On Wednesday, Oct. 7, WECT, Port City Daily, UNCW’s The Seahawk, and WHQR Public Media held a New Hanover County Board of Commissioners forum for five candidates running for office.
Two are incumbents: Republican LeAnn Pierce and Democrat Rob Zapple. The other three candidates are Libertarian Bob Drach, Republican Richard Collier, and Democrat Dr. LeShonda Wallace. There are two open seats in this 2026 midterm election.
Below are where candidates stand on some of the issues affecting the county, as voiced at the forum. WHQR reporter Rachel Keith and Port City Daily reporter Brenna Flanagan detailed main points, fact-checked some statements, and further clarified comments made.
Richard Collier - Republican
Collier advocated voting for “growth only if it’s providing the correct infrastructure and it’s in the right places.”
In terms of the property tax rate, he hopes the county can expand its tax base in terms of bringing in additional revenues through business and job growth.
“The only way you keep the tax rate down is to expand on the businesses themselves. [...] We need to continue expanding that job base and that industry base, so that we can expand the tax base, which will keep the tax rate down,” he said.
On the issue of unhoused people in New Hanover County, he said nonprofits are typically the ones to step up to provide services, along with the City of Wilmington.
“I don't know that the county has as much of an input into the homeless issue as does what's happening in the city itself. [...] I don't know that it's the county's job to fix that,” Collier said.
However, last year, according to WHQR’s reporting on the issue, the county has funded initiatives to help this cohort of people. The Getting Home program received $536,623, and $500,000 over two years went to the Salvation Army facility.
For Getting Home, the county employs a team of four social workers and a supervisor. The county has also given $250,000 to Leading Into New Communities (LINC) for housing support, and a full-time social worker based at the downtown library.
The county has also dedicated millions of dollars, including opioid settlement funds, to address mental health and substance abuse, including debt service and operational funding for The Healing Place, which provides both emergency shelter and peer-led substance abuse treatment. The county’s investment was $1.6 million in the facility and spent $1.1 million purchasing beds for The Healing Place, which came from the settlement funds.
Collier also said he thinks the county’s public-private partnerships are a way to provide affordable housing for the community.
According to a county spokesperson, this is taking place.
“Investments in affordable housing are determined by the Board of Commissioners through policy decisions. From FY 2022-23 through FY 2024-25, the New Hanover County Housing Program was part of the budget process, with an annual commitment to workforce housing projects, renovations or rental assistance initiatives. In total, 11 projects received some level of approximately $9.8 million in funding and will support 807 total units once all projects are complete.”
The spokesperson added: “There are two currently in the final stages of construction and two more are expected to conclude construction in 2027. While Commissioners opted to sunset the Housing Program as it was following FY 2024-25, they have continued considering and approving support for affordable housing, including a $2 million loan to Cape Fear Development that will be used towards the construction of Proximity Blue Clay. This 236-unit townhome community will offer rents below market rate over a 10-year period.”
With the Proximity Blue Clay project, the county stands to receive $100,000 in annual interest payments for a decade, and according to the county spokesperson, that money can be “reinvested in other affordable housing proposals, with the entirety of the loan being paid back after 10 years. Additionally, the redevelopment of the former library site at the Grace District and the currently-in-construction mixed-use facility where the Government Center was formerly located both contain requirements of 5 percent workforce housing for 10 years if multi-family units are built on site.”
Collier also thought an audience question where he was asked about the increased risk of storm surge and flooding due to climate change “as an engineer” was “a little bit of a loaded question.” However, he did say people in government dealing with flooding should consult the FEMA flood zone mapping to advise on development.
Bob Drach - Libertarian
Drach said he wants to bring “independence” to the commission and the public wants more than just Democratic or Republican options.
He cited a poll from Meredith College, saying that “63% of North Carolinians said the two major parties do not do an adequate job of representing the public’s interest.” It’s unclear which specific Meredith poll he meant, though a 2017 poll showed similar numbers.
“Less than one-in-five citizens feel that the two major parties do an adequate job, while a majority (56.7%) feel a third party is needed to improve government,” according to a report on the 2017 poll.
Drach added the county’s debt service is at 12% and he wants to reduce it even further so “money can be redeployed.” He further added he wants to tap into the $300 million Revenue Stabilization Fund to pay down the county’s debt, so it would come down to 9% to 10%. However, county commissioners need a supermajority vote to access those funds – and the county manager, Chris Coudriet, has said the funds are typically for emergencies.
