PLATFORM

"No one understands our issues better than the citizens who live here. I've lived in the Town of Elm City for 22 years, since July of 2003. I know first hand what it is like to have to bathe my children in dirty water. I've seen one town council after another grapple with our financial, water, and public works issues. Over the last 5 years especially, I have seen the town fall into greater decline. Embroiled now in allegations and state investigations, it's time for a change in Elm City! As a candidate for Commissioner of Elm City, I’m committed to restoring transparency, strengthening financial responsibility, making sure every voice is considered, and that our town maintenance effectively serves the needs of the people who live here. Our town deserves leaders who work with the people—not around them. This platform reflects the priorities that matter most to our community: financial sustainability, safety, accountability, and a future we can all stand behind. Our problems are not too big to solve, and with your help, we will solve them!"

Priorities

🌟 What Matters Most for Elm City’s Next Chapter 🌟

As we prepare for the next Town Council to take office, it’s time to really focus on what truly matters — getting Elm City back on track through transparency, integrity, and efficient teamwork. Here’s what I believe our priorities should be in the coming months.
👇

1️⃣ Restore Functionality at Town Hall
Hire a competent, full-time Town Clerk who can also serve as a Finance Officer, alongside a qualified Town Administrator, and dedicated full time Public Works staff. It’s time to clean up our finances, catch up our audits, and restore efficient record-keeping and clear, effective communication with the public. A professional and reliable Town Office is the foundation for everything else we need to accomplish!

2️⃣ Move Our Infrastructure Projects Forward
Work closely WITH our Town Engineer to finally push our water and sewer projects forward. Elm City residents deserve clean, reliable water, and a sound and secure sewer system — and we’ll continue pursuing grant funding to make future improvements possible.

3️⃣ Bring Back Safety & Security
We need a visible law enforcement presence in town again. Safety and order are essential to rebuilding community trust and encouraging growth.

4️⃣ Rebuild Community Spirit & Unity
Create a Community Events Committee to plan and host our annual events — upgrading our Fall Festival and adding a new Spring celebration to bring neighbors together and celebrate Elm City.

5️⃣ Invest in Parks, Sidewalks, and Families
Seek grants to upgrade our parks and sidewalks, and create spaces where families can enjoy safe, fun community activities right here in town.

6️⃣ Encourage Business Growth
Support and attract local businesses so residents have places to shop, dine, and unwind morning and evening without leaving town. Elm City should be a place where small businesses can thrive and families can enjoy local life again.

💬 We can do this — together. Let’s get Elm City working again with leadership focused on functionality, safety, community, and opportunity.

LIST OF ISSUES

Financial Sustainability

Elm City is facing serious financial challenges — and it's no secret. This includes budget shortfalls, significant delays in completing our annual audits, and delayed infrastructure investments. Our town has struggled to maintain the financial health necessary to provide reliable services and invest in our future. These issues didn’t appear overnight, but without responsible and transparent leadership, they will only get worse and they have gotten worse.

For example, in recent years, residents have seen delayed repairs and repeated water line breaks on key streets like North Parker, Railroad, Branch Street. Meanwhile, some residents have expressed concern about increases in water bills without clear explanations or visible upgrades to water infrastructure. Elm City has faced repeated delays in completing its annual audits — in 2021, our audit wasn’t submitted until late January 2022, nearly three months past the statutory deadline. That delay and other allegations have triggered the NC Office of the State Auditor to conduct an investigative audit — examining nine specific allegations about how our town handles public funds. Most recently Elm City was fined by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality nearly $28,000 for violations that occurred between December 2023 and June 2024. This included failures in data reporting, over-application of treated wastewater on spray fields, and exceeding permitted levels of nitrate and ammonia in nearby groundwater monitoring wells. Again, Elm City is facing serious financial challenges, and as a candidate for commissioner, I’m committed to restoring not only fiscal responsibility in Elm City, but also transparency and regulatory compliance.

That means:

Working with our State Auditor to complete the investigation into our financial audits to better understand where we are and where our tax dollars are going
Prioritizing ESSENTIAL services while eliminating inefficiencies and waste
Seeking new revenue opportunities that don’t burden our citizens — (i.e.. grants, partnerships, & smart development
Making the budget process more transparent so residents know how decisions are being made and where funds are being allocated

A financially sustainable Elm City is the foundation for everything else — from safe streets to clean water to waste management and economic development. We can’t build a better future unless we fix the foundation first. As town commissioner, I will work towards financial sustainability.

Public Works

Public Works should be one of the most visible and reliable functions of our town government — but in Elm City, residents are seeing missed trash pickups, broken sidewalks, pothole-ridden roads, and unmaintained public spaces. These problems aren’t just eyesores — they affect quality of life and the pride we take in our community.

