September 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Annie Drees, running for re-election to Holly Springs Town Council, brings her engineering background and problem-solving mindset to local government. She believes in preserving Holly Springs' community spirit while managing growth, improving transportation options, and creating more affordable housing opportunities.
• Serving on council for two years with experience on the Legislative Action Committee, Tree Advisory Committee, and Nonprofit Grant Committee
• Top priorities include creating affordable housing incentives, expanding transit options, and establishing an environmental advisory board
• Supports better development planning with thoughtful buffers and tree preservation to maintain town character
• Advocates for revising the town budget to focus on immediate traffic needs rather than postponable projects
• Pushed for Wake County Non-Discrimination Ordinance update but was outvoted by majority of council
• Created a matrix system for board appointments to ensure diverse perspectives from different parts of town
• Believes in creating more opportunities for council members to directly engage with residents
• Consistently reads preparation materials, visits sites, and meets with people to make informed decisions
• Endorsed by Wake County Democratic Party & Democratic Municipal Officials
Drees is one of six candidates running for Holly Springs Town Council, where voters may choose up to three. Early voting begins October 16th, and you'll need a valid ID to vote. Your vote on November 4th will help to shape Holly Springs for generations to come. Make sure you have a plan!
Annie4HollySprings@gmail.com
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October 25-November 1
John M. Brown Community Center-53 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502
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Now, let's dive in!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (00:09):
Hello friends, welcome back to the NC
Deep Dive podcast.
I'm your host, Amanda BenbowLunn, and today I am honored to
be speaking with Annie Drees aspart of our 2025 Municipal
Election Candidate Conversations.
Annie is running for thefour-year seat on the Holly
Springs Town Council.
For this race, Annie will berunning against Josh Prizer,
(00:32):
Sarah Larson, Joe Cuccurullo,Kara Foster and Tim Forrest.
These races are non-partisan,so there will not be any party
affiliation like an R or a Dnext to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to votefor up to three of these
candidates for this seat.
On your ballot.
In this election, the top threevote-getters will join Holly
(00:55):
Springs Town Council membersDanielle Hewetson and Chris
DeShazor to make up itsfive-member body.
In these candidateconversations, each candidate
will be asked the same questionsformulated by our constituent
survey, observing communitymembers in person and online,
and fine-tuning with AI to keepthem as fair, unbiased and as
(01:16):
open-ended as possible.
Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Annie Drees.
You're running for the HollySprings Town Council.
I'll give you a few moments totell me a little bit about
yourself, how long you've livedin the area and what has
inspired you to run again.
Annie Drees (01:35):
Every time people ask how long I've lived in the
area, I do a grade check.
I'm like we moved here when myyoungest was in third grade and
now he's in 11th.
So what does that make thatSeven years?
Eight years?
I think it's seven years thatwe've been in Holly Springs.
I have been on town council nowfor two years.
(01:55):
I was elected two years ago andI will tell you that is just so
quick.
It was gone in an eye and Ithrew myself into the role when
I was first elected.
But there's so much more that Istill want to do so I'm not
ready to hang up the towel.
I love the opportunity to seesome things through, to get
farther in what I've been tryingto achieve, now that I
(02:16):
understand how things work, tobe able to work with the system
for the good of Holly Springs,I'm excited, I'm eager and I'm
committed.
You know the town council roleis an intense role.
It takes a lot of time itreally does and I thought long
and hard about knowing what goesinto it.
Am I willing to commit to thatagain?
And I am.
I can give this town four moreyears and I hope Holly Springs
(02:39):
will give me that privilege.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (02:41):
Have you been an active voter, including
in localelections?
Annie Drees (02:45):
Yes, I am a regular voter.
I always vote in municipals andpresidential.
You know all the way up anddown, I think ever since I
turned 18,.
I voted.
And I believe that where you canreally make a difference is at
the local level.
That's where your voice carriesthe most weight.
It doesn't mean that your voicedoesn't matter in these
(03:06):
presidential races.
It does, but it takes more.
So I think municipals is whereit's at.
I encourage everybody to voteNovember 4th.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (03:16):
What do you feel is the role of a town
council member?
Annie Drees (03:19):
Well, the role of a town council member is twofold.
I believe you are arepresentative of the community
and you're also a steward ofHolly Springs.
So you're looking at theproblems of today, the problems
of your neighbors, of the folkson the other side of 55, as well
as the folks on your side of 55.
And you're also looking towhere Holly Springs is growing,
(03:40):
where it's going and what is inthe long-term interest that will
keep Holly Springs residentshere and their kids to come back
here.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (03:47):
What is your involvement within the
community and town governmentand what qualifications make you
prepared for this role?
Annie Drees (03:54):
So I've been a long-time volunteer in Holly
Springs and in Wake County.
Now I'm serving on town counciland in my role I've served on
the legislative Action Committeeand the intention of that
committee is to bubble up localissues to the state and the
national level.
So I've been in meetings withboth state and national
legislators advocating for theneeds of the residents of Holly
(04:16):
Springs.
I have been on the TreeAdvisory Committee.
That one is near and dear to myheart, the Tree Advisory
Committee.
You know they're responsiblefor the street trees in Holly
Springs but I think there's alot of potential for that
advisory committee to do more inour community.
So I would love to see thathappen and evolve.
I've also been on the NonprofitGrant Committee.
So on the Nonprofit GrantCommittee we accept applications
(04:39):
from nonprofit organizationsand we read through those and
see how they serve the HollySprings community and we grant
those nonprofit organizationsfunds to continue their good
work in our community.
I am an engineer by training.
That's my day job and I thinkwe talked about this two years
ago.
I'm a problem solver.
I am detail oriented and Ithink that's really important
(05:00):
because my mindset is around howdo we solve problems in our
community and I think that's areally helpful perspective to
bring into local government.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:09):
What's your long-term vision for the future
of Holly Springs?
Annie Drees (05:12):
So Holly Springs is growing very quickly.
It reminds me of my hometown insome respects, which is Austin,
texas.
That's where I'm from and whenI was growing up there it was
very small, and sometime duringmy teenage years and into my
early 20s it boomed.
It's even grown more since thenand I see some of that same
momentum here in Wake County andin Holly Springs.
