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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

Election 2017: Wilmington City Council, Part 2

L to R: Caylan McKay, Hollis Briggs, Philip White

In the race for Wilmington’s City Council, there are nine people competing for three open seats that carry four-year terms. Two incumbents are seeking re-election. Caylan McKay is an accountant, running for the first time. Philip White is a retail store manager, and Hollis Briggs Jr. ran in 2015 for city council but was not elected. 

Caylan McKay says he knows what he wants the future to look like in Wilmington.

“Well, in an ideal world, we have a comprehensive short-term rental plan that's working and evolving with our citizens in our community. We have changed the narrative of what affordable housing is. And, we've changed the narrative of opioid abuse and opiate addiction.”

Philip White wants to put the “Community” back into the economy.

“Wilmington is in a unique position. Of course, we want to keep growing and keep developing. However, we have to ask ourselves, at what cost? With our wetlands, with our river, we're literally surrounded by water on both sides. When we destroy these areas just on a whim, and for profit, we have to look at what we're destroying them for in the long run.”

Hollis Briggs, Jr. is a self-described lifelong Wilmingtonian, with a chief concern being racism in the community.

“So the wall is the racial divide that has engulfed the city of Wilmington, and its efforts to move forward beyond it. You have to realize now even that schools are segregated. So you break down the wall by learning each others’, how each other feel. But if you segregate children, if you segregate the schools, and children in elementary school aren't able to get to know black kids, and black kids aren't able to get to know white kids. So that's the start of the wall right there.”

Rachel hosts and produces CoastLine, an award-winning hourlong conversation featuring artists, humanitarians, scholars, and innovators in North Carolina. The show airs Wednesdays at noon and Sundays at 4 pm on 91.3 FM WHQR Public Media. It's also available as a podcast; just search CoastLine WHQR. You can reach her at rachellh@whqr.org.