Election Day is a week away and the WHQR News Team is talking to the candidates for a few heated mayoral races across the Cape Fear region.
WHQR’s Michelle Bliss reports that a top concern for Oak Island residents this election season is the growing cost of water and sewer services after the town’s waste water project jumped from $67 million to $150 million.
About 900 residents petitioned for an independent audit of the project when costs began to soar, but current mayor and mayoral candidate, Betty Wallace, says that many people didn’t pay close enough attention to town council decisions during the planning and construction of the expanded waste water system.
“I hope that I will be able to get the information flow increased, I think I’ve increased it drastically since I became mayor, and get it increased not only from the council out to the public but from the public to the council.”
Oak Island mayoral candidate Bob Seidel, who is currently a town council member, declined an interview request for this story citing the ongoing investigation by the SBI.