Patti Hewett, Republican candidate for District 2
Brunswick County Board of Commissioners
Career: NC licensed private investigator, retired deputy Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (30 years)
Education: Basic law enforcement training certification mandated by the NC Criminal Justice Education and Training Standards Commission; Forsyth Technical Community College; Brunswick Community College; North Carolina Justice Academy; Cape Fear Community College; Southeastern Community College
Q: What qualifies you to serve on the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners?
A: Experience, service and firsthand knowledge.
I’ve dedicated half of my life to serving the people of Brunswick County. My 30 years with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office have given me firsthand experience with the needs and challenges facing our county from public safety, mental health and drug addiction to veterans’ needs, roads and traffic, budgets, parks and recreation, tourism, infrastructure and flooding.
My law enforcement career and extensive training taught me how to listen, solve problems, work with people and, most importantly, be accountable to those I serve. I’m not going to the commissioners’ board to become part of the status quo. I’m going there to ask hard questions, look closely at how taxpayers’ money is being spent and make sure citizens’ voices are heard.
Brunswick County citizens should not have to wait to be heard. Their concerns deserve a response, and their voices deserve to matter.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Brunswick County currently and what steps will you take to help correct it?
A: One of Brunswick County’s biggest challenges is managing rapid growth while protecting our quality of life.
Our roads, schools, emergency services, water and sewer systems and other infrastructure must keep pace with development. At the same time, we need to protect our natural resources and make sure longtime residents are not left behind or forced to bear the costs of growth.
I will support responsible, well-planned growth; better coordination between development and infrastructure; safer roads; reliable water and sewer services; strong emergency response; and protection of the character and natural beauty of Brunswick County.
My goal is to push the board to be more proactive and stop waiting until problems become crises. Brunswick County is growing, and we need commissioners who are willing to anticipate challenges, plan ahead and take action.
I also appreciate the legislature returning development approval authority to the board of commissioners. But I believe we need to go further. If our local legislators truly want to help the citizens who elected them, they should give Brunswick County the authority to make responsible decisions about down-zoning when local circumstances warrant it.
Brunswick County is not the same as every other county in North Carolina. What works in one county may not work here and what works here may not work somewhere else. Local problems deserve local solutions and local officials need the authority to carry them out.
I will continue pushing for the tools Brunswick County needs to manage growth responsibly, protect taxpayers from unfunded infrastructure demands and preserve the quality of life we all value. Give Brunswick County the authority to make Brunswick County decisions before today’s growth creates tomorrow’s crisis.
Q: Controversy over citizen surveillance and Flock cameras have become a topic of concern for many in recent months. As a commissioner, do you plan to address the contract with the sheriff’s office and what will that look like exactly? Are you inclined to cancel the contract; why/why not? If not, how do you plan to address misuse of the Flock system?
A: If I were on the board today, I would vote to stop the use of Flock cameras immediately. There are too many unanswered questions for me to support continuing the program at this point.
One of my first questions would be: What specific training was provided to every deputy who was given access to Flock? I want to know who provided the training, how many hours were required, what was taught about privacy and constitutional rights, how deputies were trained to verify alerts, and how searches are monitored and audited.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office policy states that only trained personnel may access ALPR information, that searches must have a legitimate law-enforcement purpose and that system use is subject to auditing. But I want to see the documentation — the training records, curriculum and certification — rather than simply being told that training occurred.
Citizens deserve to know who has access to their information, how that information is being used, how long it is retained, who it can be shared with and what safeguards are actually in place.
I also have concerns about a private third-party company storing and managing sensitive information collected from our roads and communities. Even if the county retains ownership of the data, I believe citizens deserve clear answers about how that data is stored, accessed and protected.
Public safety and individual privacy can coexist. But before I would support any Flock camera program, I would want those questions fully answered. I will not simply rubber-stamp a surveillance program. I will ask the hard questions, demand transparency and make protecting the privacy and constitutional rights of Brunswick County citizens a priority.
Q: The state legislature recently stripped the Brunswick County Planning Board of its development authority and handed it to the commissioners; do you support the move — why or why not? Do you think the state should have run interference; what’s the balance between elected officials being allowed to govern and the legislature stepping in?
A: I supported the legislature’s decision to return development approval authority to the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners.
But I also believe the public deserves the full story.
My understanding is that this authority may already have been headed back to the commissioners for consideration in December, regardless of the legislative action. If that is the case, then the legislation may have accelerated or formalized a change that was already being considered.
As a commissioner, I believe citizens deserve transparency about what changed, why it changed, who made those decisions and what would have happened without the new legislation.
The 2019 law did not permanently give the planning board independent authority. It authorized the board of commissioners to delegate authority to the planning board and provided a mechanism for the commissioners to later rescind or modify that delegated authority by ordinance.
Ultimately, I believe elected officials should be accountable to the citizens who elected them. Planning boards have an important role in reviewing development, but major policy decisions affecting the future of Brunswick County should have clear accountability to the voters.
Q: The deadline for the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge grant is approaching. WMPO Director Mike Kozlosky has been clear the only options to fund a new bridge at this point is the toll or the local options sales tax — which do you support? Additionally, do you support the 65-foot, the 135-foot bridge option, or do you think a third design option should be explored?
