from his committee assignments from April 7 to July 7; however, Wildeboer didn’t have the authority to unilaterally impose the punishment, for which he apologized at Tuesday’s meeting.
Wildeboer said he forgot the board changed policy 2210, outlining his duties as chair, to require a full board vote to censure a board member or remove them from committees. Wildeboer said the letter’s dates would be updated following the board’s vote on Tuesday.
Before the vote, Perry asked to read a statement and double downed, saying he stands by the “essence” of his social media statements. He added that he made a “peace offering” to Wildeboer, saying he’d publicly apologize for his actions if Bradford apologized for her April 1 statements and all the Republicans publicly admit they should have heard Perry out before voting to change his retention committee to an advisory function.
Though Perry asked not to be interrupted, he was cut off when he began discussing interactions with Bradford from 2022. Perry’s full statement indicated Bradford never forgave him and is now his “political enemy” after a misunderstanding and falling out over Perry’s New Hanover County Republican Liberty Caucus’ failure to endorse her.
Bradford told Port City Daily Perry’s description was incorrect and she never sought the endorsement of the caucus.
On Tuesday, though, it was Merrick who objected to the matter being broached.
“I did not want to interrupt, but this is going into history that has nothing to do with this letter,” Merrick said at the meeting. “It is not about what we’re doing today, and it’s just dragging up the past in a way that continues to create division.”
Merrick became the lone dissenter in Perry’s discipline. He told Port City Daily Wednesday he knew the move would pass but voted against because he doesn’t see the revocation of committee assignments as an effective tool to create collaboration.
“My vote leaves Mr. Perry with at least one colleague on the board willing to work with him to create teamwork,” Merrick wrote in a text to Port City Daily. “Isolating him is not likely to promote more cohesion on the board.”
In the meeting, Perry apologized again for using profanity in his comments about Bradford; he also made an apology to Wildeboer for naming him as a Pharisee.
“It is no secret that the local Republican Party establishment has hated me for quite some time, did what they could behind the scenes to see that I was not elected, and for the last 18 months have been doing what they can to bring me down,” Perry said. “And I believe that includes pressuring the other three Republicans on this board to do what they could to disgrace me and make sure that I am unsuccessful. And they have.
However, I don’t believe Mr. Wildeboer was ever motivated to act in this manner towards me. My only critique of him is that he has often (but not always) seemingly gone along with his fellow Republicans out of a sense of loyalty.”
Barnhart objected to this part of the statement, but she was overruled by Wildeboer, who allowed Perry to continue.
Perry concluded preferring a formal censure. Censures do not come with any consequences, but serve a formal rebuke of one board member’s actions. Perry claimed a revocation of committee assignments was a violation of his right to free speech and would circumvent voter’s will for his participation in board processes.
After Perry’s speech, Bradford tried to include an addendum to the chair’s letter, which requested Perry’s committee revocation be prolonged to four months based on several other alleged incidents of policy violations.
Bradford cited social media comments Perry made in October 2025 allegedly disrespecting the organization 100 Black Men. Bradford also included in her grievance Perry’s social media comment on her April 3 post.
Bradford posted: “Watchword for Good Friday — For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life. John 3:16.”
Perry responded: “8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.” (I John 1:8-10).”
Bradford also cites “disparaging” comments Perry made on April 9 regarding a new charter school and its named headmaster, referring to former NHCS superintendent Charles Foust.
Bradford claimed the statements exhibit a pattern of policy-breaking behavior. Thus, Perry is not a good role model for NHCS children and has not “faithfully discharged his duties.”
In conversation with Port City Daily Wednesday, Bradford said she sent the addendum to Chair Wildeboer and Vice Chair Mason on April 27, when the letter is dated. She said Wildeboer did not provide the addendum to the full board until minutes before Tuesday’s meeting.
Bradford also provided a statement about the addendum and its failure to gain support at the meeting:
“I am not angry, or holding offense, my concern now, as has been from his first weeks in office are over this board member’s continued pattern of poor control of himself. This is not new, it is a systemic pattern. His first round of discipline at the start of his term came when, without a public announcement, the then chairman removed him in 2024 from his freshman assignment to be policy chair, even before the policy committee had met. The lack of self-control and poor judgment continued immediately. Four months later, she removed him from all committee assignments for a period of four months.
“No one is perfect; however, elected officials should maintain consistent integrity, sound judgment, and self-control.
“I did expect stronger disciplinary action for this board member on Tuesday for these latest poor choices; I was under the impression that at least five or more board members felt the same. Fairness requires that our discipline scale remain balanced.”
Port City Daily asked Wildeboer why he did not share the addendum with the full board sooner but did not receive a response by press.
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