We need an effective town manager and clerk. We need better communications with citizens in regard to delayed trash/brush pick-ups, and pothole and sidewalk repairs. We need better landscape maintenance. When is the last time you walked down the sidewalk on Parker Street and actually saw the sidewalk or curbs? We need better storm runoff drainage maintenance. These streets flood every time we have a heavy rainfall. again, we are reactive rather than proactive. Putting up a sign that the road is flooded is nice, but keeping the streets from flooding is better.

Elm City deserves public works service that’s responsive, courteous, and consistent. I’ll support performance benchmarks — and public accountability — so our town staff has both the support and the structure to do their best work. Trash shouldn't sit on the curb for two weeks. Kids shouldn't trip on broken or overgrown sidewalks. Storms shouldn't flood our streets and church basements every time it rains. These are basic services — and right now, Elm City isn’t consistently getting them right. As your commissioner, I’ll work to bring order, structure, and pride back to public works.

Safety

Elm City’s property crime rate stands at nearly double the national average. Violent crime is also elevated, with a rate of 25–26 per 1,000 residents, compared to the national average of about 22.7 .

This translates into a 1‑in‑152 chance of becoming a crime victim, higher than many similarly sized towns .

In early 2024, Sheriff Calvin Woodard informed Elm City leaders that he would not renew the direct patrol contract, citing unpaid invoices—especially for vehicle purchases—and "unprofessional circumstances" involving town leadership. As a result, assigned deputies were pulled out of town, leaving us with less consistent coverage, even though 911 responses still occur. The rift that "unprofessional circumstances" created between county-level law enforcement and our town administration reflects deeper breakdowns in trust and collaboration, and that is dangerous for our town's citizens.

It is an undisputable fact that 911 response takes longer when deputies are not already here in town as a call for help comes in.

A prime example happened here in late January 2025 when Deputy B.J. Whitfield, with the Wilson County Sheriff's Office, was PATROLLING NEARBY and received the dispatch. He arrived before all other first responders and was the first law enforcement official on scene. That rapid arrival let him secure the perimeter immediately, directing bystanders away, clearing the path for firefighters, and ensuring emergency crews could safely and efficiently access the blaze. This was a life and death situation and having a deputy nearby when it occurred is partly why it did not result in a fatal tragedy.

Effective collaboration between law enforcement and emergency services are imperative for our town. As your commissioner, I will work to repair that partnership or find a smarter, local alternative.

Water & Wastewater Management

Elm City is facing critical problems with our water and sewer systems — and the truth is, these didn’t appear overnight. For years, the town has delayed maintenance, ignored early warning signs, and failed to invest in upgrades. Now, those choices are catching up with us — and our residents are paying the price. Our current plan of action seems to be reactive rather than proactive, and with the condition of our wells and water lines, we cannot afford to approach these problems reactively.

Some of our problems include:

Frequent Sewer Overflows & Groundwater Violations
Rising Water Bills Without Answers (higher water bills with little to no improvements in service)
Leaks, Backups, and Emergency Repairs

Outdated pipes, limited staff, and lack of preventative maintenance have led to frequent breakdowns — with band-aid repairs instead of long-term fixes. This is how we fix it!

Hiring an effective town manager and clerk that are NOT members of the town council. Not abiding by this has only exacerbated the inefficiencies with our public works system.
Aggressively apply for state and federal grants
Require billing transparency from the town office
Restore public trust with the community through transparent and consistent communications.
Bring the cost of water down by repairing our wells, and getting back to using our town wells rather than purchasing all of our water from Wilson. Over 90% of our water comes from Wilson, which is also why our fees are so high. This temporary fix has to have an end date in sight.

As your town commissioner, I will work toward developing a proactive plan to managing our water and sewer issues that result in clean water and lower cost for you.

Community

Elm City isn’t just a map dot — it’s a community of families, seniors, students, and small business owners who want to feel proud of where they live. But over the years, we’ve seen fewer town-wide events, declining attendance, and missed opportunities to bring people together. Not only that, we've had a palpable sense of division of late between many of our citizens and town council members. This is the exact opposite kind of relationship we should be building between the community and our town council.

Our Fall Festival has struggled to attract vendors, quality entertainment, and visitors in recent years. Meanwhile, the Christmas Parade — thanks to the dedication of our Fire Department — remains a bright spot, proving that with the right leadership and community energy, we CAN still create something special! As your commissioner, I will work to support and establish committees to better plan successful monthly and seasonal community-wide events throughout the year. I will also be a strong advocate and support for our local fire department and our local churches. They are the heartbeat of our town's potential in community connection and involvement. They have proven to be successful at reaching out and connecting with the community while drawing people together. We should support that more! We have a beautiful park and Train Depot and we almost never use it to connect with the community. As your commissioner, I'd like to see that change! I have 25 years of event planning and outreach coordinating experience. With the proper support of the town council, Elm City will be a safe and exciting place to live and play for all in the community.