PENDER COUNTY — Fifteen Pender County candidates vying for multiple seats in Congress, among commissioners, judges, and superior clerks of court gathered Thursday to answer voters’ questions ahead of the election.
Several dozen community members attended the The Greater Topsail Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Candidates’ Night to inquire about the controversy over the vacant seat on the board of commissioners, funding for Pender County schools, unifying the county, and court employees’ use of confidential content.
The event was moderated by the chamber’s executive director, Tammy Proctor, who told Port City Daily the chamber has conducted several candidate forums throughout the years.
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“We do not make endorsements,” Proctor clarified. “However, we do feel the public needs a forum to hear from the candidates, either face-to-face or virtually.”
The event lasted nearly two hours with panels separated by candidate positions — each asked to give an introduction and explain to the community why they should vote for them. Proctor also read aloud community questions submitted on note cards by attendees. Some groups received more than others, and none of the questions were addressed to judges.
Most questions centered around a single theme: unity. Commissioners were asked how they would unify the two sides of the county while congressional candidates were asked about bringing together splintered political parties.
While most of the forum consisted of candidates highlighting their platforms, a few used it as an opportunity to address ongoing controversies. In particular, commissioners were asked about the contested District 1 appointment of Beth Burns, while Clerk of Superior Court candidate Brenda Tucker addressed running as a write-in candidate after her daughter — incumbent Elizabeth Craver — lost the primary.
Pender County Board of Commissioners
Five of the six commissioner candidates on November’s ballot attended the forum, including Tim Zizack (Democratic) for the District 1 seat, though his opponent, Republican Shayne Frey, did not attend. Ryan Collins (Republican) and Brookey Hardee (Democratic) were there representing the District 2 seat.
However, even people who don’t have challengers were included in the forum: Republican Andy Devane running unopposed for District 3 and incumbent Republican Jimmy Tate, unopposed for the District 4 seat.
Commissioner hopefuls were asked several audience questions regarding school funding and how to connect East and West Pender County — West Pender is a more rural area as East Pender is facing rapid development.
Additionally, candidates were faced with the District 1 vacant seat controversy that has resulted in school board member Burns’ commissioner appointment being thwarted for a month now. Burns was appointed by the Pender County GOP Executive Committee in a one-point vote against current candidate Frey; the appointee would only be in place until December, taking over from the previous District 1 Commissioner Brad George, who stepped down in August.
Proctor joked as the controversy was broached: “This next question is the bombshell of the night: What is your opinion on Beth Burns being selected as county commissioner?”
While candidates did not always see eye-to-eye Thursday night, all five were in agreement: Burns should be sworn in.
Zizack called the delay an “embarrassment” and “another tarnish on the board.” The sitting commissioners tabled it in August and then two of four didn’t show up to make a quorum and vote on it last week. Devane called for Burns to be seated at the next meeting.
“It’s just games,” Collins said. “That is what is getting played. It’s just games. When you have politics of personal grievances taking over how a county is run, how campaigning is run, when anger is the thing that is driving you to do it — you have failed.”
Hardee emphasized following the democratic process: “And when democracy works and votes are counted and someone wins, that person gets that seat. Bottom line.”
Commissioner Tate defended his actions to date, as he attempted to add Burns appointment to the Sept. 21 meeting for a vote, though his colleagues Chair Randy Burton and Commissioner Jerry Groves (both of whom won’t be seated after December) skipped the meeting, which had to be canceled due to lacking a quorum.
“I think I made that motion one time, two times and asked for it for a third time,” Tate said. “My opinion is very clear: The party has spoken and we need to honor it.”
Unifying Pender County’s east and west sides
Commissioners were asked how they would work to bridge the gap and unify the county. East Pender has experienced fast growth, with towns like Hampstead having a 48.31% population increase since the 2020 U.S. Census. By comparison, in rural west Pender many residents still struggle to access water as Pender Utilities only serves 15% of the county.
