WILMINGTON — It’s an election year for Wilmington City Council and one local is seeking one of three seats to be filled.
ALSO: 2024 Elections: Cassidy Santaguida seeks seat on NHC Board of Commissioners
Cassidy Santaguida announced her candidacy Monday.
“Wilmington needs leaders with vision and compassion who understand innovation, opportunity, and smart planning,” she wrote in her announcement. “Working together, we can build a more connected community and a more prosperous future for everyone.”
Santaguida, a Democrat, noted her campaign will focus on prioritizing sustainable growth, strengthening the local economy via workforce development, and improving traffic and safety concerns in the transportation network.
“As we grow, it’s important that we set up future generations for success by investing in our infrastructure and building a resilient community,” Sanatguida told Port City Daily. “In practice, this means working with public, non-profit, and private partners to incorporate housing and development projects that vary in densities, uses, and price points while respecting and celebrating our tree canopy and natural environment.”
She applauds the current city council for working to improve infrastructure and pointed to the Fifth Avenue project of including bike lanes as an example.
With the workforce, Santaguida believes in investing in educational opportunities that help elevate one’s skillset. She also recognizes the importance of public transit more than ever in a growing city but believes there is work that must be done
“Numerous sidewalks terminate suddenly, posing a safety risk for pedestrians,” she said. “The way that we begin to alleviate traffic issues and make our city safer is to update our transportation networks and invest in public transit.”
The candidate’s run comes after an election bid for New Hanover County Commissioners in 2024. Santaguida placed last of the six candidates, garnering 58,819 votes of the 139,300 ballots cast; the races were separated by roughly 1 percentage point from first to last place.
Santaguida told PCD in her candidate questionnaire last year she was running for office for the first time due to the county’s increased growth and change outpacing infrastructure and other needs. Her goal was to “build a cleaner and greener vision” for future residents.
She said she remains focused on “implementing smart, reasonable solutions,” a cornerstone of her city council race. More so, Santaguida said she has a lot to offer the public with her service.
“My areas of expertise and experiences are different from those of the current City Council,” Santaguida said. “I’ve worked in Wilmington’s tech industry for nearly a decade, and bring years of experience from that important economic sector of our city. As a mother in my forties, with a school-aged child, I believe my daily life and concerns are more representative of the average Wilmington voter.”
The single mother moved to Wilmington in 2016 and is a software product manager at the N2 Company; she previously worked for nCino. Originally from Texas, Santaguida was a high school teacher before transitioning into the tech industry at the University of Texas, where she worked for a decade.
Santaguida indicated Wilmington is “at a turning point” after undergoing years of accelerated growth. She challenges everyone to begin ruminating on the question: “What kind of community do we want to be?”
“I think we should choose to be a city of opportunity — where people can follow their dreams, raise families, and thrive,” she said, adding the community has the asset of The Endowment to help shape it. “It will be obligated to disburse between $80 and $100 million dollars annually. In perpetuity. It’s hard to grasp the scale and scope of transformation that will make possible. While the Endowment board will make final funding decisions, it is critical that city and county leaders collaboratively participate in this process. There will be an opportunity to transform every aspect of our civic life — education, health care, environmental protection, housing, parks and recreation, arts, and culture — for the better.”
The Wilmington City Council has three seats up for grabs in this year’s election, including Clifford Barnett Sr. (D), Charlie Rivenbark (R) and Luke Waddell (R). City council serves four-year terms. Barnett has served two terms, first elected in 2017; Waddell, one term since 2021; and Rivenbark was first elected in 1993 and has served six terms to date.
PCD reached out to the councilmen to find out if they also were seeking another bid. Only Waddell responded by press, noting he hadn’t made a campaign decision yet.
“With a two-year-old at home and another child due in May, this is a conversation I need to have with my wife before determining the best path forward,” he said. “Public service is important to me, and no matter what the future holds, my commitment to Wilmington remains steadfast.”
Wilmington’s mayor is elected every two years as well and will be on the ballot in 2025. Election Day will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
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