KURE BEACH — There was standing room only for the second night of the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce’s Visions and Views 2017 Political Forum. The forum brought five candidates running for the Town of Kure Beach’s Town Council together to weigh in on issues facing their town.
There are two seats on the council up for grabs this year, with Mayor Pro Tem Craig Bloszinsky and Commissioner Jim Dugan both having terms expiring. Neither candidates are running for re-election for Town Council, instead, Bloszinsky is running for mayor, and current Mayor Emilie Swearingen is running for council.
Newcomers Allen Oliver, Lisa Lowery, Dolores Coe, John Ellen, and Jerry Dockery are also running for spots on the council. Lowery did not attend the forum.
The forum followed the same program schedule as the Carolina Beach Town Council forum on Tuesday night. Candidates were given an opportunity to introduce themselves followed by a chance to answer questions asked of each candidate equally, and finally a chance to ask one question directed at one opponent.
The Candidates
Dolores Coe serves on several charities throughout the island, she owns multiple properties in Kure Beach and says she is balanced in her decision making.
Jerry Dockery has lived in Kure Beach since 1949, while some have called him a one-issue candidate, but he believes that one issue is all it takes.
John Ellen has lived in Kure Beach for 12 years and graduated from NC State and spent several years in the Air Force. He currently serves as the chairman for the Planning Committee and serves on several other councils.
Allen Oliver has lived in Kure Beach for three years and moved here after retiring from working in local government, working with both parks and recreation as well as serving as a town manager.
Emilie Swearingen decided to run for Town Council after choosing not to run for mayor due to family reasons.
The Issues
Downtown development
When it comes to Kure Beach’s downtown development, the question was raised if there could be more business added, and how can downtown plan to develop. The business district in Kure Beach is relatively small and adding new developments
“Our downtown business district has grown since our last hurricane … they have rebuilt they are strong, there is room for more growth but it is going to mainly be up,” Dockery said.
There is a little bit of room you could put in new business, but in order to have a new business in the area, parking must be taken into account when adding new developments. Because of that, Ellen does not believe there is as much room as people think for new businesses.
35-foot height limit
Currently there is a 35-foot height limit for buildings in the town, the candidates overwhelmingly supported the current limit. While the limit has caused lenders to be skeptical of providing any funding for projects in fear of the limit not being viable.
“I support it and I don’t care who is inconvenienced by it,” Dockery said.
Traffic
Traffic is a concern with one main road leading in and out of Kure Beach being at full capacity during summer months.
Swearingen said one of the biggest issues in dealing with traffic concerns is working with Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point. She also said she hopes to work with WAVE Transit to potentially bring a shuttle to the island.
For Coe, offering incentives for golf carts and making the town more walkable would be a viable solution.
Dockery said he does not currently see a problem with traffic, but parking is going to become an issue. A longtime advocate for free street parking, Dockery said, “I think that day has ended.”
After a stint in D.C., Ellen felt that traffic was not as bad as others have claimed. His idea of gridlock is “seven or more pelicans in a row,” he said.
Oliver serves on the walking and bicycling committee and improving bicycle safety is one of its biggest issues.
Offshore Drilling
Much like the candidates at Carolina Beach, none of the candidates running for council in Kure Beach supported offshore drilling. Safety concerns as well as environmental impacts were the biggest reasons for the opposition.
Dogs on the beach
Currently, the town does not allow dogs on the beach during summer months, Ellen said. The current rules are due to health and safety concerns, he said. He does not support dogs on the beach during summer months.
Oliver also supported the current regulations and thinks the smart thing to do would be to leave it as it is and allow dogs on the beach in the cooler months.
Swearingen cited health concerns for her support of the current regulations. Not everybody cleans up after their dogs.
Coe said she thinks the current regulations in place are reasonable. Enforcement is one of the concerns she has.
Dockery was the lone candidate who supported changing the regulations to allow dogs on the beach.
Relationship with Carolina Beach and the possibility of consolidating the towns
The topic of unifying the two municipalities, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach caused some of the more heated of conversations. All of the candidates shared the opinion that Kure Beach is its own community, and that what the town does is for its residents, not its neighbors.
“My father is dead. When he was alive I wasn’t allowed to go to Carolina Beach,” – Jerry Dockery
“Don’t get me started with consolidation … if you want to talk about the differences between us you need to go talk to Carolina Beach first … we’re not doing anything just because Carolina Beach does it,” Swearingen said.
“My father is dead. When he was alive I wasn’t allowed to go to Carolina Beach,” Dockery said.