Collins said the two sides of the nearly 900-square-mile county — with over 72,000 residents — have been volleying back and forth for years on concerns of representation by the board of commissioners.
In March 2026, Commissioner Brent Springer tried to initiate the redrawing of district lines, though failed to gain support. The goal of the new districts was to rebalance the county’s five, which have unequal population distribution.
The push to redistrict appears to have reached an impasse as the county needs to use either 2020 or 2030 Census data when redistricting. Due to the 2030 Census being four years away, maps using 2020 information would be outdated by the time they were implemented.
District 1 – the Hampstead area which has seen a population increase of 48.31% since the 2020 census — currently has approximately 15,532 residents. By comparison, District 5 — made up of the rural western portion of Pender’s population — has 6,885 residents.
This was the second time in three months a push had been made to rebalance voting districts which have been in place since 2012.Tate then put forward a motion to study electoral districts and a potential voter referendum for electoral districts but it failed in a 3-2 vote.
“Both sides are trying to figure out how to get their needs taken care of, and they don’t feel like somebody’s listening,” Collins said Thursday night. “And so, is this an east-west divide or is it just we’ve had a few years of commissioners that just were not listening to them?”
Devane called for “like-minded people” to come together and assess the needs of the entire county, not just the east or the west.
Hardee, who lives in eastern Pender County, said the most vital part of creating unity is by getting involved. She stressed the point she visits both sides of the county.
“I do believe that if we all come together, we can actually build a strong community,” Hardee said.
Tate, who has a family farm on the west side of the county, said he travels to the east side to attend church and tries to remain engaged no matter the district he’s in.
“And I think that’s what the commissioners can do is build upon that and not make that divide even bigger,” he said.
Zizack vowed to make decisions “for a whole county,” prompting the same mentality to make up the board in December.
School funding
Community members brought up Pender County Schools and funding adequacy. Specifically, they asked how Pender would compete with other counties that offer teachers and bus drivers higher pay.
Collins believed in providing equitable wages and also pointed to the new K-8 school, J.H. Lea. The school is slated to open for the 2027-2028 school year and will enroll 2,312 students. He said if teacher wages are not assessed in comparison to surrounding districts to ensure equitable wages, then there will be new buildings and not enough teachers.
“I think one of the issues we’re going to have and challenge of that is that we’re gonna have to really look at what happens when the new K-8 comes on and to make sure that we’re properly funded for the growth interest that we’re going to need for those classrooms,” he said.
Devane backed teachers, calling them imperative since they’re “training the next generation for success.”
He said the school system needs support and commissioners need to work to understand the growth and planning needs of the district. Additionally, Devane added more funding options from a state and county level should be explored.
Hardee was shocked to find out New Hanover County spends almost double what Pender County spends per student. She said commissioners need to find a way to get schools the money they need.
According to the U.S. News, Pender County Schools spend $10,547 per student each year. New Hanover County Schools spends $13,672 per student each year. These funds include state, local and federal. 22% of Pender County School’s revenue comes from local funds as opposed to New Hanover’s 29.4%.
“We’ve got to bridge that gap for our teachers and our students,” Hardee said. “While that may make some people uncomfortable that we’re gonna have to pay more, the fact of the matter is that these students are our most valuable resources.”
Tate believed commissioners should look at supplements provided to teachers in Pender County and compare them to what teachers in surrounding counties get. He added commissioners should work with the General Assembly to better financially support teachers and schools so the county does not have to continuously dip into the fund balance to provide schools with money.
Pender County schools had a funding shortfall of $2.7 million and as a result were going to have to cut 21 positions. The board of education requested a joint meeting with commissioners where commissioners then agreed to provide $2.7 million from the fund balance to ensure no cuts were needed.
Like Hardee, Zizack referenced per-pupil spending and pointed to Pender being near the bottom: “That has to change and you’re not gonna get that change if you don’t fund it.”
