Local

2015 Election Coverage

WHQR is your source for the 2015 Municipal Elections in the Cape Fear Region. We are bringing you the CoastLine Candidate Forums live from the MC Erny Gallery each Wednesday at noon from September 16th to October 28th as well as candidate profiles and general election coverage.Here's how you can participate:1. Be part of the live studio audience. Arrive at WHQR's MC Erny Gallery between 11:30 AM and 11:55 AM on the Wednesday of your municipality's race so you can settle before our hard start time of noon.As part of the audience, you'll have the opportunity to ask a question of the candidates.2. Send your question at any time to coastline@whqr.org. Just make sure it fits these basic guidelines: It's applicable to all the candidates in that race.It's in the form of a question.It fits within a 30-second time frame.We reserve the right to edit questions for broadcast standards and brevity.3. Tweet us during the live broadcast (12-1PM on Wednesdays) at coastlinehqr or email us during the broadcast at coastline@whqr.org.4. Stream the live radio signal from your computer. Just click the "Listen Live" button in the upper right-hand corner of the home page. It’s your town. Make your voice heard. THE 2015 COASTLINE CANDIDATE FORUM SCHEDULE:September 16, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Kure Beach Mayor & Town CouncilSeptember 23, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Oak Island MayorSeptember 30, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Oak Island Town CouncilOctober 7, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Wilmington City CouncilOctober 14, 12:00pm-2:00pm — Carolina Beach Town CouncilOctober 21, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Carolina Beach MayorOctober 28, 12:00pm-1:00pm — Leland Mayor & Town CouncilVoter Information:For more information about the 2015 election, voter registration, and polling places in your area visit the Board of Elections website for New Hanover County & Brunswick County.

Candidates for Leland Council & Mayoral Seat Identify Biggest Challenge for Town

WHQR | By Isabelle Shepherd

Published October 29, 2015 at 12:59 PM EDT

Leland Town Council & Mayoral Candidates at the 2015 CoastLine Candidate Forum

This coming Tuesday, Leland citizens will cast their votes for the municipal election. Three candidates are vying for two open seats on Town Council, and Glen Thearling is challenging incumbent Brenda Bozeman for the mayoral seat. During this week’s CoastLine Forum, the candidates focused on addressing issues stemming from the town’s rapid growth.

The U.S. Census Bureau lists Brunswick as one of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina and the nation. For most of the candidates for Leland’s Town Council and Mayoral seat, the biggest challenge is keeping up with that population increase. Mayoral candidate Glen Thearling says the town needs to consolidate funds and bring a balance between Leland’s neighborhoods so that older developments meet current standards. Incumbent Brenda Bozeman says she’s working with the Wilmington Metropolitan Planning Organization to address traffic issues. Town Council candidate Bob Campbell says it’s important to provide services for new citizens without raising taxes. Here’s incumbent Jane Crowder:

BITE: I think the connectivity between the housing areas, I think is very important. I think also for the fire and rescue to be able to get from one point to another in a reasonable length of time. I think affordable housing is something that we need to really look at in Leland to try to get people to come to us. (24)

Michael Callahan says his goal is to reach out to those in the margins:

BITE: Brunswick County, which would include Leland, has a poverty problem for adults, we’re at about 20%. For children, it’s about 25%, and I think we have to address that. I’ve worked with a couple of local initiatives—Manna Ministries and Matthew’s Ministries—to try to reach folks that need help. These are temporary initiatives and we need some more long term solutions. (29)

Election Day is November 3^rd.