As for the debt services, a county spokesperson said it’s closer to 11% — and 12% last fiscal year. They added: “the county does have a debt management policy,which is available here. County policy sets three limits: debt service may not exceed 20 percent of total expenditures, per capita debt may not exceed $2,200 and the county’s outstanding debt shall not exceed 1.6 percent of the county-wide assessed value.”
While Drach was the only commission candidate to raise his hand to say he didn’t support any further restrictions on future data center projects, he said during the forum: “Any of you that don't want data centers, put your phones down, lock them up, don't use them.”
Drach also said the county’s public schools have “tremendous needs. The bond is beyond needed, but the school has challenges. Enrollment’s going down, academic results are mixed, and there are going to be some tough decisions that have to be made by the school board.”
This is accurate. NHCS Superintendent Dr. Chris Barnes has consistently said the district is at a “subsistence level” and there are $2.5 billion in facility needs. Enrollments have been going down over time but along the same trend lines as other public schools in the state. Barnes, too, has said he’s looking into a 10-year consolidation plan, which might mean some schools have to close.
New Hanover County Schools have some of the best-performing schools in the state — and some of the lowest, so the results are mixed in those terms.
LeAnn Pierce - Republican
Pierce said she wants to continue approving developments only if the infrastructure is there to support it. She also wants the county to keep preserving open space and cited examples like the western bank of the Cape Fear Ruver, Flossie Bryan Tract, and the county's partnership with The Endowment and City of Wilmington to co-fund the park near Bradley Creek Elementary.
She also said the county has been able to keep the property tax rate locked in at “30.6 cents while still increasing school funding every year.”
The tax rate has been at 30.6 cents per $100 in property value for the last two years; prior to that, and the county’s most recent property value reevaluation in 2024, it was around 45 cents. As Pierce has noted in the past, even though the tax rate is lower, government spending has still increased, because the tax base has increased dramatically.
Pierce’s claim about school funding is accurate in terms of operational support, but the full funding picture is more complicated and uneven.
Following a reduction in fiscal year 22-23, the year before Pierce was elected, operational funding has increased every year, with roughly $94 million in 23-24, $99.6 million in 24-25, $103 million in 25-26, and $106.5 million this year.
Capital, debt, and pre-K funding have fluctuated. Capital funding went from $10 million four years ago to nothing the following year, and was $2.6 and $2.8 million the next two years. Pre-K funding, which had been supported by Covid relief funds in 23-24, was controversially cut in 24-25 and 25-26, but restored this year. Debt service has been tapering off as the county pays down older school bonds, though that will increase again if the school bond on the November ballot passes.
As for development, Pierce said the commission “can only approve developments in places where infrastructure exists to support it.” She added this was an issue in the past “where things just get approved and there's no infrastructure to support it. And then later we ask the taxpayers to fund that infrastructure. That is not what we need to be doing.”
As for the $320.5 million school board to fund infrastructure improvements throughout the district’s public schools, she supports it along with her Democratic and Republican colleagues. She said in terms of working with The Endowment on further school capital funding, “We don't burn bridges, and we don't want to give up $116 million dollars. It's something like $45 dollars per an average household of a $450,000 house, something like that per year. I think that is something that is worth the investment 100%.”
She’s referring to The Endowment agreeing to supplement some of the bond payments, which will reduce the property tax increase. Pierce’s estimate is accurate, according to the ballot language for the bond, which notes the associated increase in property tax will be $5 per $100,000 of property value.
Pierce said she was committed to going back to The Endowment to fund Phase II-IV of New Hanover High School’s renovations and expansion. The school bond only funds close to $60 million for Phase I, the school still needs $170 million to finish the project. She also mentioned going to state and federal sources for this money; however, the statutory responsibility for public school facilities is the county commission. Governor Josh Stein’s budget proposal did support giving millions in capital funds to local school districts, but that wasn’t taken up by the legislature.
On the issue of nominating people to the various county boards, Pierce said she might entertain an idea to create a more thorough process, something she did at the Town of Carolina Beach while in government leadership.
