Sunday, November 3, 2024

2024 Elections: Dan Kinney runs for district 2 commissioner seat in Pender County

Dan Kinney is running for district 2 Pender County Commissioners seat. (Courtesy photo)

PENDER COUNTY — Democrat Dan Kinney is campaigning for the Pender County Board of Commissioners this year, to serve the district 2 seat.

READ MORE: What to expect when voting in NC during the 2024 election season

Kinney spent 30 years as a casework supervisor for Pennsylvania’s Department of Public Welfare before moving to North Carolina. He worked for the New Hanover County Department of Social Services until retiring.

“I am seeking the Pender County Commissioner seat because the people of Pender County need representatives with no outside interests,” Kinney said. “Most local and state elected officials have full-time jobs that conflict with their duties to the taxpayers. I have no conflicts and am not controlled by developers, contractors or other businesses seeking approval for projects from the Board of Commissioners.”

Kinney is focused on new development, education and infrastructure as his top priorities. He faces off against Republican incumbent Randy Burton.

What Dan Kinney is…
• Listening to: Broadcast radio while driving: The Dude and WHQR. At home or while walking, anything country on Apple Tunes
• Watching: Evening news programs on MSNBC, local news on WECT, “The View,” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Currently streaming “Veronica Mars”
• Reading: Mostly news and periodicals: Digitally, The Wilmington StarNews, The New York Times and Topsail Post-Voice. Print editions of Mother Jones, Time Magazine, The Nation, Consumer Reports
Name something about yourself that readers would be surprised to learn:  I am a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and have spent many years serving on the boards of community and civic organizations, youth athletic groups as well as animal protection and humane societies.

Absentee ballots are already being mailed and early voting opens mid-October. Locations include:

  • Pender County Annex Building, 15060 U.S. Hwy 17, Hampstead
  • Cooperative Extension Annexation, 801 S. Walker St., Burgaw
  • Shiloh Volunteer Fire Department, 19170 U.S. Hwy 421, Watha 
  • Cape Fear Community College, 621 N.C. Hwy 210 E., Hampstead
  • Union Rescue Squad Building, 8590 N.C. Hwy 11, Willard

Voters will be able to cast ballots at any of the above places and even register to vote beforehand on Oct. 17-18, Oct. 21-25, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 20 and 26, and Nov. 2, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Election Day is Nov. 5, with polls opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 7:30 p.m. All voters will have to go to their precinct to cast a ballot, as shown on their voter registry.

An ID must be presented to cast a ballot in the election. Acceptable forms of ID include NC drivers license or state ID, U.S. passport, college or student university ID, some state employee IDs and out-of-state drivers license or ID, as long as voter registration was done within 90 days of the election. IDs not in good standing can be expired by one year or less.

Port City Daily has compiled candidate questionnaires so voters can read up on contenders’ stances before heading to the polls this election season. All answers have been edited only for clarity; the candidates’ opinions and statements are not a reflection of Port City Daily. 

The paywall is dropped on profiles to help voters make informed decisions ahead of the election.

Port City Daily: What are the top three items you’re campaigning on this season and why?

Dan Kinney: I am campaigning with fellow Democrats Jim Harris and Demetrice Keith with a ten- point common platform to deliver a government that residents can trust. The top three items or planks are: New Development; Infrastructure; Education. 

Development in Pender County has exploded in the eastern portion of the county while lagging in the west. Development has had an extremely adverse impact on traffic and safety, has stressed our public schools unable to adjust to the ever- increasing student population and affects flooding due to clear cutting to make way for more structures and pavement. 

 Infrastructure includes our roads which are primarily controlled by the state and federal government. Certainly, the County Commissioners can offer input to what happens with our roads and traffic. Why is Highway 17 in Pender County a virtual parking lot, while traffic flows along the same Highway in Brunswick County. What dis Brunswick County do right? What did Pender County do wrong? 

Responsibility for Education is shared between the County and the State. While the county provides the physical resources such as buildings, athletic fields and transportation, the state is responsible for teacher salaries. Our state legislators have stolen millions of dollars of public- school funds and given it away to subsidize private schools. North Carolina is in the bottom ten when it comes to teacher salaries. Our current commissioners are all Republicans and should be lobbying their Republican counterparts who hold a super-majority in the state house and senate to stop robbing our teachers and staff and restore the funds. In the meantime, the county and its taxpayers are forced to subsidize teacher salaries in order to attract and retain quality staff.

PCD: Name an issue you struggle to find a solution for that affects your district and how would you go about determining a path forward? If you have a personal anecdote to share that has helped guide you in deciding how to move forward, please, share.