A: I can only give you my current thoughts on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge because, like many residents, I am basing my understanding on the information that has been publicly available.
Traffic congestion between Brunswick and New Hanover counties is a major concern. Because of that, I believe we need to carefully consider how bridge design will affect traffic flow.
At this time, I lean toward the 135-foot option, primarily because of our traffic and transportation needs. I also believe we should continue examining whether other design and funding options are possible before making a decision that will affect this region for generations.
I would also look at examples from other states, including the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina, and how local leaders developed alternative funding strategies.
I understand that major infrastructure projects require significant funding. But before asking local residents to shoulder another cost, I want to make sure every reasonable funding option has been fully explored.
It takes hard work, persistence and creative thinking to find solutions to major infrastructure challenges. That is the approach I would bring to the table.
Q: Is PFAS contamination adequately being addressed in Brunswick County? What would you like to see happen to ensure everyone has access to clean water and how will you usher those ideas in?
A: Brunswick County has taken substantial steps to address PFAS, but I do not believe the problem is fully resolved. We need to continue investing in effective treatment, regularly testing our water and, importantly, continuing to pursue the source of contamination and accountability.
One issue I intend to examine closely is why some communities have been passed over for county water while county water infrastructure is already located around them.
Brunswick County should not simply accept treating contaminated water forever. We need to continue pursuing the source, protecting our water supplies and making sure every resident has access to safe, reliable drinking water.
Clean water is not a luxury. It is something every Brunswick County family deserves.
Q: Several local governments in Brunswick County have voted to establish 12-month moratoria on data centers until they develop ordinances with specific land use and environmental regulations. Do you support local government making these decisions or should these regulations be crafted at the state level?
A: When it comes to data centers, I believe the state should establish clear, consistent baseline standards addressing environmental protection, energy use, water consumption, noise, tax incentives and regional impacts.
But local governments should have the final say on whether a specific project fits their infrastructure, land-use plans and community needs.
Brunswick County is already facing tremendous growth and infrastructure challenges. The very last thing I believe Brunswick County needs right now is a data center.
Local communities understand their infrastructure, resources and needs better than anyone sitting in Raleigh.
Q: Brunswick County is the fastest growing county in the state, but residents and commissioners alike have pointed to utility and road infrastructure concerns. What needs to be addressed with infrastructure to match incoming development? What policy changes would you make to tackle these concerns?
A: We need to make sure infrastructure keeps pace with development.
My priorities would be:
- Roads and traffic
- Water and sewer
- Schools
- Fire, EMS and public safety
- Stormwater, drainage and flooding
- Long-term capital planning
But identifying the problems is only the first step. We need policy changes that actually address them.
I support infrastructure before density, making growth pay its fair share, modernizing our UDO and land-use regulations, protecting existing communities, strengthening transportation planning, planning for schools before the rooftops arrive, protecting our water supply and requiring measurable accountability from county government.
I also want regular growth-accountability reports so citizens can see whether infrastructure is keeping pace with development.
Growth is not going to stop. Our planning has to catch up.
Q: Brunswick County Schools has found that all of its schools will reach 100% capacity in the next decade. The 2026 school bond will help alleviate this, if passed this November, but what is your view on supporting the school district’s increased capital needs as the county continues to grow?
A: Our children should not have to pay the price for poor planning. One of my goals as your county commissioner is to work hard to get our children out of trailers being used as classrooms and into modern, safe educational facilities they deserve.
I support responsible investment in our schools as Brunswick County grows. Our children deserve every opportunity possible to succeed, and our community has a responsibility to provide safe and appropriate places for them to learn.
I also want to invest in and upgrade our county parks so children and families have places to play, exercise and spend time together. We need to think about year-round opportunities as well as summer activities for our children.
I am passionate about our children and their education; they are Brunswick County’s future. Investing in our children today is an investment in the future of Brunswick County — and that is an investment I will support.
Q: What is your view of the current board’s leadership? What are they succeeding at and what needs to be improved?
A: I believe the current board is getting things done in some areas, but I am concerned that we are not getting sufficiently ahead of growth, infrastructure, development controls, transparency and long-term planning.
I would like to see the board work toward more unanimous agreements. We will not agree on every issue, but commissioners should be able to work together, ask the hard questions and put the citizens of Brunswick County first.
I also believe we need to take a much closer look at how taxpayer dollars are being spent. Some departments are being asked to do more with less, while other areas continue to spend more. Before approving additional funding, I will ask: Why is it needed? What problem does it solve? What will it cost taxpayers? And how will we measure whether it worked?
I am not saying we should cut funding where it is genuinely needed. I am saying we need to stop, regroup and look at the entire picture. Taxpayer money deserves the same accountability we expect in our own household budgets. We need to prioritize needs over wants, essential services and public health over unnecessary spending, and measurable results over simply continuing the status quo.
As commissioner, I will listen, challenge spending when necessary and work with anyone willing to work for the people of Brunswick County. My loyalty will be to the citizens I serve — not individual agendas.
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