“We had a rubric, and we had our staff interview each and every one of them, and rate them before it ever came to us as council members. We [commissioners] talked just recently about doing something like that, and then of course the commissioners would have the ultimate decision in that,” she said.
The commission also makes four appointments to the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees. Current commission appointees are NHC Commissioner Dane Scalise, lawyer Lanny Wilson, retired Air Wilmington owner Bill Cherry, and real estate broker and lawyer Robby Collins.
Pierce said she would like for those applicants to “have some experience in the community college realm, like in teaching or their education level and what it means. And I think even having folks there that are skilled in the trades, that is such a big part of our community college.”
However, there is only one trustee who has a background in public education, Marc Sosne, who was recently reappointed by the state legislature. No one has community college experience – they are mainly lawyers, realtors, and work in finance. As for trades, Teddy Davis, who is the son of NC House of Representatives Ted Davis, is the owner-operator of Farmers Supply Company. Trustee Cailey Rash, appointed by the legislature, works in healthcare, and Paula Sewell, who was appointed by the governor but lost appointment authority, works in interior design.
LeShonda Wallace - Democrat
Wallace has served on the county’s Health and Human Services board for nine years and is an advanced practice nurse at Novant Health. At the forum she said she maintains a “five-star practice” — which is true, according to 94 ratings made on Novant Health’s website.
Wallace was asked what the county could improve in the realm of community health. She said she would push to reinvest in nonprofits; the county cut $1.6 million in grants in 2025, with commissioners suggesting The Endowment was the best route for nonprofit funding.
Wallace said nonprofits can provide services to community members uncomfortable with seeking care from the government.
Wallace also said the county could do a better job of communicating with the public, emphasizing the use of a variety of sources. The county does send out news alerts via email and website posts, along with media releases and social media posts, though Wallace suggested text message alerts as another viable mode.
Wallace has described her campaign as focusing on ensuring everyone in the county benefits from population growth and making the county more transparent and accountable.
“Not only do we want to follow what we invest, we want to make sure that investment has outcomes, and that means putting the community and other systems crossing silos at the table so that we know collectively what the outcomes will be,” Wallace said.
The candidate was also asked about strengthening partnerships in the county, a priority she highlighted in her media questionnaire. She pointed to the reestablishment of the joint workforce housing committee with the City of Wilmington and the county’s workforce housing funding commitment, both cut by commissioners in 2025. The commissioners, however, started a new revolving loan fund this year with $4 million.
Wallace was also asked if she supported more school nurses; she said she supports the current standard, with a nurse assigned to each school, and added she didn’t think any positions should be shared among schools.
Wallace claimed the majority of the county’s budget goes toward the school district, though only 26% of the overall 2026-2027 budget is allotted for education, including operating and capital expenditures for New Hanover County Schools and Cape Fear Community College.
Education funding, at $127.26 million, is the largest category in the county’s budget, especially adding in $25.1 million in debt service exclusive to education. However, public safety is close behind with an allocation of $122.6 million.
During her closing remarks, Wallace clarified why she didn’t raise her hand on a question posed to all candidates: if they supported the constitutional amendment on this November’s ballot that would permit the state legislature to limit increases on local property taxes.
“When we say lower taxes, keep in mind that everyone will not benefit from the lower taxes,” she said. “And if you're renting, your landlord is not going to lower your rent. Gas prices are not going to go down because they have decided to put a cap on taxes. But those individuals who have that cap, they still can pay for private school for their kids. They can still afford their groceries. They can still go and pay for gas at the pump, so that is why I voted no.”
Though tax policy is a debated topic, some studies and think tanks argue restricting property tax authority does not benefit citizens on the lower end of the income spectrum and can make affordable housing more unobtainable.
Rob Zapple - Democrat
Zapple is seeking his fourth four-year term as county commissioner, having been first elected in 2014. At this year’s forum, he said he’s campaigning on clean water for all county citizens, protection of the coastal environment, conservation of open and green space, and “full funding” of public schools.
“We have increased it,” Zapple said about the county’s funding for NHCS. “Well, this year the superintendent asked for 3%. We gave them a 4% increase in their funding.”
Comparing allocations for pre-K, capital outlay and operating expenses, the county increased its funding from approximately $107.1 million in fiscal year 2025-2026 to $111.4 million this fiscal year, approximating a 4% increase. The amount this year is up from $96.5 million in fiscal year 2021-2022.
