SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Some residents have taken issue with a recent appointment to Brunswick County’s Board of Adjustment, stating it represents a pattern of inadequate public involvement in government decisions. In a neighboring city, a Wilmington citizen opposed the recent reappointment of a regional business leader to the city’s board for similar reasons.
READ MORE: Brunswick residents argue planning board has too much authority
ALSO: Wilmington council member raises concerns over Rivenbark exceeding term limit on CFPUA board
Brunswick County commissioners appointed Greg Tharrington to the board of adjustment at the Monday meeting. It came with little discussion, other than Commissioner Frank Williams advocating for him before a unanimous vote was taken.
The board of adjustment is a quasi-judicial body charged with granting variances, interpreting zoning boundary lines, special use permits, and appeals of zoning decisions. It includes eight members appointed by commissioners.
Tharrington will fill a new alternate position created by a unified development ordinance text amendment. Port City Daily asked the county who is currently on the board of adjustments and why the new position was created but did not receive a response by press.
Eight residents submitted applications for the position; Williams recommended Tharrington — who served on Nash County’s board of adjustments for 12 years — after hearing positive reviews of his performance from public officials in the county, he said.
Tharrington is a regional manager of facilities at First National Bank and former president of the Rocky Mount Home Builders Association. Williams said he spoke to Tharrington for the first time the day of the meeting.
Software designer and wetlands preservation activist Ash Ramos also applied for the adjustment board position. She told Port City Daily she didn’t expect to be chosen but was disappointed by limited consideration of other candidates.
“There’s no email, phone call, no interview process,” she said. “There’s no real vetting. I remember doing the application and thinking it was lackluster. It took me 15 seconds to fill out but really had nothing to do with the board I was applying for. Whatever led Frank Williams to choose Tharrington, he did his own research, or someone influenced him.”
Brunswick County advertises open board and committee positions on its website and encourages residents to apply for appointments to open positions; current vacancies include the county’s Health and Human Services Advisory Board and Local Emergency Planning Committee.
Ramos advocates greater representation of environmentalists on county boards. The county doesn’t list its members on the board of adjustments on its website and did not respond by press on who sits on it currently. Appointed planning board members include Medlin Construction owner Ron Medlin, real estate broker Clifton Cheek, attorney Joy Peale Easley, former Brunswick GOP chair Richard Leary, and Brunswick Habitat for Humanity president and Mulch & More manager Jason Gaver.
Ramos argued the planning board has too many appointees in the development and real estate industries. She noted planning board members have donated to commissioners who selected them, and commissioners receive large donations from developers.
Christie Marek, founder of Brunswick County Conservation Partnership, similarly told Port City Daily she believes appointment decisions need more public input.
The outlet also reached out to Brunswick County commissioners regarding residents’ requests for more public involvement and to request appointees with different backgrounds and fields of expertise. A response was not received by press.
Marek called for a development moratorium in August after flooding caused more than 900,000 gallons of wastewater to overflow in the county. She argued the county needed to freeze new projects until it could ensure infrastructure can sustain the county’s fast-paced development. A month later, Chair Randy Thompson proposed a residential development moratorium; commissioners agreed to study emergency staffing, flooding, and evacuation routes to determine if a moratorium should be implemented.
Tyler Newman is the president and CEO of Building Alliance for a Sound Economy, an influential business association representing prominent developers and real estate professionals in Brunswick and New Hanover counties. His organization raised concerns about the possibility of Brunswick County’s development moratorium in its October government affairs report:
“Thanks to Commissioners Frank Williams, Mike Forte, and Marty Cooke, instead of rushing into a moratorium, the county staff was tasked with gathering data, conducting research, and presenting alternative options at the second October meeting. BASE and our allies, representing the regional business community, will continue to work on this issue in the coming weeks. In summary, Brunswick County faces significant legal and practical hurdles in implementing a residential moratorium.”
The Brunswick Home Builders Association cites BASE as its primary legislative liaison. Brunswick HBA’s president Jason Helms is project manager for Ron Medlin Homes, owned by Brunswick County planning board member Ron Medlin.
First National Bank — where the new board of adjustment appointee, Tharrington, is a regional manager — is one of the Brunswick Home Builder Association’s seven “platinum” sponsors. The lobby group also includes First National Bank employees on its board of directors and in its elected secretary position.