(05:35):
I think the vision that I havefor Holly Springs is a place
where we stay true to thecommunity of Holly Springs.
We stay true to our spirit.
We lean into what we're good at.
We maintain the things that arean essential part of Holly
Springs, like Mims Park.
We capitalize on what HollySprings has.
We bring in more housing fordifferent kinds of people.
(05:58):
I would love Holly Springs to bea place where my children could
choose to live once they'reready to settle down, and I
think we make Holly Springseasier to get around, easier to
get to RDU, easier to get toRaleigh, durham, cary, fuquay.
I see so much potential inHolly Springs and the reality is
there are a lot of folks whowant to keep it exactly like it
(06:20):
is.
But the problem with living ina beautiful place where people
want to live is people willcontinue to want to live here,
and finding that right balanceof places to live but also
preservation of our green spaces, of our trail system.
It's a fine balance and that isthe direction that I'd like to
see Holly Springs get to.
Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (06:40):
What are your top three priorities for
our community if re-elected?
Annie Drees (06:44):
So my top three priorities, in no particular
order.
So I would like to create moreopportunities for housing that's
affordable here in HollySprings.
One of the things that I wouldlike to see the town council do
is create incentives forbuilders to include affordable
housing in their developments sothat would offset some unit
within their developmentdevelopments.
(07:05):
So that would offset some unitwithin their development that
would stay at a lower ratecompared to the other buildings
around them or the other unitsaround them, and we would
incentivize that by creatingmore streamlined process for
that development.
And I see that as anopportunity to bring in more of
different kinds of housing andthat would serve different parts
of our community.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (07:23):
How do you define affordable housing
?
Annie Drees (07:25):
That is an excellent question.
You know it has to do with howmuch people make, how large
their family is and the rate ofthe rent.
So basically, I want to see usoffer diversity.
So, whether that's 60% AMI, 80%AMI, 30% AMI, average median
income, I think we need to findthose sweet spots.
(07:47):
What is missing?
We did a housing affordabilitystudy before I was on council
and we didn't really do anythingwith that information.
And the problem with that kindof lack of follow-through is
we're not carefully watching ourhousing stock.
What are the different optionswe are offering?
Because people have differenthousing needs, they have
different housing price points.
(08:07):
So if we continue to follow upon our housing stock and what we
are missing, where our gaps arefor people, then we can have a
more strategic approach todevelopment in.
Holly Springs.
Okay, as part of that housingaffordability study, you see,
like in Apex, they havefollow-ups and they look at that
housing over.
(08:27):
I'm not sure if it's yearly orevery two years, but they go
back and look at it, at thatdistribution and what the market
is looking for, and I thinkthat's something we should be
doing here.
Very pleased that the towncouncil passed microtransit that
will start in January in HollySprings.
It'll be essentially a minivanthat you order via app that will
(08:49):
take you corner to cornerwithin Holly Springs.
The next steps I see is how dowe connect to adjacent
communities?
Right?
How do we get from one cornerof Holly Springs to Cary?
How do we get from one cornerof Holly Springs to Fuquay?
Are there ways that we can usetransit to get people around
easier?
Because the more people we haveusing transit, the fewer cars
(09:11):
we have on the road.
And if you look, you know thepricing of highway construction
has gone up 67% since 2021 to2024.
It's gone up even more now.
Roads are extremely expensiveto build and the more lanes you
build, the more faster, thefaster people will expect to go
on them.
There's a safety issue at riskthere too, but transit is a much
(09:33):
more affordable, effective wayto address some of the aches and
pains we're having withtransportation.
So I would like to see thatcontinue within Holly Springs.
So that's second.
That continue within HollySprings, so that's second.
And thirdly, I would like toput a more concentrated effort
on our open spaces.
I mentioned the Tree AdvisoryCommittee, which I've been
serving on for the past twoyears, but what I see is the
(09:56):
opportunity to expand upon themission of the Tree Advisory
Committee into an environmentaladvisory board that would look
at developments and evaluatethose developments from an
environmental impact board thatwould look at developments and
evaluate those developments froman environmental impact that
would make recommendations tore-examine aspects of our UDO.
I think there's a greatopportunity there for us to do
more with our green spaces, tomake them more accessible, and I
(10:18):
think that point of view ismissing in our development
review process.
There's a big differencebetween putting a development on
cleared farmland versus puttinga development in a forest right
, and I don't think thatperspective, that point of view,
is being representedthoughtfully before council
today.
So I would like to make thathappen.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (10:38):
All right.
What is working well within thetown today and where do you see
room for improvement?
Annie Drees (10:43):
We've had a number of successes in the town of
Holly Springs.
We just opened fire stationnumber three with the parks and
rec bond.
We have Eagles Landing Parkcoming online.
We have some big roadimprovements underway with Holly
Springs Road.
There are a lot of wins inHolly Springs lately Our AAA
bond rating.
That means that we get a betterdeal when we borrow money for
(11:05):
these big capital projects.
So that's a win for theresidents of Holly Springs.
A lot of the issues we'redealing with are state
limitations, are statecomplications.
You know the funding of the DOTis an issue.
Hurricane Helene did not doNorth Carolina any favors, and
the issues getting federalreimbursement on those funds.
Those issues are ripplingoutward even as far as Wake
(11:27):
County.
So I see we have a lot of workto do in partnering with our
state representatives andsenators on the needs of our
community, especially one that'sgrowing so quickly.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (11:38):
Do you support the current town budget?
Where would you advocatechanges, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities, if needed for
fiscal responsibility?
Annie Drees (11:48):
Yeah.
So one of the things that Isuggested in the town budget
that was not approved was wehave $600K reserved for the
Festival Street planning indowntown Holly Springs.
Now I'm excited about FestivalStreet.
I do think that could bringsome businesses to downtown and
has the potential to bring moreevents.
But because of our immediatetraffic needs, I could see that
(12:11):
$600,000 be better spent on ourITS, our Intelligent
Transportation System.
That's the light timing systemthat we've been working on.
Or there are a couple places intown that we know need traffic
lights today, right, and the DOTis supposed to build them and
they haven't.
