CAROLINA BEACH — Over the last few months, Port City Daily has been publishing individual candidate interviews so readers know where they stand on local issues facing the greater Cape Fear region.
Most Carolina Beach Town Council candidates responded to PCD’s request to address items of interest, from stormwater flooding to development practices and the town’s parking policy, among other topics. Below, readers will find all interviews in one place to refer to ahead of going to the polls on election day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.
2021’s Carolina Beach Town Council election will have two seats open: JoDan Garza and Steve Shuttleworth are not seeking re-election.
Mayor Leanne Pierce will not seek re-election (instead, she will be running for New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in 2022). The mayoral race has current CB councilman Lynn Barbee running against former council member and mayor Dan Wilcox.
Municipal elections are nonpartisan, and though they traditionally garner less interest compared to even-numbered election years, these elections can be more impactful to the immediate and local decisions made in one’s home region. The last municipal election in 2019 returned 19.22% (18,292 out of 95,154) of voters casting ballots in New Hanover County. In Carolina Beach, 1,904 people cast a ballot for mayor, while 3,518 voted for council.
Early voting closes Saturday, Oct. 30. There is not a voter ID requirement in the 2021 election, but before heading to the polls Tuesday, readers should run down the voter checklist to:
- Determine if you’re registered to vote at your current address.
- Find out if voter registration is inactive or not current. Only registered voters can vote on Nov. 2 and voter registration is allowed up to 25 days ahead of an election. Early voting allows everyone to vote, regardless of registration.
- Check out a sample ballot ahead of time (after searching and finding your name, scroll halfway down the page to access your sample ballot).
Other questions and answers can be found on the N.C. State Board of Elections page.
Port City Daily dropped the paywall on the below interviews to help voters make informed decisions ahead of the 2021 election year. Still, we appreciate your support of local, independent journalism, which can be accessed through a monthly subscription. Sign up for Port City Daily’s free newsletter, Wilmington Wire, here to receive the daily headlines in your inbox every morning.
All candidates’ responses are printed in full and only edited for grammatical and spelling errors.
Carolina Beach Mayoral Candidates
Lynn Barbee
Dan Wilcox
Dan Wilcox did not respond to Port City Daily’s numerous requests to answer the questionnaire.
Carolina Beach Town Council Candidates
Joe Benson
Joe Benson did not respond to Port City Daily’s numerous requests to answer the questionnaire.
Matt Dunn
Mike Hoffer
Deb LeCompte
Vince Losito
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