Newman credited the Business Alliance for a Sound Economy’s influence for stopping Brunswick County’s proposed impact fee increases in June 2023. BASE’s board of directors includes Trusst Builder Group owner Shawn Horton and Bill Clark Homes partner Heath Clark. Both companies are involved in the roughly 5,993 unit Brunswick Forest development; the project’s master plan anticipates around 12,642 homes at completion.
He also has served on Wilmington’s board of adjustment for one three year appointment and is the former special assistant to the city manager.
Wilmington City Council voted to reappoint Newman at its August meeting. Before the vote, council member Salette Andrews requested to postpone appointments for Newman and a planning board candidate after hearing concerns from the public.
Before the meeting, Wilmington resident Robert Keith sent an email to council members opposing Newman’s reappointment. He argued Newman’s business associations with prominent local development and real estate professionals present a conflict of interest.
“Mr. Newman is President & CEO of Business Alliance for a Sound Economy which advocates for the real estate industry,” he wrote. “His Board of Directors includes 13 real estate developers or builders. Based on this fact alone, I do not believe he could remain impartial when considering a variance request from any companies related to his board members.”
Newman’s board application included two BASE directors — Hill Rogers of Cameron Management and Sam Franck of Ward & Smith — as local personal references. His third reference was development attorney Amy Schaeffer of Lee Kaess; Sen. Michael Lee (R-New Hanover) is a cofounder of the firm. Keith cited Newman’s vote in favor of a variance request for former BASE chairman Dave Spetrino in March 2023 as an example of a decision Newman should have recused himself from.
Newman told Port City Daily he hasn’t had a financial interest in any of the cases before the board of adjustments and seeks to represent the best interests of the City of Wilmington. He added his organization seeks broad collaboration with other groups to improve business and investment in the region.
“Real estate, building and development make up a huge part of our region’s economy, so those industry leaders and their issues inform some of the topics on our agenda,” he wrote in an email. “But, as an organization, we take a wider, regional approach. Our north star is making sure the region has the jobs, housing and infrastructure to facilitate continued growth and investment.”
Newman thanked council members for his reappointment in an August email. He noted the board of adjustment’s unique role as a quasi-judicial body without staff recommendations or ex parte communications with applicants.
“As always, I will continue to encourage other citizens to fill out applications and volunteer their time and professional expertise on Wilmington’s Boards and Commissions,” he wrote.
Andrews previously raised concerns about inadequate public notice and involvement in public appointment decisions during council’s June meeting. She raised a motion to replace council member Charlie Rivenbark from the Cape Fear Public Utilities Authority board due to serving five consecutive three-year terms; the utility’s bylaws set term limits at three consecutive appointments.
Wilmington advertises board openings on its website and candidates are selected for recommendation by a three-member appointment committee — composed of Rivenbark, Andrews, and council member Luke Waddell — in monthly meetings. Although committee meetings are public, Andrews argues they are insufficiently advertised and dissenting opinions aren’t given adequate consideration alongside recommendations to council.
Alternatively, council member Luke Waddell said he was unaware of concerns about limited public input and regularly posts vacancies to his newsletter.
“I’m asking our council and board of commissioners to better publicize upcoming openings so more citizens know what opportunities are out there,” Wilmington resident Keith told Port City Daily Wednesday.
He cited excessive real estate and development industry representation in his opposition to the appointment of a second candidate, Streamline Development owner Livian Jones to the planning board. Jones’ application cited involvement with Business Alliance for a Sound Economy and her references include Sen. Michael Lee, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce CEO Natalie English, and McColl & Associates owner Louise McColl.
“While I understand that technical expertise can be valuable on the commission and do not doubt that Ms. Jones is qualified,” Keith wrote in an email to council, “It is my opinion that we should strive for more diversity of professional experience on our Planning Commission. There were multiple applications submitted for this position and I would hope there may be other qualified candidates with no direct affiliation to the real estate industry.”
Andrews was the lone dissent in council’s 6-1 to approve appointments of Jones and Newman, as well as the reappointment of Rivenbark to CFPUA’s board, and appointments to eight other city boards and committees at the August meeting.
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