District 7 House of Representatives
Maad Abu-Ghazalah (Libertarian) and Kimberly Hardy (Democratic) are running for House of Representatives District 7, which represents all or portions of eight counties including Pender. Currently, the seat is held by David Rouzer, who did not show up to the forum.
Abu-Ghazalah was born on Palestine’s West Bank and grew up in Saudi Arabia but moved to the United States when he was 17.
Hardy is a social work professor at Fayetteville State University and second vice chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party.
The pair received a single question from the audience: “How would you bridge the gap between the two parties if you’re elected?”
Abu-Ghazala didn’t believe the country’s biggest issue was due to political division: “I think we have to recognize that the biggest problems our country faces has nothing to do with left and right.”
He added the biggest problem the county faces is the control exerted by the “the donor class,” referring to wealthy individuals giving large sums of money to political parties — mentioning Jeffery Epstein specifically. Abu-Ghazala referred to the ultra-wealthy as the “Epstein class.”
“We should all recognize this common enemy, and the only way we’re going to beat these rich donors is if we unite as a people, regardless of what party,” Abu-Ghazala said.
Hardy answered: “What matters is, what are the issues on the table and how can we both bring very unique perspectives to those issues to find the best possible ways to help the most possible people. And so I don’t necessarily know that there is anything more than just having a conversation with people who are in those seats because the people elected them and they will represent those people. Go and you find common ground. No one has a monopoly or good ideas.”
Clerk of Superior Court
While only one candidate will appear on the November ballot for clerk of Superior Court, two are in the running.
Camille Costin Harrell won the Republican primary with 57.7% of the vote against Elizabeth Craver in March. Harrell has 13 years of experience working in the clerk’s office, including as an assistant clerk and interim clerk of court.
Brenda Tucker, Elizabeth Craver’s mother, is running as a write-in candidate. She worked in the New Hanover County court system for 28 years. Tucker was clerk of court for New Hanover County for two decades before announcing her retirement in 2010. On Thursday, Tucker addressed controversies about her candidacy.
“I’ve heard all the rumors about the reason that I’m running is because my desire is to win the election and then strategically step down and let my daughter, Elizabeth Craver, the current clerk, take my place,” Tucker said. “No, that’s not my plan. My plan is to run that office.”
Craver was indicted in 2024 on three counts of obtaining property by false pretenses. On Primary Election Day, a jury found Craver not guilty of using approximately $1,400 in county funds to purchase items for personal use — including a MacBook Air laptop, office chairs and a portable air conditioning unit. Craver was removed from her position as clerk briefly — from February to April 2024 — during her legal battle. She was reinstated that April after a judge ruled in a special hearing that Craver’s actions did not warrant a removal from her position. Harrell acted as interim clerk before stepping down amid Craver’s return.
While Tucker discussed the controversy over her running, both candidates also answered audience questions.
During the forum, candidates were asked about their stances on employees using confidential information.
“One of my priorities is to have an employee handbook in place, and we would have all those out in the open,” Harrell said. “We would share it among the staff and everybody would know exactly where we stand on that issue.”
Currently, Pender County District Court does not have its own employee handbook separate from North Carolina Judicial Branch policies.
Tucker pointed out guidelines are already in place for employees: “When you are hired as a member of the clerk’s office, you’re a member of the judicial branch. You are bound by — morality should bind you from not talking about what goes on in your place of business and personally, that should be anywhere.”
Tucker explained under her leadership the office would see stability she believes has been lacking over the last several years. She said the clerk’s office needs to be moved out of the political sphere and with her experience it can be done.
Harrell said if she were elected she would lead the office in a way to ensure accessibility, professionalism, a respectful environment and that it focuses on everyday people.
“The position of clerk of court belongs to the people of Pender County,” Harrell said. “It is not about one person or one family. It should be led by someone who puts service before self, listens to the community, treats everyone with respect.”
The midterm election will be held Nov. 3. Pender County residents can look up their sample ballots here.
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