Now those traffic lights cost amillion dollars, so that 600K
(12:35):
wouldn't buy us a traffic light.
But perhaps we could use it toincentivize DOT and say if we
kick in 300K, can you get thistraffic light up in three months
.
I see some opportunity there,whereas I think we could
postpone Festival Street for ayear.
I do not think that we shouldbe paying for a lobbyist.
This is something I thought alot about.
(12:57):
Right now, we share a lobbyistwith Wake County and he is
advocating for Holly Springs andhe's also advocating for Wake
County, and I feel like we arenot getting the advantage.
I think the things that he isadvocating for he would be
advocating on behalf of WakeCounty anyway.
And.
I think it would be morestrategic to develop our
(13:18):
relationships with statelegislators and save that money
from Holly Springs taxpayers.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (13:25):
Oftentimes it feels like government waits
until a specific need iscritical before taking action.
Do you support being moreproactive and if so, how and in
what ways specifically?
Annie Drees (14:00):
Yes, I do.
I think town and this issomething that I followed up
with the police chief, with thetown manager, and I'm asking
questions like how often are wehearing about e-bikes?
So I checked in a couple ofweeks ago, actually, and it
sounds like we're only gettingtwo calls a month.
So do we need to put anordinance in place to make sure
(14:21):
that kids are safe?
Is this a real problem?
I don't want to createordinances that don't serve any
good but, it is something I'mwatching and I've asked the town
to keep an eye on as well.
If this starts upticking, if itstarts increasing, that we are
ready to take action.
So, yes, I would like to takeaction if there is a need and
(14:41):
before something happens, right.
So that's an example.
Yes, I absolutely believe wewant to be ahead, not behind,
and we get that way by listeningto people.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (14:51):
What new initiatives or attractions would
you champion to boost revenueand community pride?
Annie Drees (14:57):
I would love for Holly Springs to have more
community events, more culturalevents.
I would like to see morerepresentation of the people who
live here and the town support.
I think that would be good forbusinesses in the downtown area
as well as for community andsense of pride.
I think that's really importantand gives Holly Springs a sense
(15:21):
of self.
And, yeah, I fully support theHolly Springs town being more
engaged in that way.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (15:28):
Have you ever disagreed publicly with a
current town decision or policyand if so, what was it and how
would you handle a similarsituation if you were reelected?
Annie Drees (15:38):
It is not uncommon for me to be the odd man out
when it comes to developmentapproval decisions.
Recently there was a 55 pluscommunity across the street from
the Holly Springs High Schoolon Avent Ferry Road area and I
did decide to vote against thatdevelopment because I have
concerns about the safety onAvent Ferry Road.
(16:00):
Right there there are a lot oftraffic issues and the timeline
for that road improvement isn'ttill 2029, 2030.
So it did not seem like theright time to make that
development choice, so I didlose that vote, but that happens
.
I think it's important thatdifferent points of view are
reflected in town council.
(16:21):
I think that seeing dissentingvotes is not a bad thing.
It shows the robustness that'sgoing into these decisions.
When town council always agreeson everything, you kind of
wonder if they're just rubberstamping things.
I think voices of differingopinions are valuable and an
opportunity for us to grow.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (16:41):
When you hear smart growth, what does
that mean for our town inpractical terms?
Annie Drees (16:46):
Smart growth is about growing thoughtfully, the
right development in the rightplaces, looking at not just that
unit alone but looking at theimpact to neighboring
communities, as well as givingthoughts to not just the road
impact but also the ingress andegress to that community and to
(17:08):
the adjacent communities.
It means thinking about theimpact as far as light pollution
I mean.
There are a lot of aspects ofdevelopment that can impact
existing communities and thatdoesn't mean we don't develop.
You know, if we don't develop atall, right, if we stop
development in Holly Springswhich we could not do but if we
(17:29):
did, that would mean that peoplewould move to Fuquay or Apex
and then they would drivethrough Holly Springs, congest
our roads and not pay us taxesthat we could then use to fix
our road.
So it is a very complicatedissue but I think being
thoughtful, being intentional inthe developments we approve and
really refining the UDO, theUnified Development Ordinance,
(17:52):
so that it's clear to developerswhat our requirements are and
what our expectations are.
Because if developers come tous and they get turned down
right, that's a loss of time andmoney that might get reinserted
into the price of thatdevelopment when it comes
through again right, that moneydoesn't just disappear.
(18:13):
It can increase that base costof the homes in that development
.
So I do think it's important tobe on the same page with
development on what ourexpectations are and be clear
what our priorities are.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (18:25):
How would you ensure new development
maintains our town's characterwhile remaining affordable for
residents?
Annie Drees (18:31):
So we talked about creating incentives for builders
to include units at lowerprices.
Something that town council hasdone is we have found ways to
accelerate the developmentapproval process, which does
help reduce the cost fordevelopers, which is the cost
that gets added on to those baseprices of homes.
(18:51):
The other thing I think weshould look at is looking at the
buffers in our UDO and beingmore thoughtful in those buffers
.
I think creating more greenspace between developments is a
good thing for our community tofeel our sense of Holly Springs,
certainly when you're buildingin a very densely wooded area,
(19:12):
being more aggressive in ourtree preservation.
I think that is strategic andthoughtful and something we
should do to retain the visionof Holly Springs.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (19:22):
Our town is growing rapidly, putting
pressure on infrastructure likewater and roads, public safety,
parks and recreation and housingaffordability.
If you had to prioritize onlyone of these areas this year,
due to limited funding, whichwould you choose and how would
you communicate that decision toresidents?
Annie Drees (19:39):
So one thing I've learned in my time on council is
it helps to have momentum to besuccessful in an idea, in an
agenda item.
It's really helpful for thereto be momentum from the
community, from the state orfederal level.
That helps create opportunitiesfor these items to be
successful.
Now, that's kind of a sidebar,but I wanna acknowledge that can
(20:01):
impact what we prioritize.
Let's take, for example, to besuccessful Now that's kind of a
sidebar, but I want toacknowledge that can impact what
we prioritize.
Let's take, for example, thepost office.
Yes, the Holly Springs postoffice needs some work and it's
very small and there'sdefinitely opportunity to
improve the post office or builda new post office, but there is
no momentum for that right nowright.
