Lynn Barbee wants a seat on Carolina Beach Town Council. He’s lived in the town most of his life, and he figures that gives him a good understanding of the tension between old-timers and newcomers.
And this first-time candidate says the search for a new town manager should follow the corporate strategy of holding out for the best and the brightest.
As Chief Information Officer for Atlantic Packaging, Barbee says Carolina Beach also needs to hire a dedicated shoreline management professional – since the Town’s whole economy pivots on the health of the beach. It’s one key part of his budget strategy he wants to link to a long-range plan.
"If I could only have one thing – it would be to begin to repair that communication bridge between the residents and citizens and the taxpayers and the Town… We would plan earlier. We would have a sound financial package with the data to our residents to help them understand where we are on the budget; put it in perspective for them. I believe that would stop some of this angst around budget and suspicion about where money’s going. Let’s remove all that…"
Barbee says the town’s parking problems are overplayed. All those people on the beach found a spot somewhere. But, he says, a more organized mix of public and private parking would help.
