KURE BEACH — Come November, there will be a new mayor in Kure Beach, and on Wednesday night the two candidates running for the spot met to answer questions during the Visions and Views Political Forum held by The Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce.
Current Mayor of Kure Beach Emilie Swearingen has decided not to run for reelection, instead, she is running for Town Council.
The Candidates
Craig Bloszinsky is the current mayor pro tem and has served on council for four years. He has lived in Kure Beach since 2011 and beaches are one of his biggest areas of focus.
Chris Hald has lived in Kure Beach for four years and he has no background in politics but would like to help keep taxes down.
The Issues
Smoking on the beach
The issue of smoking on the beach was the first question of the night, and if the town should ban smoking on the beach. Bloszinsky said he does not think it is the government’s place to ban it.
Hald also said the town should not ban smoking on the beach, although he was not supportive of residents smoking on the beach.
Preserving the 35-foot height limit for town buildings
Both candidates supported the 35-foot height limit for buildings in Kure Beach.
Should the town dictate private construction
“I don’t think we should tell people what they can do with their property … that being said we do need to have a strong Planning and Zoning Board,” Bloszinsky said.
For Hald, instead of taking $5 million for a fire department, he said he would like to see the town buy some of the vacant lots and let nature take them over. He said it would help with windbreaks.
Maintaining affordable taxes
To help maintain affordable taxes for long-term residents, Bloszinsky said increasing the tax base is something that needs to be looked at. He also said that short-term rentals such as AirBnB do not always pay taxes that help the town maintain a strong tax base.
Opioid Epidemic
The opioid epidemic has hit the Cape Fear region particularly hard, the candidates weighed in on the subject in their town.
Hald said he thinks having a needle exchange, as well as education, would be helpful to curb the opioid epidemic. He also suggests the police department work with youth to help them prevent drug use.
For Bloszinsky, a stronger police force is something he thinks will help the epidemic.
“I think the best solution for the problems are a strong police department so that we make it an unfavorable place for these people to do their business … we need to make it a very difficult place to survive if you are going to push drugs,” Bloszinsky said.
Paid Parking
Neither of the candidates supported the idea of having paid parking in the Town.
“I don’t think it will work out,” Hald said
“I have come to the point that says I am no longer in favor of paid parking,” Bloszinsky said.
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