Editor's note: Town council candidate Edgar Robbins did not provide answers to the candidate questionnaire. Current councilmember Richard Holloman did not provide answers to the candidate questionnaire as he has dropped out of the race.
Meet the candidates
Susan Waleed: I have been a resident of Leland for over a decade. I'm originally from New Jersey. I graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in science and worked for the State of New Jersey for almost 30 years — first with disabled people and then with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, then retiring from the Division of Gaming Enforcement. I’ve been married for 39 years, and I have 4 beautiful children and a son-in-law who considers himself my 5th child. From their unions, I have 8 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. We consider Leland our forever home and hope that we could have a quiet and slow life here, boy, we were surprised at the progress of this quiet town.
Frank Pendleton: I am a seasoned business leader and community advocate. I was born and raised in Florida and earned my bachelor's degree in political science and history from Florida State University and then went on to receive a master’s degree in management from Indiana Institute of Technology. I have over 30 years of professional experience, including more than two decades in the transportation industry. I currently serve as a sales executive for Boxwell LLC. Throughout my career, I have led teams, managed complex projects, and helped businesses grow responsibly and sustainably. I’m a skilled problem solver, consensus builder, and strategic planner.
Bill McHugh: I live in Leland with my wife Danielle and our two-year-old daughter, Riley. I am an attorney working in clinical research, providing global oversight for clinical trial contract development and negotiation. I graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BA in political science and social science and earned my Juris Doctor (law) degree from St. Thomas University School of Law.
I am an Eagle Scout with a history of service to my community. My service includes working with “Gateway Community Outreach” in Florida in 2015 where I assisted food-insecure families. I also volunteered with local catering companies and food trucks after Florence to help feed individuals in need as well as members of the Cajun Navy. In 2018, I served on the NHRMC “Storm Team” during Hurricane Florence as a Food and Nutrition Coordinator, providing meals to the hospital staff and families during the lockdown. During the pandemic, I worked on COVID-19 clinical trials to help expedite lifesaving solutions to that crisis.
I currently serve on the Executive Board for the Boy Scouts of America’s Cape Fear Council, the Board of Directors of Cape Fear Voices, and the North Carolina League of Municipalities Legislative Policy Committee
Leland Hyer: My name is Leland Hyer, and I have lived in North Carolina since 2015. I currently serve as an Assistant Principal at West Bladen High School in Bladen County. I hold an undergraduate degree in Political Science and two master’s degrees — one in STEM education from NC State University and another in school administration from UNC Wilmington. I have a strong interest in serving my community and began regularly attending Leland Town Council meetings in January 2025, attending all but two meetings this year.
A college professor once taught me that real leadership is rooted in four actions: Listen, Learn, Help, and Lead. I have carried this approach throughout my career and will ensure that the voices of Leland’s residents guide my decisions as a member of the Town Council.
Leland's approach to flooding
Susan Waleed: I feel that the rate of building has influenced the flooding in Leland. Any type of accelerated building will impact the environment, especially if you tear down trees and bushes that allow some of the rain to be absorbed and help with the erosion of the soil.
Frank Pendleton: Stormwater and flooding are major concerns in Leland, especially in neighborhoods like Brunswick Forest, where residents are already seeing the impact of poor planning and rapid development. I feel we need a much stronger and more proactive approach to stormwater management and flood mitigation. I would support stricter enforcement of the permitting by the Planning Commission and the Leland Town Council. Developers must be held accountable for building systems that truly handle the runoff from their projects and not just meet the bare minimum requirements. This means thorough inspections, monitoring, and strict consequences if corners are cut. Growth has added a tremendous strain to existing systems. I would prioritize identifying problem areas, planning improvements, and seeking funding from federal and state sources to help offset the cost. Finally, flood mitigation must be built into the approval process for all new developments. If a project increases flooding risk for existing homeowners, it shouldn’t move forward until there’s a workable solution in place.
Bill McHugh: I absolutely think our flood protection ordinance needs to be updated. That’s why I began that process in the summer of 2024, when I met with town staff to discuss potential updates, looking to effectively end residential flood zone development in Leland. Flood zone development puts our residents and first responders at risk, puts the insurability of the region at risk, and is environmentally irresponsible.
