CAROLINA BEACH — Candidates running for seats on the council and the mayor’s office convened at the Marriott in Carolina Beach Monday night to address Carolina Beach’s most pressing issues.
Many of the questions centered around the town’s growth, and how key issues should be handled within that growth — when the lake dredge project will be completed, the need of a 3-million-gallon water tank, flooding on Canal Drive, more parking spaces and a more efficient system to handle those spaces, rising utility costs, needed infrastructure projects, and requirements for developers on new construction projects.
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One of the most pressing issues of the night concerned the town’s handling of its finances; specifically, how each candidate would rectify the general fund’s decline over the past three years. Another was the hiring of a new town manager, and what can be done to steady a position that has been rotating too frequently over the past decade.
Hosted by Port City Daily’s Michael Praats and Island Gazette’s Willard Killough, Monday night’s forum included candidates vying for the mayor’s seat (Tom Elicson, LeAnn Pierce, T.D. Scaringi, and Dorrene Stanley) as well as for town council (Steve Shuttleworth, Lynn Barbee, Deb DiNatale, and Jay Healy).
Below you’ll find eight videos — four of the mayor’s forum, four of the council forum — showing the candidates’ platforms and their plans to address the town’s most significant problems.
Mayor candidates
What makes you a qualified candidate?
Over the past three years the general fund balance has been declining. What would you do to rectify that situation while continuing to provide services to residents?
Is the town’s Parks & Rec department doing enough with things like events and parks to stay competitive with Wilmington and surrounding areas?
What will be your top priorities if you win the mayor’s seat this November?
Council candidates
What makes you a qualified candidate?
Should we wait until after elections to hire a new town manager?
What can be done to address the affordable housing issue on the island?
Should there be more enforcement, less enforcement, or an outright ban of golf carts on the island?
Mark Darrough can be reached at Mark@Localvoicemedia.com or (970) 413-3815