So that's a need that I know wehave in Holly Springs, that I'm
(20:22):
waiting for an opportunity tostrike on.
But there is no opportunity forthat in today's climate, I
would say.
So I just want to kind ofsidebar and say that looking for
those opportunities of momentumcan change prioritization
because it can make anopportunity to do something even
bigger if you act with thatmomentum.
(20:42):
For public safety.
Two years ago the town made asignificant investment in public
safety that staffed FireStation 3, that staffed enough
police officers to supportcommunity policing, which is
keeping the same officers in thesame neighborhood, allowing
these officers to get to knowthe people who live there,
understand where the hotspotsare and develop a relationship
(21:05):
with the community Utilitiesinfrastructure.
The town is currently making alarge investment in water, both
in drinking water and waterreclamation.
That is a capital investmentthat we are making now and have
been making.
So that is an investment thatwill come to fruition over the
next several years.
So that's the case for that one.
(21:25):
Parks and Recreation again, wejust had a bond happen for
Eagles Landing.
So I would say for those threewe have made steps, momentous
steps, in the past two, threeyears to advance opportunities
there.
So that would bubble up thehousing affordability to me and
I would say that creating thisincentives for builders is not
(21:48):
something that would cost thetown money but would create
opportunity.
We talked about utilities andinfrastructure, but another
piece of that is traffic and Iadvocated for reserving more
money a quarter of a cent twoyears ago in the town budget and
that was successful to help usget larger scale projects off of
(22:09):
the ground to facilitate thetown partnering with the DOT.
When the DOT funds a road, it isa very long process, it is a
very slow process and when thecost of highway construction is
increasing every year, a slow,long process means a bigger
price tag and it takes longerfor our community.
(22:32):
I mean the needs we have as faras transportation, our needs we
have now.
So I would really like to getthe ITS system off the ground,
get that ownership in HollySprings.
That's that timed lightingsystem, coordinating the signal
lighting, so that when you'regoing into work in the morning
you're getting all greens.
When you're coming home in theevening you're getting all
(22:52):
greens shaving off that time.
I think there's realopportunity there to make a
significant difference without agiant price stack there to make
a significant differencewithout a giant price stack.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:04):
Do you feel we already adequately meet the
needs of any of theseinfrastructure, public safety,
parks and recreation or housingaffordability?
Annie Drees (23:10):
So we certainly made a lot of investments, but
the tricky thing about a growingcommunity is it's growing,
which means those needs aregrowing.
So meeting the needs todaydoesn't mean we're meeting the
needs tomorrow.
So it is a constant evolutionand assessment of where we are
and where we're going to betomorrow and how we prepare
ourselves for that next day.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:32):
As the population grows.
What strategies would youprioritize to address roads,
utilities and otherinfrastructure challenges?
Annie Drees (23:40):
I believe that transit is a great way to make a
difference.
I do.
That is much more affordablethan building more highways, and
the problem with more highwaysis more asphalt.
I don't think anybody wants tolive in an asphalt community.
But in conjunction with that, Ithink the savings that we're
doing today and the additionaltax money we will get from these
(24:02):
big corporations we have comingto Holly Springs allow us to
continue to find opportunitiesto partner with the DOT to help
move them forward, to helpadvance our projects.
I also think we need tocontinue to advocate for better
funding of the DOT, particularlyin growing communities like
ours.
(24:23):
At the state level there is alimit on what we can do there,
but I think we've got to be astrong advocate.
Counties like Wake County thatare growing rapidly.
They need extra investment fromthe DOT to support that growth.
I also think there'sopportunity for more partnership
.
Holly Springs is not alone inthis rapid growth right.
We're surrounded by othercommunities going support that
growth.
I also think there'sopportunity for more partnership
.
Holly Springs is not alone inthis rapid growth right.
(24:43):
We're surrounded by othercommunities going through
similar things, something thatbubbled up.
I was at a joint council meetingwith Carrie and Holly Springs
and they are advocating for moresidewalks in their community.
They've been doing a lot ofsidewalk connections and so I
asked them.
I said do you have a sidewalkcrew, do you have that
employment inside Cary?
(25:03):
And they said no, we have tocontract that out.
And the same is true for HollySprings.
So that bubbled up to me istheir opportunity to work with
Cary and Apex and Fuquay andshare a team.
You know.
Come up with some memorandum ofunderstanding where we each get
a set amount and put in enoughto fund it together and reap
(25:25):
benefits across our community.
Excellent.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (25:28):
Holly Springs has focused on bringing
in biomedical and science-basedbusinesses.
How would you balancesupporting these businesses and
garnering more with some publicsentiment that may be skeptical
of science and vaccines?
Annie Drees (25:42):
So I think the really good thing about these
large businesses is, when weland a large business like
Genentech or Fujifilm, we arenot just bringing those
employees to our community, weare also supporting local small
business right, because thoseemployees are going to want to
eat out at lunch, their facilityis going to need to be cleaned,
(26:06):
to be painted, to be repairedWith management is visiting from
another country, they're goingto fly in, they're going to need
a hotel to stay at.
There's all kinds of localbusiness growth that happens
from these bigger businesses, soI don't want to lose sight of
that.
By creating these opportunitiesof these big businesses, we are
also creating opportunities forsmaller businesses.
(26:27):
I do think we do have somevacant office manufacturing
space in Holly Springs and Iwould like to see intentional
effort put behind in fillingthose spaces as opposed to just
building new.
I think that's an opportunityfor Holly Springs and I think
there is a lot of sense and onceyou lean into a certain type of
(26:48):
business, like we have withbiomedical, other businesses
want to be nearby, otherbusinesses want to be a part of
that and I think it createsopportunity and it brings in new
business and I think that's thewin.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:02):
As our town grows, farmland faces pressure
from development and someresidents struggle to access
fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers?
Farmland faces pressure fromdevelopment and some residents
struggle to access fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers, protect farmland and
help ensure everyone has accessto healthy, affordable food.
Annie Drees (27:15):
You know, I was just at the Raleigh Visitors
Bureau, had their annual meetingand they had a panel of chefs
come and talk about why thisarea in Wake County was a great
place to open new and excitingrestaurants, and there were two
points that I thought were verypresent there.
