A conversation with New Hanover County Commissioner LeAnn Pierce about taxes, budget cuts, and spending priorities

By Benjamin Schachtman

Published March 14, 2025 at 5:33 PM EDT

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On today’s show, I’m sitting down with Republican New Hanover County Commissioner LeAnn Pierce about her thoughts and goals as the county’s budget negotiations move forward. We asked Pierce, vice-chair of the Board of Commissioners, about her thoughts on where the tax rate should go — and ways to make the county more efficient, including calls to eliminate DEI and have The Endowment step in to support some previously county-funded programs.

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Benjamin Schachtman

Ben Schachtman is a journalist and editor with a focus on local government accountability. He began reporting for Port City Daily in the Wilmington area in 2016 and took over as managing editor there in 2018. He’s a graduate of Rutgers College and later received his MA from NYU and his PhD from SUNY-Stony Brook, both in English Literature. He loves spending time with his wife and playing rock'n'roll very loudly. You can reach him at BSchachtman@whqr.org and find him on Twitter @Ben_Schachtman.

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