We began the formal process in November of that year and came up with an ordinance that a) reduced density, b) added the 500-year flood zone to the ordinance, c) raised the freeboard requirement from 2 feet to 4, and most importantly, d) banned the use of structural fill to raise properties out of the flood zone.
Though that specific ordinance was tabled over my objection, we will have a workshop on the topic soon to discuss it further. I remain hopeful that we will ultimately pass meaningful changes to protect Leland’s future.
Leland Hyer: Flooding has become a significant concern for communities across Brunswick County, and I believe it is important to review Leland’s current flood ordinance to ensure it effectively protects residents, property, and infrastructure. While I support a comprehensive review, I would not advocate for the ordinance currently under consideration by the Town Council, as I believe we must balance flood protection, responsible development, and the rights of property owners. Any updates should be based on sound data, community input, and long-term sustainability.
Local taxes
Susan Waleed: I don’t see how tax rates are going to be lower now that they have been included in the town budget. Personally, I do not want to see any tax increases in the next budget. This budget has obtained a lot of services, roads, vehicles, parks and recreation, and the hiring of additional employees. However, I truly won’t know the full impact of the increases until I get hopefully into the council seat.
Frank Pendleton: I believe taxes should be fair, transparent, and used wisely. My focus is on making sure every tax dollar is spent responsibly and only where it truly benefits the community. Before considering raising or lowering the rate, I would thoroughly review the budget line by line to eliminate waste and ensure efficiency. If we can meet community needs without any additional burden on taxpayers, that’s the path I will take. My priority is protecting families and businesses while making smart, sustainable investments in our town’s future.
Bill McHugh: When you compare Leland’s tax rate to the 22 most similarly sized towns in North Carolina, you’ll find that only four have a lower rate.
When Leland previously presented a budget with a large tax increase and a large increase in services, it was soundly rejected by our residents. They made it clear that keeping the tax rate low needed to remain a top priority, and I heard that message loud and clear.
I believe we are at a good rate and should strive to keep it there. We need to focus on investing in core services like police, fire, roads, and parks while focusing on overall safety, interconnectivity and preservation of green spaces.
Leland Hyer: The citizens of Leland understandably have concerns about taxes following the proposed rate hike in April 2024, and I believe it is important to restore trust and maintain financial stability.
However, we must also be realistic and recognize that inflation and rising costs may eventually require adjustments to the tax rate in the future. My focus will be on responsible, conservative budgeting to delay increases as long as possible, while ensuring we can maintain the high level of services our residents expect and deserve.
Affordable housing
Susan Waleed: Leland would have to look at rezoning areas of town to accommodate lower-income households and to build lower-income houses. This will be no easy task as the value of homes has jumped more than 22% in the last decade making a great deal of money for builders. Also, with retirees settling in Leland that can afford to jump into the amount of a house purchased, it’s going to be very difficult to obtain this goal. However, with a commitment of making affordable housing for those that want to live in Leland, it can be done.
Frank Pendleton: Affordable housing is about balance – meeting growth while protecting the character of our community. I believe we can encourage affordable options by working with responsible developers, ensuring projects align with our infrastructure capacity and promoting smart growth rather than unchecked growth. Incentives can be explored for development that includes affordable housing while maintaining high standards for quality and safety. Most importantly, I will advocate for policies that make housing accessible to working families, seniors and young people without placing an added burden on taxpayers or straining the town's resources.
Bill McHugh: During my first term we saw an increase in townhome construction, which offers a more affordable option for those looking to purchase a home. We have also seen an increase in rental options beyond just apartments, which helps serve families and those who may be looking for something different.
That said, we have a long way to go. The cost of housing has skyrocketed throughout the entire state and much of the country. We need to seek partners for programs that support workforce housing and find creative ways to ensure our teachers and first responders can live in the community they serve. Continuing to work with partners like Habitat for Humanity will be critical moving forward.
Leland Hyer: I live in an apartment in Leland and, like many residents, I hope to own a home here one day. I believe the free market plays an important role in creating affordable housing by responding to demand and providing more options for residents.