One was the proximity to farmsand fresh food was one of the
(27:40):
reasons that brought these chefshere, and the other was the
diversity of the people of thisarea.
You know we have folks comingfrom all over.
People want to live here andthat brings different tastes.
You know different flavors,different fascination, maybe
combining different kinds offood from different places
together and that creates thisgreat melting pot of fresh food
(28:03):
and people who want to trydifferent things.
So that is absolutely one of thethings that is important for
our community, because I don'tknow about you, but in my house
we love a good restaurant.
We're excited to see a newplace open and we have the
Michelin Guide coming soon toour area.
They're evaluating restaurantsin Wake County.
They're going to publishMichelin recommendations for
(28:25):
North Carolina, which will alsobring more exciting
opportunities as far asrestaurants.
So yeah, I think we absolutelyneed to support our farmers and
farmland to preserve the farmswe have and create opportunities
to support their developmentand expansion.
Absolutely.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (28:42):
Our police sometimes receive requests from
outside agencies, while alsoaddressing local needs.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?
Annie Drees (29:09):
People who live in Holly Springs think that should
be the top priority for ourcommunity, as opposed to going
outside.
You know, if there are needshere, those should be tantamount
, I think, to our communityofficers.
So I would say that should bethe priority.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (29:19):
How can the town better support small
businesses and connect withtheir needs?
Annie Drees (29:23):
We recently just hired a new small business
staffer at the town to helpconnect with local small
businesses.
I think that's really important.
Last year, we revisited thedowntown business investment
grant that we offer for folks.
We expanded what that coversand we have gotten more
applicants because of it.
(29:43):
So that is good, but is thereopportunity to do more?
Absolutely, I think it'sappropriate and the right thing
to do for the town to engage andconnect with local businesses.
We also support Launch HollySprings as a town which brings
new innovation and smallbusinesses to the community,
which is a win.
But is there opportunity to domore?
(30:03):
Yes, and how do we do that?
By connecting and talking withthese local businesses and
identifying those common needs.
One of the needs I've heard alot of is space, and that is the
good thing about thesemixed-use developments that you
see, is that they create morespace for businesses to be
successful.
But is it the right kind ofspace?
Does it meet the needs of thebusinesses that are already here
(30:26):
?
These are the conversations weshould be having at a town level
.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (30:30):
What approaches would you take to
foster understanding andcollaboration amongst residents
with differing perspectives?
Annie Drees (30:37):
A few months back I attended a community council
meeting in Apex and I reallythink this is a great idea.
I think creating moreopportunities for council
members to engage with thecommunity and to be available, I
think that is a win.
I would love to see the town ofHolly Springs have community
meetings where council membersare accessible.
(30:58):
I think there is a feeling thatcouncil members don't care that
we're not there and I think weneed to create more
opportunities for contact.
There's a town information dayat the farmer's market every
year where the town hasdifferent departments come out
and man booths, and last year Iasked that we have a town
(31:19):
council booth and myself andCouncil Member DeShazer we were
out there all morning, you know,telling people about the
different committees, about theCitizens Academy, about how to
apply, and you know people hadquestions, people had concerns,
but just being there to feelthose Some of them we said I got
to get back to you on that one,you know.
But I think being accessibleand having people understand
(31:41):
that we care, that we want thatfeedback, I mean the reality is
what makes a good council memberis being in touch with our
community and finding theseopportunities to engage, because
my experience is my experience,but the more I know about other
people's experience, the richer, more robust my decisions can
be.
So I think there is a goodopportunity in Holly Springs for
(32:03):
more touch points, and I thinkthose will make us better
leaders.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (32:07):
How will you ensure diverse voices and those
most impacted are not onlyincluded, but truly embraced in
decision making?
Annie Drees (32:20):
One of the ways in which we can bring more
diversity to our community isthrough our board appointments.
You know, I've sat on counciland cast my vote for board
appointments for two years andit is a difficult thing and I
eventually ended up creating amatrix, a spreadsheet, because
I'm an engineer with differentfactors that I would weigh
people on.
One of the things I always lookat is what part of town do they
live in, right?
(32:41):
Unfortunately, right now wehave three board of adjustment
members who live close enough toborrow a cup of milk and I say
a cup of milk, not sugar,because the milk would still be
cold and I think that is a myth.
We don't want everyone onplanning board living on one
side of 55, making decisionsabout the other side of 55.
I have, in fact, whenconsidering a rezoning decision
(33:05):
and I'm looking at the planningboard vote and it's a close vote
I have pulled up where thoseplanning board members live and
looked at how they voted,because I didn't want, when it
was practically a tied decision,I didn't want everyone voting
against it to live near it, youknow.
So these are considerations totake into account.
So I certainly see that throughour appointment process.
(33:26):
So I have my spreadsheet, Ilook at these different factors
experience where they live, howlong they've lived in town and
their enthusiasm level.
But the other aspect of thatthat I didn't really capture
when talking about this beforeis I'm also looking for a unique
point of view.
What is this person bringing tothe table that is new and
(33:46):
different?
I was at a Parks and Recmeeting the other day and one of
the Parks and Rec members is anavid runner.
He brings a lot of experienceon trails right on parks because
he's running them.
That's a different experiencethan someone who's taking their
kids to play on the playground.
Additionally, there's a hunteron the Parks and Rec Advisory
Committee.
(34:06):
That's a different point ofview and it's a valuable one to
have in the room when you'retalking about different aspects
of this decision.
So I really think beingstrategic about getting those
differing points of view in thesame room to have these
conversations is reallyimportant, and I think council
can do a better job of that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (34:24):
Do you support a non-discrimination
ordinance or policy?
Why or why not?
Annie Drees (34:29):
I advocated to council.
I suggested that we bring LakeCounty in to get an update on
the non-discrimination ordinance.
I had heard concerns that therewas a negative impact to
businesses, and so my requestwas let's find out how it's
going.
And, with the exception ofCouncil Member DeShazer, the
rest of the council voted no.
(34:50):
They didn't want the data.
Now, as an engineer, thatdrives me crazy, because how can
you make data-driven decisionsif you won't look at the data
right?
