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Where I Stand

Much like the true transparency I will bring to the mayor's office, this is a place where I am transparent with my thoughts. Below are posts on why I am running for mayor and where I stand on the issues that affect YOU, the great residents of Ocean Isle Beach

Why I am Running for Mayor

September 2023

Since 1990, my family and I have cherished Ocean Isle Beach and are excited to have chosen it as our full time retirement home. Over the past 30 years, I have seen our community transformed from a sleepy beach town into a bustling vacation destination. While this change has brought many amenities, it has also brought significant inconveniences for you- the citizen.


Over the past few years it has become apparent that the needs of the permanent resident has become subservient to the desires of the tourist and the government;

  • The traffic issue continues to grow, with government "solutions" only exacerbating the problem. 
  • Property taxes were just raised 10% in spite of record new tax generating homes being constructed and an $11M land sale.
  • The 239 acres of tax payor owned land was sold without de-annexation resulting in over 650 new households in OIB, forever diluting YOUR voting power. 
  • Emergency services have been completely moved off-island. The sale of the police station, a tax payor asset, resulted in a criminal investigation. 
  • A proposed community center has not been finalized as government has been unable to gain consensus from the citizens and has floated subsidized public competition with local private businesses.
  • Vacant land adjacent to the proposed community center was purchased at multiple times in cost to what the police station land and building across the street was sold for.


These decisions have inspired me to run for mayor. My sole concern is to move this community forward in the direction that YOU want. I have no outside business interests that routinely create conflicts of interest in governmental decisions. I will be your full time mayor with 100% of my attention dedicated to representing you.

Citizens Advisory Board

September, 2023

While the current administration talks about transparency and representative involvement, waning attendance and public comments at board meetings and open forums are an indicator that YOU the voter do not feel comfortable addressing the government. 


In order for local government to truly work for its residents, all voices must be heard.  My mayor's office would introduce a Citizens Advisory Board. Existing community leaders (OIBPO, OIBSTPO, neighborhood leaders...) that can share the true needs and concerns of the residents with town leadership. These insights will guide policy and decision making with facts from the residents and not exclusively what government representatives "think" is best for our community. 


One of the greatest lessons I have learned in my professional history is that the collective wisdom of the community far outweighs even the best intentions of individual bureaucrat.  

On Behalf of The Turtles

Please watch this informative video

September 29, 2023

 OIB is a turtle sanctuary and it is a responsibility and a privilege to protect them.  


The OIBSTPO has excellent leadership and they coordinate and train many volunteers in every aspect of turtle care and protection. Amber turtle safe lighting on oceanfront and second row properties is very important. An OIBSTPO t-shirt says “Lights Out Turtles Dig The Dark”. 


I strongly encourage oceanfront homeowners to replace existing lighting with turtle safe lighting as I have done. If anyone would like additional information regarding turtle safe lighting, please visit:

 Light’s Out Sea Turtles Dig the Dark | Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization (oibseaturtles.org) 


Ongoing education for both residents and visitors is critical so their actions in no way endanger our turtles. Let’s all work together to make this happen.  


Wilmington Star-News Questions

September 15, 2023

1.) What should the town do about beach nourishment? 


Continue it. The benefits of beach renourishment far outweigh the costs. Replenishing sand lost to erosion creates safer marine life habitats and cuts down on hazards along the beach. Renourishment projects lead to greater sustainability for the beach and the surrounding areas. For FY 2022-2023 $2.4M was budgeted. In FY 2023-3034 the budget was reduced by a third to $1.6M in spite of an imposed 10% tax increase. As I was not involved in the budgeting process, I cannot comment on the wisdom or advisability of the reduction. In addition, as mayor I would provide incentives for placing sand fencing along beachfront properties to build secondary dunes.


  

2.) What do you see as the biggest challenges for the town moving forward? 


During the summer tourist season, stressed infrastructure. The most obvious manifestation of this is traffic congestion and overstressed parking. A solution to this will require significant study, public and safety services input with coordination from the State Department of Transportation. Traffic congestion has made emergency access to the island tenuous at best due to the one two lane causeway and routine travel for the permanent residents time consuming. Public input and adoption of policies that will enhance the day to day livability for our permanent residents is paramount.


3.) Why are you the best candidate to serve as the town’s mayor?


I bring forty years of executive experience in diverse roles including finance, operations, sales, service and management of an organization with 500 employees and revenue in excess of $1B annually. I have negotiated multi-million dollar acquisitions with global government officials including the US, Japan and Kuwait. Now that I am retired, I will leverage my decades of experience to shepherd our community to the future that our permanent residents want. I have no outside businesses that create conflicts of interest, or distractions from a full time mayoral position to represent the needs of this great community. 



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