Zapple was also questioned about his stance on the county’s budget. He has been critical of the 2025 budget passed by the commissioners’ Republican majority; they set a tax rate of 30.6 cents, which required $36 million in spending cuts and the use of the county’s savings and other reserve funds to balance the budget. After a year of growing costs, the county was still financially strained going into budget talks earlier this year.
“We started the budget season at $26 million out of budget — 12 and a half of that million went back to cut services,” Zapple said. “They have a fancier word for it — to tighten the belts of different departments. But 13-and-a-half million dollars went to the open market and paid commercial interest for your services … I disagree with that completely.”
WHQR and Port City Daily sent Zapple’s entire comment to the county for clarification, but the county only addressed the $13.6-million figure. The county said this refers to the amount of debt financing for eligible capital expenditures.
“Borrowing for capital projects is a standard practice for local governments and is separate from funding day-to-day operations,” a county spokesperson stated.
According to prior reporting from Port City Daily, the commissioners were presented with a $4-million deficit at its first budget session this year. The adopted budget used approximately $3.96 million in unassigned fund balance and $2.2 million in assigned fund balance and capital projects earnings, along with $5.1 million in interest earnings from various funds.
Unlike the year prior, the current budget does not pull from the principal amount in the Revenue Stabilization Fund, which Zapple has been critical of, along with using savings to balance the budget instead of setting a tax rate that could cover county expenses.
However, Zapple did vote in favor of this fiscal year’s budget, while his Democratic colleague Stephanie Walker voted against it due to the use of fund balance.
At the forum, Zapple was not forthcoming with a tax rate he would prefer, opting to speak with the county manager before advocating for any rate.
Zapple was also asked about his definition of responsible growth; he pointed to the county’s Last Frontier project as a proactive solution to the region’s population boom by supplying water and sewer to largely undeveloped areas. He said people might say the project encourages development, but he resisted that takeaway.
“That development and the people who are coming here are coming here,” he said. “We have growth that's here, but we want to do it smart and we want to protect our land.”
Several large developments in the northern part of the county have been put forward since the Last Frontier’s announcement in 2022, including the Proximity at Blue Clay — a workforce housing development backed by $2 million in county investment — the 236-unit Swartville neighborhood, and the 1,800-unit Hilton Bluffs, which has yet to be approved due to safety concerns with its site plans.
A housing needs assessment presented to the county in 2025 calls for the addition of 21,864 units — 12,864 for ownership and 8,317 for rental — over the next decade to keep pace with current housing need and projected population growth. Nearly 245,000 people live in New Hanover County now, with that number expected to rise to 305,506 by 2043.
Zapple was also asked about how he would improve oversight of the sheriff’s department, as he and other commissioners said they were unaware of the details of the department’s contract with Flock, an AI-integrated camera surveillance system. The county canceled its agreement to use Flock’s automated license plate readers, but not the company’s Condor cameras, of which the county has eight. These are tilt-and-zoom cameras capable of capturing real-time videos.
The commissioners said the sheriff is an elected official and, thus, the county’s oversight pertains to the purse strings. He said he would look at funding items on a case-by-case basis and engage with the sheriff directly on the need for any new items.
“In this year's budget, I think we purchased over 50, maybe as many as 75 new police sheriffs cars, for instance,” Zapple said. And I know I raised that issue with our sheriff — do we need all of those? Can we not spread that out over multiple years? And his answer to me directly was, ‘No, commissioner, we can't. Remember, you did that two years ago, and we now are at a point where we need new vehicles.’ And he made his case strongly.”
The county confirmed the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office received approximately $2.5 million in funding for replacement vehicles this fiscal year. That total covers 52 vehicles – 50 replacements and two additions to the department’s fleet.
When all commissioners were asked if they supported the county’s use of PTZ cameras in its parks, Zapple did not raise his hand but said the issue was “complicated.” He addressed his answer further in his closing comments.
“They act as security cameras,” Zapple said. “I think the function of the Flock, some of their expanded functions are wrong, and that's where we need to attack that. But I want to make sure that everybody who goes to our parks feels as though they are safe, and that nothing will happen, and that we have a record of anything bad going on.”
Disclosure notice: Zapple is a member of the WHQR board of directors, which has no role in editorial decisions or reporting.
