Bob Goes Off the Rails in This 30-Minute Podcast Episode

We start with the third rail of politics, discuss the importance of government being as boring as possible, argue for more educational funding of all types, and struggle with the trade-offs of affordability, housing density, and quality of life. I don't have all the answers, and you may not like all the answers I have, but I hope you agree that the goal is good government and building the best community possible in New Hanover County, North Carolina!

Highlights from the Conversation

During the podcast, several key points stood out that I want to share here:

We want boring government

Drama happens when government gets out of step. We touch on a few examples, including when government tries to spend more than it takes in. Another example is with zoning exceptions. You may know that 2026 is the year an updated County plan is released, with zoning revalidated for the next 5+ years. Is there any reason to change the zoning on any parcel for the next 12 months? I would at least look at requests like that very skeptically.

We use budgets to set spending priorities. Budgets are extremely boring, especially when spending tracks budgeting. A few years ago, the County had a budget cycle that ending in June with an approved budget. Not 3-months later, the County approved an unbudgeted $13 million to buy a building to expand a nursing program at Cape Fear Community College. Why bother with a budget if we are just making it up as we go along? We want boring government

If education is the most important thing, why are we behind in spending?

We are behind in capital spending on schools, and it is worse than they are telling you. A bond referendum on the ballot purports to raise $350 MM for schools. But this exceeds the county's debt capacity, so this spending authorization would not be immediate, but some of it pushed to the future. Even at that, the renovation of New Hanover Highschool remains largely unfunded. How is it that school spending is so far behind when education is the most important thing? Simply - it has not been the priority for the incumbents on the County Commission.

To solve this problem, we will need to pay down the debt incurred in recent years in excess of what is reflected in the current budget. And, if spending on education really is the priority, we should agree that education receives the biggest share of the annual budget.

Growth, affordability, and quality of life

Constituents will tell me in one breath that growth, congestion and sprawl are out of control, then tell me in the next breath that life here is less and less affordable. This is a devilish trade-off. It will continue as long as we are more affordable with a better quality of life than the jurisdictions that those the newcomers are fleeing. Appropriate reactions are to leverage the planning processes in the County, support efforts to maintain and enhance green space, and address growth issues regionally -- across county lines.

Another thing I am a fan of is parks and support for quality-of-life initiatives. The challenge with this is noted above. For the next few years, if school infrastructure and prioritizing education is the priority, other projects must be focused and limited to those that can be fully developed after the County is in better fiscal shape.

Bonus - what happened to The Endowment?

In 2020, the County Commission locked up $1,300,000,000 in a fund called The Endowment. What happened to the $1.3 billion dollars? Good question. That $1.3 billion dollars was enough to wipe clear the entire county debt AND fully fund the pending school improvements AND have millions and millions left over.

Put aside that this is a huge pot of money that belonged to taxpayers who have lost their ability to direct the spending. How is the money being spent? Even with the best of intentions, it is one huge slush fund that by definition is going to be directed by special interests. What a huge mistake by the County Commission and the members who were part of the terrible decision in 2020.

Who this podcast is for

The biggest voting bloc in North Carolina politics are the "Unaffiliateds." But by law, the only third parties allowed to represent these voters are the Greens and the Libertarian Party. Bob runs as a Libertarian to represent the unaffiliated and independent-minded voters in New Hanover County.

Bob is a Certified Management Accountant, graduate of the Stanford Business School, and for many years operated the local business HMF Express. You may know him from the Wilmington Waves basketball club, or the years he spent on the New Hanover Board of Equalization and Review. If you don't know Bob yet, please Message Me on my campaign website.

I look forward to working with you to build a better New Hanover County.