DK: There are many that affect my district: traffic, flooding risks increased from clear cutting for development, a lack of public transportation are among them. However, I do struggle with one issue that the county can address – abandoned pets and the rate of euthanasia for unwanted pets. North Carolina is next to last of all the states putting animals down before they can be adopted. We cannot solve this problem overnight, but the county can begin to address the issue. I would like to explore options such as requiring licensing for pets, having a robust spay and neuter program allowing all county veterinarians to participate, expanding shelter facilities and partnering with national non-profits to place more animals rather than euthanize them.

PCD: With recent flooding experienced in Pender County homes and on roads from Tropical Storm Debby, there has been chatter among the current board of commissioners regarding clear-cutting and ways to prevent worse flooding, as development continuously grows. Amending the UDO has been considered and a tree ordinance has been floated; do you support either, why, and what else would you want to happen to balance development with current residents’ concerns and infrastructure needs?

DK: I would support a tree ordinance. I live in a subdivision which preserved trees rather than clear-cutting for development. Removing a tree without HOA approval results in a fine. It is well known that replacing trees and vegetation with concrete and asphalt increases flooding risks. The county is limited in what it can do as far as impact fees and control of development based on the real needs of current residents. The laws must change at the state level. Again, the commissioners can and should be raising their voices and lobby the legislature for change. 

PCD: According to the North Carolina Housing Coalition’s 2024 Housing Need Survey, 49% of renters and 21% of homeowners in Pender County are cost-burdened. What new policies or strategies would you advocate for to encourage affordable housing in the county?

DK: Elect Kamala Harris and support her proposal to help first time homebuyers with $25,000 down payment assistance as well as her plan to construct millions of affordable housing units over four years. Allow the county commissioners the legal authority to impose impact fees on developers and require new subdivisions to include affordable units. But this will only happen with legislation.

PCD: Recently, it’s become known that a public housing development, Seven Oaks, in Pender County has experienced residents complaints for at least two years about mold, but they say it went unaddressed. What do you think should be done to prevent a situation like this occurring in the future and should Pender County also harbor some of this responsibility? Explain. Do you think there should be more oversight into the housing authority? How, if so?

DK: I must admit that I am unfamiliar with the Seven Oaks Community and its issues with mold. I was familiar with public housing issues when I resided in Pennsylvania and would apply that experience in dealing with this issue. I need to learn more.

This is also an example of why we need to change the way we conduct the election of commissioners. commissioners should be selected by the voters in the districts they will represent, not countywide, so they can attend to the needs of their district, like Seven Oaks.

PCD: Do you think schools are adequately funded? Where might it be lacking and how do you think the commissioners should address this shortage?

DK: Of course, funding is inadequate. If the county could impose impact fees on housing developers or if the state legislature would stop giving away millions of dollars to private schools, we could have adequate funding. The parents of Pender County public school students must raise their voices and shout their concern to our state legislators who can truly address this problem.

PCD: PFAS and 1,4-dioxane contamination in the region has been a major concern for residents in recent years. Would you advocate the county to lobby for any specific legislation or regulation on this issue, such as the Department of Environmental Quality’s proposals to enact surface and groundwater standards for eight PFAS compounds? Would you support efforts to expand local authority of environmental regulation, or advocate any other county action on this issue?

DK: My family has a reverse osmosis system for our drinking water in our kitchen and 2 baths paid for by Chemours because Dupont polluted the Cape Fear River and related aquifers, and our well water. This is inadequate. Chemours should be paying for whole house systems for every resident in Pender County. Polluters must pay and they must stop polluting!

PCD: Pender approved a $42,000 lobbying contract this year to advocate for issues including the construction of a new law enforcement center and PFAS regulation. Would you seek to amend or reprioritize Pender County’s lobbying efforts? How?

DK: I find it ironic that all Pender County Commissioners are Republican, and they approved a $42,000 contract to lobby a Republican supermajority in the North Carolina House and Senate, when all it would take was a phone call. Giving money to a lobbyist is simply awarding friends some gravy.

PCD: What would you like to see the county do to further economic development and draw in businesses to the region? Are you a proponent of incentives? Explain.

DK: The county must act on the solar farm proposed in the western part of the county which would mean real jobs as well as clean solar energy. Our neighboring counties have approved this. Why are our commissioners dragging their heels?

PCD: Take us through your process to decide whether taxes should be increased on constituents and what plays into that decision for you.

DK: There is no need for tax increases if the state kicks in its fair share for our schools rather than giving away millions to private schools. Taxes would be more equitable if our Republican Insurance Commissioner would stop allowing obscene rate increases for homeowners’ insurance. 


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Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

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