Thus far there is only one announced candidate for the three seats that will be open this November on the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners.
Commissioners Greg Harrington and Anne Reeve still have not made a decision about running for another term, Harrington for a third and Reeve for a fourth. The third commissioner whose term is ending, Brian Pate, said earlier this year he will not try for a second term.
That leaves Heather Holding as the only candidate who has announced her decision to run. There may be at least three people interested in trying for a seat on the town board, but none of them have made any public statements.
The filing period for the November 5 nonpartisan election begins at noon on Friday, July 5, and ends at noon on Friday, July 19. The filing fee is $15. Candidates must be town residents, 21 years or older and qualified voters.
Wake Forest elections are nonpartisan and the terms of board members are staggered. Mayor Vivian Jones was elected to a fifth term in 2017, and Commissioners Liz Simpers and Bridget Wall-Lennon were elected to their first terms.
The commissioners have a number of duties, mostly meetings. They have a work session on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m., attend the public hearings during the planning board meeting that same night at 7:30, and a regular voting session on the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. They also hold a planning retreat early each year. Each commissioner is assigned to one of the advisory boards as an ex officio member to serve as a liaison to the town board. Each commissioner receives information about each agenda item from town staff. In addition, they are expected to attend town events throughout the year and to respond to town residents who call, email or visit them about town problems or issues.
3 Responses
The Town leadership needs a major shakeup. So far the only announced candidate would do nothing but more of the same path we’ve already been down. We still have terrible infrastructure – lack of sidewalks, overcrowded streets, approval of more and more chains, taking away any unique identify we used to have. All for what? Why grow just for the sake of growing?
Define what actually improves quality of life and then design your policies and decisions around that. We are not doing that now – we’re letting growth just come unabated and with nary a question. The last election was good to get new blood on the Board – now we need 3 more fresh thinkers this year.
Hi Helen – good points here. I agree that there are some potentially difficult situations for the town coming in the near future to facilitate the growth that Wake Forest has been experiencing in recent years. Growth is obviously a major positive for the town – great to see new businesses come. I am also curious to see how this growth can be maintained long term, and what the town has in plan to accommodate this.
Other than what you mentioned above, what are some of the major points that you are hoping to see implemented in the town’s government/plans? I’m curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on this. Thanks in advance and have a great weekend!
I hope that people take an interest in our Town’s government. They were able to hold the line on tax increases this year but according to reports that there might be some tough decisions ahead. I for one hope that there is a discussion during the campaign that centers around a way to keep the government from getting too large. Along with that a discussion about the scope of government. The town has owned the Former Sun Trust Bank for a year and nothing has been done with it. Other than expenses. I’ll be asking questions and I hope others do as well.