So that meeting did not happen.
I would like it to happen tomake a decision on the weight
non-discrimination ordinance.
I believe, based on what I haveseen, is that it is the right
(35:10):
thing for Holly Springs to signthe Wake County
non-discrimination ordinance.
However, because I am someonewho believes in making
data-driven decisions, I dothink we should get an update.
I think we should understand ifit is working or if it isn't,
but if it is working, yes, I seeno reason why we shouldn't join
the rest of Wake County andsign it yeah.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:30):
Okay.
Have you gained anyendorsements thus far and if you
gain more, where might votersfind that information?
Annie Drees (35:37):
I have been endorsed by the Wake County
Democratic Party and theDemocratic Municipal
Organization, dmo, and thoseendorsements are on my webpage
and future endorsements will bethere All right.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:49):
Where can listeners connect with you and
learn more about your platform?
Upcoming events and ways to getinvolved?
Annie Drees (35:55):
That is a great question.
So my website is www.
anniedrees D-R-E-E-S, or numberfour, hollysprings.
com.
My Facebook page isAnnie4HollySprings Again, the
number four, and my Instagram isAnnie4HollySprings number four.
(36:15):
So those are all great ways toreach me.
You can also email me.
I care about what you have tosay.
Like I said before, connectingwith people who live here,
hearing their concerns, I mean Irelish Tell me a different
point of view, because that'shelpful to me.
I cannot solve problems I don'tknow about right and I welcome
(36:36):
that dialogue.
Sometimes, to represent, I needto know who I'm representing.
So please don't hesitate toreach out.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (36:44):
Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to
share with those voting in theupcoming election?
You know?
Annie Drees (36:49):
I put in the work I do.
I read every page of ourhundreds of pages of prep work.
I visit sites, I talk to people, I meet with people.
That's part of the job, Ibelieve, and I am someone who
will put in the work, so I hopeyou will consider me and please
vote.
You make a difference at thelocal level.
That's where it happens If Iget elected.
(37:11):
You have my cell phone numberon the town's website.
You can call me.
I'm going to answer or I'mgoing to call you right back.
This is where you can solveproblems.
This is where you can make adifference.
So, please, please, thisshouldn't be a tiny fraction of
folks voting.
This should be where the mostpeople vote, because this is
where you live.
(37:31):
We're making decisions aboutwhere you live and you should
care about that.
I do.
Perfect.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (37:36):
All right, now we're going to go into our
lightning round.
Annie Drees (37:39):
Oh no, I remembered this from two years ago and I
had no answer.
Oh gosh, okay, I'm terrified.
Oh, I don't do lightning, I'm acritical thinker.
I got to think a thing through.
Okay, all right, sorry, noyou're good.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (37:57):
What's something you do that helps you
recharge?
Annie Drees (38:00):
So two things I run and I meditate.
I'm a big believer inmeditating, especially when
you're doing something as wackyand insane as running for public
office.
It's really important to takethose moments.
And kind of recenter, there'sthis whole campaign bubble mind
that happens.
It makes you impossible to livewith Just ask my husband.
(38:20):
And it's hard to think aboutanything else and you know that
reset, recharge is so critical.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:27):
What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about
you that most people don't know?
Annie Drees (38:32):
I used to skate roller derby.
I was a co-captain of theCarolina Roller Girls a number
of years ago.
I don't know if people knowthat or not, but if you've seen
me skate then maybe you knowthat, and I speak Spanish.
What's something that isdifficult for you?
I am someone who can't sitstill.
I like to be busy, I like to dothings, so I would rather be on
(38:53):
the move.
I would I have a hard timesitting down and just being
still.
That can be a real challengefor me.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:00):
What book, podcast or TV show are you
enjoying right now?
Annie Drees (39:04):
I have a hard time reading, except when I'm on
vacation.
When I'm on vacation, I willread three, four books straight
and I love it.
And then I get back home and Idon't.
I'm reading Strong Towns rightnow, very slowly and Toddcast.
I can't say yours, that wouldbe cheating.
But I am constantly listeningto news podcasts.
(39:26):
There's a great one on publiceducation in North Carolina that
I like.
The North Carolina League ofMunicipalities has a podcast.
They were just talking aboutEVs.
So yeah, I've listened topodcasts constantly and I can't
think of any of their names.
So don't hold that against me.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:43):
That's right , because you just click the
button.
Annie Drees (39:45):
Right, right.
Next, it just startsautoplaying.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:48):
Who is your favorite superhero?
Annie Drees (39:51):
Oh, danger Mouse, he's British, I don't know.
It must be the accent, I don'tknow.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:59):
What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received?
Annie Drees (40:02):
So someone once said to me that we're all works
in progress and I love thatconcept that we're not fully
baked yet.
We still have work to do, westill have growth.
And the other piece that I readin a book it's from Anne of
Green Gables, where she saystomorrow is a day with no
mistakes in it.
Yet.
And I love that feeling.
Not that mistakes are a badthing I mean that's how we learn
(40:24):
but that kind of optimism ofcontinued learning and growth, I
like that a lot Awesome.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:29):
What's one guilty pleasure you secretly
enjoy?
Annie Drees (40:32):
staying up too late .
I am the worst at that.
But you know my husband, he'llbe like, well, I'm going to bed,
I'm like I'm just gonna do afew more things and then three
hours later I'm writing a postonline about you know what
happened at the town councilmeeting, or you know, watching
Netflix or anything, but notgoing to bed because I'm just
(40:54):
trying to stretch every lastdrop out of the day.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:57):
There you go .
What's a simple thing thatalways makes you laugh or smile?
Annie Drees (41:02):
I don't know.
I I like to laugh and I findhumor in funny places.
Something I see will just makeme laugh.
But I think we all need tolaugh more at ourselves,
sometimes, as well as what wesee.
Maybe a good Holly Springsroundabout meme.
You got to laugh at those, yeah.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:21):
Coffee or tea?
Annie Drees (41:22):
coffee
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:23):
Morning person or night owl?
Annie Drees (41:25):
I want to say both.
I usually go for a run in themorning.
Coffee Morning person or nightowl I want to say both.