At the same time, I will support responsible planning and partnerships that encourage a mix of housing types while ensuring growth aligns with our infrastructure and protects Leland’s character.
Traffic in Leland
Susan Waleed: Our roads are going to need major overhauls and revamping to accommodate the influx of traffic coming in and going out of Leland, this town was not built for this type of growth. At this time, on the softer side of decisions, I think that additional red lights with longer time limits and additional stop signs coming in and out of complexes may alleviate some of the standing-still traffic and slow it down to help with accidents. It’s a sad commentary and reality that we have lost people on our highway whether it was from someone texting, driving too fast and stopping too fast. It's an unnecessary loss of life.
Frank Pendleton: With Leland‘s rapid growth, traffic safety must be a top priority. I support stronger coordination with NCDOT to improve traffic flow on US 17 and around the shopping centers by adding crosswalks, sidewalks, and lighting in high traffic areas. We also need to explore a way for pedestrians and cyclists to cross 17. Currently there is not a way.
Bill McHugh: Interconnectivity and working with NCDOT will be key here. Over the past few years, we have implemented plans like our Strategic Plan, Integrated Mobility Plan, and Safe Streets for All initiative to directly address this in our short and long term planning.
In addition to these plans, we added a Police Power Shift to help with traffic enforcement. The Power Shift doubles our police presence during the busiest 12 hours of the day, seven days a week in an effort to keep Leland safe and improve engagement.
Leland Hyer: Leland’s rapid growth has placed significant pressure on our roads, leading
to increased traffic congestion and safety concerns.
To address this, I support working closely with state and regional transportation partners to advocate for improved road design, enhanced traffic flow, and the prioritization of high-impact infrastructure projects. I also believe we need targeted safety measures, such as better crosswalks, upgraded lighting, and pedestrian-friendly planning, to reduce accidents, protect lives, and keep traffic moving efficiently.
Leland's growth
Susan Waleed: Personally, I think it’s too much. I know that progress is good but at what cost? We have roads that cannot accommodate the growth, we have longer time on the roads, we have erosion of our natural resources, we have complaints of air pollution from the burning of the resources. This is the reason I decided to throw my hat into the ring and run for one of the council seats. There may be a lot of people that will not agree with my feelings on future progress because to them any type of progress is a good thing. However, I think we need to resolve the more important issues of infrastructure, crowding on our highways, encroaching on our natural resources and the displacement of our established wildlife, the burning of trees and bushes which affect the drainage of rain which leads to flooding.
Frank Pendleton: Growth in Leland is inevitable, however what we have seen over the past several years is a growth explosion. We must manage that growth responsibly so it doesn’t overwhelm infrastructure. I would support policies that link development directly to the capacity of our infrastructure ensuring roads, schools, utilities, and emergency services are in place before approving permits that allow for continued large scale development without the services to support it. We must also protect our environment. Developers must be required to preserve more trees and green space while using alternative methods to debris burning which harms air quality and public health. Also, growth should not come at the expense of taxpayers.
Bill McHugh: Leland’s rapid growth is and will remain our greatest challenge. Local governments are very limited in their ability to control growth, so we must manage it by being prepared for what’s to come. It is incredibly easy to fall behind in areas like infrastructure, so we must be proactive in its maintenance and construction.
While I am happy to see our community grow and thrive, I want to see improvements in the way it grows. I will continue to advocate for preservation of green space, tree protection, bans on open burning, restricted flood zone development, and many other destructive and irresponsible practices. My main objective for Leland is and always will be to ensure a safe, smart, and sustainable future for our community.
Leland Hyer: Leland’s growth brings tremendous opportunities for economic development, new amenities, and a stronger tax base, but it also creates significant challenges for infrastructure, traffic, and quality of life. I welcome growth when it is smart, sustainable, and well-planned, ensuring that new development aligns with our community’s needs and preserves the character that makes Leland special. My goal is to manage growth responsibly so that we can benefit from new opportunities without overwhelming our roads, schools, and services.
The voter registration deadline for Leland is October 10th. Early voting begins October 16th and election day is November 4th. Click here for more information.
