My Priorities
My leadership experience in affordable housing, land use, public service, and disaster recovery has prepared me to tackle the City's most pressing issues:
Housing Stability & Affordability: Housing is the foundation for everything else in life. I will bring together different perspectives to lead our community toward a better future, where we can all find and remain in a safe, affordable home.
Community Development: Public safety, access to basic services, and economic opportunity are keys to building a community we can all be proud of and enjoy. I will work across political divides to find common sense solutions that support these critical components of our quality of life.
Green Infrastructure: Our unique coastal natural resources enrich our community. I will preserve our trees and green space for stormwater management, public health, and -of course- recreation!
SPECIFICALLY...
Community Development
We are blessed to live in a beautiful, thriving city. Wilmington is among the top ten fastest-growing metro areas in the US! But not everyone is experiencing the same level of wellness, security, and prosperity.
I am committed to developing policies and delivering services that honor and uplift every person; I strongly oppose discrimination of any kind. Every Wilmingtonian should feel safe and have the opportunity to thrive.
I will work to increase the City's commitment to contract with WMBE (women and minority-owned business entities) and I will push for goals to support more local businesses. The City's budget is not just a list of expenses, it includes opportunity to invest in our home-grown entrepreneurs to keep prosperity in our town.
I will support our first responders and other City workers, working to reduce burnout and increase retention rates. I have years of experience leading public servants in the nonprofit sector and understand that a competitive salary, a lot of appreciation, opportunities for advancement, and a healthy organizational culture go a long way!
Because housing intersects every issue from health to disaster response to policing to economic development, I have worked with leaders in all these areas and am committed to doing our very best to address unmet needs.
Green Infrastructure
Designated a Tree City USA in 2002, Wilmington’s tree canopy has been decreasing by about 1% per year for the past six years. Trees and green space increase our resilience to storms, enhance our quality of life, and clean our air and water.
The City has made some important investments in green spaces that we all enjoy. As we continue to grow, we need to be more aggressive in preserving and increasing green infrastructure. In 2022, the City Council commissioned an Urban Forestry Master Plan. The strategies to steward our City’s trees are laid out before us, and I’ll bring the political will to invest in them.
A recent survey of Wilmingtonians found 96% of our community agrees that having trees is worth the financial cost of maintaining them. I’ll ensure the resources are allocated to strengthen our tree canopy in ways that leverage private resources, build on partnerships with nonprofits, and celebrate our residents’ love of nature.
Housing Stability & Affordability
In our community, a household must earn $63,000+ to afford a 2-bedroom market rate apartment. That is out of reach for many essential workers in public service, childcare, education, and hospitality – people we rely on every day.
This crisis is nationwide and has developed over generations of unjust zoning and banking laws, workforce shortages, and inflation. It will take all of us to make a dent in it.
I have dedicated the past two decades of my career to putting stable, safe, affordable housing back within reach for our neighbors.
I improved housing stability and preserved our supply of affordable homes as the CEO of WARM NC, a nonprofit that offers substantial repairs for homeowners who can’t afford them. Homeownership is the primary way out of poverty, and preserving housing that low-income families bought on their own is the most efficient way to address our supply problem. During my 15 years at the helm of WARM NC, we helped over 2,000 families stay in their homes.
My current role in affordable housing development with Wesley CDC requires careful stewardship of government subsidies such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) and rental assistance vouchers for seniors and families.
I served 6 years on the Wilmington Planning Commission, focused on improving workforce housing incentives, was elected Chair three times, and made recommendations on the rewrite of the Land Development Code.
In 2018, I was appointed by the General Assembly to the board that oversees the NC Housing Trust Fund, making difficult decisions about how and where millions of state dollars are allocated, leveraging private investment to make the biggest impact.
Wilmington has the need, the resources, and the talent to create and manage our own housing investments, and to build on the existing housing programs within the City that make a difference every day for hundreds of Wilmingtonians.