I usually go for a run in themorning, so that feels like a
morning thing to do, but thesedays I'm afraid I'm more of a
night owl.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:35):
Mountains or beach?
Annie Drees (41:36):
Mountains.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:38):
Book or podcast?
Annie Drees (41:39):
If I'm on vacation it's book, but if I'm at home
it's a podcast, because I canwalk or go for a run and listen
to it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:47):
Dogs or cats ?
Annie Drees (41:49):
dogs
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:50):
Alright.
Thank you so much, Annie, forparticipating in the Candidate
Conversations.
I really appreciate you takingthe time out of your busy
schedule and your trust in me todo this, and I wish you the
best of luck in your election.
Annie Drees (42:01):
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate you doingthis.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:04):
Absolutely Local.
Elections are where democracylives closest to home.
The decisions and actions ofour mayors, the Holly Springs
Town Council and the FuquayVarina Board of Commissioners
influence the services we relyon each day, the safety of our
streets, the character of ourneighborhoods and even the
future direction of ourcommunities.
(42:25):
Democracy is at the heart ofall we hold dear.
Our local governments setpriorities that touch everyday
life.
They pass ordinances, fund ourfire and police departments, set
property tax structures andshape the look and feel of our
towns.
Because turnout is often lowerin municipal elections, every
ballot cast carries even greaterweight.
(42:46):
Here's what you need to knowfor 2025.
The voter registration deadlineis October 10th, unless you
register at an early voting site.
Early voting begins October16th at the Wake County Board of
Elections office in Raleigh.
Additional sites open onOctober 25th, including the John
M Brown Community Center inApex and the Avery Street
(43:07):
Recreation Center in Garner.
Those two will be the closestto us in Holly Springs and
Fuquay Varina.
Early voting concludes onSaturday, November 1st.
Please note that this year onlyincludes two Saturdays, October
25th and November 1st, and one,Sunday, October 26th.
The last day to request amail-in absentee ballot is
October 21st and Election Dayitself is Tuesday, November 4th,
(43:30):
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.
Please remember you will need avalid ID to vote.
2025 municipal electioninterviews at www.
ncdeepdive.
com, as well as on Spotify,apple Podcasts, audible or
(43:52):
wherever you currently listen topodcasts.
Show notes will include linksto candidates, voter resources
and election information.
If you find these conversationshelpful, please subscribe,
share them with friends orfamily and consider leaving a
rating or review.
Spreading the word in yourlocal spaces helps strengthen
informed participation acrossour communities.
(44:12):
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail.
com.
I'm grateful you spent this timewith me today.
Staying informed is how weshape communities worth calling
home.
Your choices matter, yourperspective matters and you
matter.
Your ballot is your voice, andboth carry more power than you
(44:35):
might imagine.
Democracy isn't passive.
It only works when we each showup.
Thank you for helping me tomake it thrive.
May we continue to worktogether to build stronger, more
vibrant communities, to live,work and play in Ones we can all
be proud to call home.
Until next time, my friendsnamaste, the love and light in
(44:55):
me sees and honors the love andlight in you.
Hello friends, welcome back to the NC
Deep Dive podcast.
I'm your host, Amanda BenbowLunn, and today I am honored to
be speaking with Annie Drees aspart of our 2025 Municipal
Election Candidate Conversations.
Annie is running for thefour-year seat on the Holly
Springs Town Council.
For this race, Annie will berunning against Josh Prizer,
(00:32):
Sarah Larson, Joe Cuccurullo,Kara Foster and Tim Forrest.
These races are non-partisan,so there will not be any party
affiliation like an R or a Dnext to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to votefor up to three of these
candidates for this seat.
On your ballot.
In this election, the top threevote-getters will join Holly
(00:55):
Springs Town Council membersDanielle Hewetson and Chris
DeShazor to make up itsfive-member body.
In these candidateconversations, each candidate
will be asked the same questionsformulated by our constituent
survey, observing communitymembers in person and online,
and fine-tuning with AI to keepthem as fair, unbiased and as
(01:16):
open-ended as possible.
Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Annie Drees.
You're running for the HollySprings Town Council.
I'll give you a few moments totell me a little bit about
yourself, how long you've livedin the area and what has
inspired you to run again.
Annie Drees (01:35):
Every time people ask how long I've lived in the
area, I do a grade check.
I'm like we moved here when myyoungest was in third grade and
now he's in 11th.
So what does that make thatSeven years?
Eight years?
I think it's seven years thatwe've been in Holly Springs.
I have been on town council nowfor two years.
(01:55):
I was elected two years ago andI will tell you that is just so
quick.
It was gone in an eye and Ithrew myself into the role when
I was first elected.
But there's so much more that Istill want to do so I'm not
ready to hang up the towel.
I love the opportunity to seesome things through, to get
farther in what I've been tryingto achieve, now that I
(02:16):
understand how things work, tobe able to work with the system
for the good of Holly Springs,I'm excited, I'm eager and I'm
committed.
You know the town council roleis an intense role.
It takes a lot of time itreally does and I thought long
and hard about knowing what goesinto it.
Am I willing to commit to thatagain?
And I am.
I can give this town four moreyears and I hope Holly Springs
(02:39):
will give me that privilege.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (02:41):
Have you been an active voter, including
in localelections?
Annie Drees (02:45):
Yes, I am a regular voter.
I always vote in municipals andpresidential.
You know all the way up anddown, I think ever since I
turned 18,.
I voted.
And I believe that where you canreally make a difference is at
the local level.
That's where your voice carriesthe most weight.
It doesn't mean that your voicedoesn't matter in these
(03:06):
presidential races.
It does, but it takes more.
So I think municipals is whereit's at.
I encourage everybody to voteNovember 4th.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (03:16):
What do you feel is the role of a town
council member?
Annie Drees (03:19):
Well, the role of a town council member is twofold.
I believe you are arepresentative of the community
and you're also a steward ofHolly Springs.
So you're looking at theproblems of today, the problems
of your neighbors, of the folkson the other side of 55, as well
as the folks on your side of 55.
And you're also looking towhere Holly Springs is growing,
(03:40):
where it's going and what is inthe long-term interest that will
keep Holly Springs residentshere and their kids to come back
here.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (03:47):
What is your involvement within the
community and town governmentand what qualifications make you
prepared for this role?
