Editors note: Port City Daily reached out to all nine Wilmington City Council candidates for responses to the same eight questions. You can find a full list of candidate interviews, with links, at the end of this article
With all the growth happening in the City of Wilmington and the announcement of new major developments, what do you think is the best way to accommodate the new residents, without paving over every bit of green space in the city?
Every 10-or-so years, the city reviews every line on every page of its 490-page land use plan. As it turns out, this coming year is that time. It is crucial for us to ensure that we have the ability in that document to treat each project individually and to reject plans, even “for cause” if necessary. That is done by using “special use” permitting over one-size-fits-all prescriptions that can be met and yet still result in bad projects. See the Aspen Heights development at S.Kerr and Randall Parkway as an example.
In addition, we need more people on council who do not make their living selling real estate. Currently, a majority, four, are realtors, and a fifth is running. It’s nothing personal, and I’m not imputing anything corrupt, but human nature being what it is, I believe the council would benefit from a little more balance in its membership.
How can the City of Wilmington help alleviate traffic concerns, specifically on major roadways that are already overburdened?
There are plans – albeit long in execution – for our busiest roads to be upgraded and modernized. We are at the mercy of the state, of course, for this because our busiest byways are state maintained. Overpasses, widening projects, and completion of the outer loop are all in the works. Patience is necessary, as is trying to locate yourself close to what it is you do most frequently on a day-to-day basis. We have entered a growth cycle unlike anything Wilmington has known, perhaps ever. We have to be diligent about ensuring the natural beauty and livability our city has known is retained.
What are your goals you hope to achieve if elected to office?
The three overarching priorities for any municipal government are safety, growth, and quality of life, in that order. Without safety, there can be no growth, and without growth, no quality. Half of the city budget goes for police and fire services. That’s for safety. We cannot take our eyes off that ever.
Growth comes in two forms: population and economic. We are in the driver’s seat as people show they want to move to Wilmington. It allows us to be in the enviable position of managing rather than grovelling for more citizens. We need to do that selectively, meaning through stricter land use regulation. Economically, we must encourage business formation, preferably with global access and local control. Along with that needs to be a vital environment for young people to enjoy so that Wilmington will be a welcoming place for small business startup.
Quality of life spans everything from green space, to clean air and water, to maintenance of our historic heritage, to affordable housing, to transit, all of which, and more, make our city liveable the object of its citizen’s affection.
My specific interests, listed here briefly, are promoting the formation and resiliency of families, addressing opiate abuse, following through on GenX matters, establishing short term rental policy, reinstating Wilmywood, planting trees aggressively, working for local control of drone usage, employing the new Social Science Applied Research Center at UNCW to annually survey citizens about their priorities and values, secure bike path safety improvements, jealously guard the AAA credit rating, propose a sister city relationship with Charleston, support the rail relocation plan, and be a responsible steward of our precious oceanside legacy.
What are your three biggest concerns with the City of Wilmington, and how do you plan to address them?
Keeping our “sense of place” intact, even as we grow and develop. It will require exquisite use of our building and zoning policy. Each project that arises will have to be examined with its long-term impact in mind. We are already 85-90 percent developed, what space there is remaining must be treated as the unique place it is. We are reviewing our land use rules now and through next year. They must be strict enough to ensure our livability as a community. Too many of our neighbors are innocently born into disadvantage, often without the benefit of two active parents. The disintegration of the family unit in America is to my mind, the most serious social problem we face. Its effects are traceable to or near the roots of our most chronic problems. Our council today by policy allots half of 1 percent of its budget to nonprofits. I think we should double that, which would take us to more than $1.2 million. Every choice I’m faced with in office will pass through my “family filter,” which simply asks, “Is this good for families, and can it be made better for them?”
Drones aren’t getting much attention yet, and for good reason. There aren’t many. But within the span of the next four years, that will no longer be the case. There is an entire industry champing at the bit to fill our Carolina Blue skies with flying swarms of pilotless aircraft. Drone policy is held exclusively by the federal government. My concern is about commercial delivery and the proliferation of drones delivering packages for the likes of FedEX, UPS and Amazon. I believe when it comes to commercial delivery services, municipalities should have authority to dictate how, when, where, and if they are deployed. It is a potential nightmare.
What is your opinion on the opioid epidemic? How can city leaders not only address the issue (because it has been talked about at length) but take some sort of action against the crisis?
One reason to increase the city’s contribution to nonprofits is to help address the opiate problem. No victim, family, or government budgets for a crisis like this, so it is up to us to do our fair share. Most people rightly view the obligation to rest primarily with Washington because of the breadth of the epidemic. I’m sure that will be done to some extent, but locally we’ll need to help. Victims are burdening our police, fire and EMS systems every day. We need to help–even if partially–get some of those people treatment beyond naloxone.
What do you do professionally, would there be any conflict of interest with you serving the City of Wilmington?
Although I do not feel “retired,” my time is my own. My two careers in restaurants and broadcast journalism served me well, but are no longer active. I have no pecuniary conflicts. I have never sold real estate for a living, which is something that concerns me about our current council membership, as a majority (4) actively do now, and a fifth is running.
What previous experience do you have in serving the public if any?
In one way I feel as though my career(s) have been nothing but public service. Neither restaurants nor newsrooms would exist without the public and successful interaction with it. As a reporter, I covered the City Council, the County Commission, the hospital, the Board of Education and the airport authority. That beat prepared me for this next assignment. If by public service, you mean elective office, I have none.
Given the concerns with GenX, do you think it is time to reevaluate how the CFPUA Board is appointed?
No. Neither the process of selection of the members nor the board itself dumped GenX into the Cape Fear River. I believe the board’s actions to date, including this week’s filing of a lawsuit against Chemours shows its mindset and its intent to follow with deliberate speed to egregious behaviors.
You can find the full list of Wilmington City Council candidate interview below:
