Meet the candidates: Holden Beach Board of Commissioners
Seven candidates are running for three seats on the Holden Beach Board of Commissioners.
Incumbents Gerald Arnold, Page Dyer, and Brian Murdock are all seeking reelection. They will face challengers Jim Bauer, Tom Myers, Maria Surprise, and Tracey Thomas.
Voters in Brunswick County have three options to cast their ballots this year. Residents may vote absentee-by-mail with ballots postmarked by Nov. 7, or during one-stop early voting beginning Thursday, Oct. 19 and ending Saturday, Nov. 4, or in-person on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 7.
Candidate responses have been edited for style, grammar and length. Brian Murdock did not submit responses.
Gerald Arnold
Age: 82
Occupation: Currently retired. Previously served as Chief Judge of the N.C. Court of Appeals, Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, Chairman of Judicial Standards, and President and CEO of Lawyers Mutual Liability Insurance Company.
Family: Wife, Shirley; daughter, Lisa Coats; son, Stan Arnold; granddaughters, Caitlin, and Claire Coats.
Education: Law degree and graduate studies
Political affiliation: Unaffiliated
Jim Bauer
Age: 58
Occupation: Retired from the Fire Department, City of New York
Family: Married, two children
Education: Bachelor of Science, Empire State University, New York
Political affiliation: Republican
Page Dyer
Age: 56
Occupation: Veterinarian
Family: Husband, Robert: stepdaughters Chesney and Emily; two sisters
Education: Bachelor of Science, Virginia State University; DVM, Tuskegee School of Veterinary Medicine
Political affiliation: Independent
Tom Myers
Age: 67
Occupation: Retired Management Consultant
Family: Wife of 35 years; daughter, son
Education: Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois; Master of Accountancy from Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona
Political affiliation: Unaffiliated
Maria Surprise
Age: 56
Occupation: Retired
Family: John Woods, husband
Education: BS Electrical Engineering, University of Vermont
Political affiliation: N/A (non-partisan)
Tracey Thomas
Age: 60
Occupation: Retired
Family: Husband (Dean), 3 adult children and expecting 2 grandchildren in November
Education: BE Mechanical Engineering (Stony Brook University)
Political affiliation: N/A
1. What challenges have you seen with the town's paid parking, and how do you see this moving forward?
Arnold: Paid parking is never popular, parking problems are an issue everywhere, but for a new program, truth be told, it has gone amazingly well. Net revenue has exceeded $1 million. Traffic is a problem here (as it is everywhere), but I see paid parking succeeding and moving forward if the town and citizens follow professional recommendations for best practices and practical solutions and meet the issues honestly and head-on.
Bauer: The parking situation needs more input from the homeowners of Holden Beach and only the homeowners of Holden Beach. We need to address how many spaces and where the parking spaces are, especially when some of the parking created mandates the construction of ADA approved bathrooms that will cost the town hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yes, ADA issues must be addressed, but ask yourself: Do you want a public bathroom in front of your vacation house? Where should they go? I would also back free street parking for homeowners. Regardless, there must be balance and input from the taxpayers.
Dyer: I feel paid parking has been positive, especially for residents of the East End. It has organized parking and stopped trespassing. Challenges have been people not understanding the signage, which the company and town are addressing. But moving forward, I see it continuing to improve.
Myers: Unfortunately, paid parking is a necessary evil. Parking was getting out of control. People were parking willy-nilly everywhere and often trespassing on private property. The situation kept getting worse as the County grew and more people came to the beach. We now have structured and enforced parking arrangements. Spaces are clearly marked and numbered. The revenue helps to cover incremental costs for trash pickup, restrooms, police, and amenities. The biggest challenge has been in accepting the reality that people now have to pay for something that had always been free, and another piece of our past is gone.
Surprise: Paid parking is working, bringing in additional revenue to help maintain the beach strand and develop new public spaces. There are challenges with consistency, communication, and usage. Many long time residents want access to free or discounted parking in season. Some lots are more congested and busier than others. Reviewing usage data from the contractor may allow the Town to see where the pressure points are and what might be done to improve access. Providing clear and consistent communication and outreach to locals and visitors to address concerns could lead to improved relations across the board.
Thomas: Paid parking is working out well for the taxpayers/homeowners on Holden Beach. Paid parking revenue, instead of tax dollars, were used to provide day visitors with public restrooms at the pier, construction of a new public restroom on the east end, public ADA walkways, and trash pickup and police services related to day visitors. Going forward, I would like to see the addition of shower facilities at some of the parking locations. I would also like to have free parking for homeowners since our tax dollars purchased the parking areas and pay costs not covered by parking revenue.
2. What do you believe are the biggest challenges the town will face in the coming four years, and how would you address those challenges?
Arnold: Maintaining a good beach front is always foremost. As with any coastal community there are challenges with stormwater, flooding, storm damage, infrastructure, health and public safety. Priority must be given to coastal ecosystems, erosion, higher tides (sea level), hurricanes, etc. Recreation and tourism are priorities for Holden Beach, to name some of the challenges. Challenges are best addressed by facing head-on the facts, even when complex and you don’t like the answers. Commissioners and mayor, town staff, and professional staff work together, facing the hard questions fairly and honestly. Avoid simplistic and fragmentary solutions.
Bauer: First, we need to alienate ourselves from the pier's $500,000 PARTF grant the current board of commissioners has taken against the wishes of the homeowners. This grant basically makes this property less than worthless as we cannot sell or improve it (except for broad public uses) but must maintain it at the cost of millions. This grant makes this property a state park in perpetuity with the above restrictions. On top of this, we need to pay down our ridiculous debt that the board has incurred on pie-in-the-sky purchases. We need to ask the homeowners what they want from us and faithfully follow “public notice, comment and hearing” clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the North Carolina Constitution.
Dyer: The lift station on Greensboro Street must be updated. Water levels continue to rise, and flooding damage could impact residents and rental income. The pier needs to be open to the public. Stormwater needs to be addressed and managed.
Myers: Our biggest challenge is managing spending and debt. The Town is spending more money than it brings in and is covering the deficit by drawing down savings and borrowing money. Debt service costs are now greater than property tax revenues. To avoid skyrocketing taxes, we need to stop spending money on everything we would like to do. Spending should be divided into “must do”, “should do” and “nice to do” categories and then ranked according to priorities. A line should be drawn at a fiscally responsible spending level and projects that don’t make the cut should be deferred or cancelled.
Surprise: Maintaining the beach strand and utilities - electricity, water and sewer, and ensuring the town has enough money to finance everything. We can’t control Mother Nature, but we can ensure our utilities have robustness and redundancies to minimize downtime should a storm hit. Our engineered beach and contract with FEMA is working well and needs to be continued. I would take a hard look at the budget, put a plan together to prioritize projects, and make sure our residents and property owners know what they are getting for their tax dollars.
Thomas: The biggest challenge Holden Beach faces is our over-extended financial obligations. For example, our 2023/4 debt payment ($3.6 million) exceeds property tax revenues ($3.3 million). This makes us dependent on beach rental revenue, and vulnerable if that revenue is reduced due to hurricanes or economic downturns. Also, we are depleting our "savings" accounts by $1.3 million this year. This may make it difficult to replenish sand when needed without taking out additional loans and/or raising taxes. I would re-examine all current planned expenses and make sure the town's budget is focused on critical "needs" and not "wants."
3. What makes you the best candidate for Holden Beach commissioner?
Arnold: Here are things I believe and try to practice. Honesty and integrity are the most important qualification. The “common good” has to be the North Star. Follow innate wisdom, democratic principles, and the law. Get the best information and the facts from the most reliable sources. Avoid innuendo and half-truth. Be open to dialogue, seek honest answers to complex, hard questions. You are one member of a board. Work amicably. Do not become entangled in personalities and politics and election strategies. Be respectful and considerate. Know that good judgment and good political judgement are both necessary, but not necessarily identical.
Bauer: In my opinion, I am appalled watching the commissioners repeatedly make obvious, unnecessary bad decisions for the town. The lack of transparency, the obvious conflicts of interest and the haphazard, random meanderings of both the mayor and the board. We have spent millions of dollars--mostly town money and placed the town in debt that will take years, if not decades to repay--on items which may be called “Nice to Haves,” such as the pier, bike lanes and Block Q, while neglecting the “Must Haves,” namely water, electricity, the beach and our sewers. I will concentrate on what’s important and involve the taxpayers in the decision process.
Dyer: Holden Beach is my home and where I hope to remain. We need to manage change, but we need to preserve the town's green spaces. Building is rapid, and the land owned by the town is a precious commodity that needs to be protected. As a business owner, I feel like I have a lot of contact with property owners and can hear their concerns and wishes.
Myers: I bring education, credentials, and experience. I have degrees in both engineering and accounting, and was a Professional Engineer, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, and Project Management Professional. I retired after 38 years as a management consultant, where I provided guidance to over 50 organizations in 10 countries regarding management of infrastructure assets. I have been the President of the Holden Beach Property Owners Association for more than 10 years, where I represented property owners on the island regarding important issues. I served on the Town’s Audit Committee, where I spearheaded an effort to address deficiencies in internal controls.
Surprise: I will be the voice of the people, and push the new board to greatly improve its approaches to planning, budgeting, communicating, and creating a long-term vision for what we want Holden Beach to be. My husband and I built a home on the east end of the island in 1998, and we made it our forever home in 2018. My experience includes a degree in Electrical Engineering, a 30+ year career in the Energy industry, and extensive experience working with governing boards. I am retired and have the time and the energy to devote to this important position.
Thomas: I worked as an engineer for 32 years and have extensive experience with project management and budgets. I am currently retired, so I have the time to devote to making the island the best that it can be. I will make sure that the island taxpayers/homeowners needs are represented first, and spending reflects the taxpayers/homeowners' priorities. I would also make sure the town starts spending taxpayers' money responsibly and starts saving money to invest in our future. I would implement long term plans for such things as the pier, sand replenishment, town infrastructure and recreational facilities.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Candidates for Holden Beach Board of Commissioners election 2023
