NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Detaching the board of elections from New Hanover County has taken some effort on the part of new elections director DeNay Harris, who, 13 days into her tenure, had to assert her authority with county employees.
A Feb. 16 email obtained by Port City Daily shows Harris writing to Lisa Wurtzbacher, assistant county manager, and Crystal Whittaker, executive aide to the county manager at New Hanover County.
READ MORE: BOE approve more measured budget request after year of turbulence
After the departure of former director Rae Hunter-Havens in October 2025, Whittaker was appointed interim director in December, while Wurtzbacher acted as special assistant to the board of elections during the transition into new leadership. Harris was announced as Hunter-Havens’ replacement in December and took over as the new director Feb. 3.
“I am accountable for the outcomes of this office, and to do that effectively, it is important that operational direction, priority setting, and team guidance flow through my office,” Harris wrote in the email. “Recently, there have been a few instances where direction or decisions were communicated outside of my awareness. I know the intent is to be helpful, however it can unintentionally create confusion for staff and impact efficiency, especially during critical election periods.”
The email was sent four days into early voting for the primary election, which will have its canvass this Friday, March 13 — the first under Harris’ direction.
Harris goes on to ask for operational direction and project priorities be coordinated through her first, but she also welcomed collaboration with and expressed appreciation to the two county employees for sustaining the board of elections through its transition period.
Further, the director requested Wurtzbacher’s and Whittaker’s roles be defined in relation to the board of elections.
Port City Daily asked the county, Harris and the board of elections’ five board members to elaborate on the communication and decision-making issues, though none detailed what happened to prompt the email.
Harris — via a statement shared through the board of elections’ communications coordinator, Kristen Daley — described the email as “routine” and part of establishing a professional working relationship.
“I have been in the role of Director for less than 30 days and stepped into an election cycle that was already well underway and largely planned prior to my arrival,” Harris wrote in a statement. “Despite this transition period, my focus remains clear. The New Hanover County Board of Elections is committed to serving the residents of New Hanover County to the best of our ability, while upholding North Carolina election law and ensuring the integrity, transparency, and efficiency of the electoral process.”
Port City Daily asked county representatives to clarify the role of Wurtzbacher and Whittaker now that Harris has taken the helm. North Carolina law outlines a separation between county governments and boards of elections, stating the latter is an independent authority that reports to the State Board of Elections. Though the county funds the budget for the New Hanover County BOE.
Thus, the director of the BOE would report to their board, not county staff nor county commissioners. This line was blurred when Wurtzbacher and Whittaker were in charge of BOE staff, as each reported both to the county manager and the board of elections.
County spokesperson Alex Riley told Port City Daily the two women provided administrative and operational support at the board of elections’ request, though Harris now has “full authority” and “county transition support has concluded.” Emails obtained by Port City Daily show Wurtzbacher asked Harris to meet weekly beginning Feb. 17 through March 17 to “touch base on what’s going on with the various elections processes and to find out if there is any assistance” Wurtzbacher can provide.
The emails also show Wurtzbacher and Whittaker’s badge access to the board of election building was terminated on Feb. 25 — 22 days after they were no longer considered election officials due to Harris’ takeover.
County employee access to board of election spaces has been a point of disagreement between the elections and county in the past; emails between former board chair Oliver Carter and county staff in March 2023 show Carter insisting county officials — even County Manager Chris Coudriet — be prevented from having “unfettered access” to board of elections spaces due to election security concerns. Carter asked that county employees schedule their visits in advance.
The exchange occurred while the board of elections was still occupying offices in the county’s Northeast Library; the county manager suggested another space be found for the board of election to lease if an agreement couldn’t be reached over county employee access.
Harris wrote in an email to IT’s Chief Information Officer Sunny Hwang on Feb. 24 asking for Wurtzbacher and Whittaker’s badge access to be revoked, as their access is “not consistent with the individuals authorized under state law and relevant administrative rules for secure election facilities.”
The director pointed to North Carolina Administrative Code 08 NCAC 04 .0308, which states “only individuals authorized under the applicable subsections may enter the facility, with identification presented and access logged accordingly. This applies to areas where voting systems, equipment, or other sensitive election materials are stored or handled.
In addition, Harris pointed to North Carolina General Statute § 163-166.3 limiting access to voting enclosures to authorized individuals during voting periods.
Harris also requested a list of all individuals that have badge access to the facility; Port City Daily asked the county to provide the list. According to Riley, elections staff, plus members of the county’s Information Technology and Facilities Management teams have access to badge-controlled areas beyond the customer service desk. Additionally, a secure storage area inside the board of elections building is accessible only by elections staff.
The New Hanover County Board of Elections Chair Jamie Getty said everyone understood Wurtzbacher and Whittaker’s appointments would expire when Harris started.
“Badge access for the building is only granted to certain election officials,” she wrote. “I would not say their access was revoked so much as it expired when the temporary appointments ended upon hiring our new Elections Director.”
She added the county elections board has a “great partnership with NHC” and will “continue to collaborate in the future.”
Harris comes to the director position after a year-and-a half of disagreements and conflict between the county and board of elections. The relationship was marred by a spring 2025 investigation initiated by the county manager and an (ultimately unsuccessful) ballot challenge from a county commissioner. Both stemmed from the election board’s failure to count absentee ballots by the state-mandated deadline during the November 2024 election.
The board of elections didn’t request more staff in the spring of 2024, but former director, Hunter-Havens said, by November that a change in election laws and challenges with temporary staff led to the ballot-counting issue. Come spring 2025, six positions were requested, though three of them part-time.
Democratic board member Derrick Miller also got in hot water for approving an email blast to the county’s email list promoting the BOE’s budget request.
Only one position was picked up by the county — the education and communications coordinator position, though it was converted from an existing county role. Two of the board of elections’ current positions also were caught in the budget shuffle. In seeking positions to eliminate as part of the commissioner’s budget cut, the county identified two elections positions that were vacated after the 2024 election.
The move to eliminate the positions prompted Hunter-Havens to claim 2025’s election integrity and security were in jeopardy and reductions to early-voting accessibility would suffer as a result. The director made the announcement in a public meeting on June 18. Meanwhile, county staff were restoring the two positions behind the scenes, though Hunter-Havens didn’t disclose this to the public despite questions from Port City Daily.
A new board was appointed by the state, shifting power to Republicans, though Democratic members Miller and Jim Morgan Jr. stayed on. According to New Hanover County Board of Elections member John Lyon, the county received around 20 applications, which Lyon and Miller were tasked with whittling down to two for in-person interviews with the board. Harris won out.
However, before Harris took over, Wurtzbacher and Whittaker submitted the board of elections’ budget request to ensure it met the county manager’s county-wide deadline of Jan. 5. In it, only one additional position was requested, despite the elections board requesting multiple positions the prior year. Miller questioned why, to which Wurtzbacher explained some positions were consolidated to avoid duplication of duties. The board approved the request unanimously at their Jan. 13 meeting.
The board of elections budget could be brought up as part of the county commissioners’ broader budget discussion scheduled for Thursday, March 12.
Have tips or suggestions for Brenna Flanagan? Email brenna@localdailymedia.com.
At Port City Daily, we aim to keep locals informed on top-of-mind news facing the tri-county region. To support our work and help us reach more people in 2026, please, consider helping one of two ways: Subscribe here or make a one-time contribution here.
We appreciate your ongoing support.