Annie Drees (03:54):
So I've been a long-time volunteer in Holly
Springs and in Wake County.
Now I'm serving on town counciland in my role I've served on
the legislative Action Committeeand the intention of that
committee is to bubble up localissues to the state and the
national level.
So I've been in meetings withboth state and national
legislators advocating for theneeds of the residents of Holly
(04:16):
Springs.
I have been on the TreeAdvisory Committee.
That one is near and dear to myheart, the Tree Advisory
Committee.
You know they're responsiblefor the street trees in Holly
Springs but I think there's alot of potential for that
advisory committee to do more inour community.
So I would love to see thathappen and evolve.
I've also been on the NonprofitGrant Committee.
So on the Nonprofit GrantCommittee we accept applications
(04:39):
from nonprofit organizationsand we read through those and
see how they serve the HollySprings community and we grant
those nonprofit organizationsfunds to continue their good
work in our community.
I am an engineer by training.
That's my day job and I thinkwe talked about this two years
ago.
I'm a problem solver.
I am detail oriented and Ithink that's really important
(05:00):
because my mindset is around howdo we solve problems in our
community and I think that's areally helpful perspective to
bring into local government.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:09):
What's your long-term vision for the future
of Holly Springs?
Annie Drees (05:12):
So Holly Springs is growing very quickly.
It reminds me of my hometown insome respects, which is Austin,
texas.
That's where I'm from and whenI was growing up there it was
very small, and sometime duringmy teenage years and into my
early 20s it boomed.
It's even grown more since thenand I see some of that same
momentum here in Wake County andin Holly Springs.
(05:35):
I think the vision that I havefor Holly Springs is a place
where we stay true to thecommunity of Holly Springs.
We stay true to our spirit.
We lean into what we're good at.
We maintain the things that arean essential part of Holly
Springs, like Mims Park.
We capitalize on what HollySprings has.
We bring in more housing fordifferent kinds of people.
(05:58):
I would love Holly Springs to bea place where my children could
choose to live once they'reready to settle down, and I
think we make Holly Springseasier to get around, easier to
get to RDU, easier to get toRaleigh, durham, cary, fuquay.
I see so much potential inHolly Springs and the reality is
there are a lot of folks whowant to keep it exactly like it
(06:20):
is.
But the problem with living ina beautiful place where people
want to live is people willcontinue to want to live here,
and finding that right balanceof places to live but also
preservation of our green spaces, of our trail system.
It's a fine balance and that isthe direction that I'd like to
see Holly Springs get to.
Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (06:40):
What are your top three priorities for
our community if re-elected?
Annie Drees (06:44):
So my top three priorities, in no particular
order.
So I would like to create moreopportunities for housing that's
affordable here in HollySprings.
One of the things that I wouldlike to see the town council do
is create incentives forbuilders to include affordable
housing in their developments sothat would offset some unit
within their developmentdevelopments.
(07:05):
So that would offset some unitwithin their development that
would stay at a lower ratecompared to the other buildings
around them or the other unitsaround them, and we would
incentivize that by creatingmore streamlined process for
that development.
And I see that as anopportunity to bring in more of
different kinds of housing andthat would serve different parts
of our community.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (07:23):
How do you define affordable housing
?
Annie Drees (07:25):
That is an excellent question.
You know it has to do with howmuch people make, how large
their family is and the rate ofthe rent.
So basically, I want to see usoffer diversity.
So, whether that's 60% AMI, 80%AMI, 30% AMI, average median
income, I think we need to findthose sweet spots.
(07:47):
What is missing?
We did a housing affordabilitystudy before I was on council
and we didn't really do anythingwith that information.
And the problem with that kindof lack of follow-through is
we're not carefully watching ourhousing stock.
What are the different optionswe are offering?
Because people have differenthousing needs, they have
different housing price points.
(08:07):
So if we continue to follow upon our housing stock and what we
are missing, where our gaps arefor people, then we can have a
more strategic approach todevelopment in.
Holly Springs.
Okay, as part of that housingaffordability study, you see,
like in Apex, they havefollow-ups and they look at that
housing over.
(08:27):
I'm not sure if it's yearly orevery two years, but they go
back and look at it, at thatdistribution and what the market
is looking for, and I thinkthat's something we should be
doing here.
Very pleased that the towncouncil passed microtransit that
will start in January in HollySprings.
It'll be essentially a minivanthat you order via app that will
(08:49):
take you corner to cornerwithin Holly Springs.
The next steps I see is how dowe connect to adjacent
communities?
Right?
How do we get from one cornerof Holly Springs to Cary?
How do we get from one cornerof Holly Springs to Fuquay?
Are there ways that we can usetransit to get people around
easier?
Because the more people we haveusing transit, the fewer cars
(09:11):
we have on the road.
And if you look, you know thepricing of highway construction
has gone up 67% since 2021 to2024.
It's gone up even more now.
Roads are extremely expensiveto build and the more lanes you
build, the more faster, thefaster people will expect to go
on them.
There's a safety issue at riskthere too, but transit is a much
(09:33):
more affordable, effective wayto address some of the aches and
pains we're having withtransportation.
So I would like to see thatcontinue within Holly Springs.
So that's second.
That continue within HollySprings, so that's second.
And thirdly, I would like toput a more concentrated effort
on our open spaces.
I mentioned the Tree AdvisoryCommittee, which I've been
serving on for the past twoyears, but what I see is the
(09:56):
opportunity to expand upon themission of the Tree Advisory
Committee into an environmentaladvisory board that would look
at developments and evaluatethose developments from an
environmental impact board thatwould look at developments and
evaluate those developments froman environmental impact that
would make recommendations tore-examine aspects of our UDO.
I think there's a greatopportunity there for us to do
more with our green spaces, tomake them more accessible, and I
(10:18):
think that point of view ismissing in our development
review process.
There's a big differencebetween putting a development on
cleared farmland versus puttinga development in a forest right
, and I don't think thatperspective, that point of view,
is being representedthoughtfully before council
today.
So I would like to make thathappen.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (10:38):
All right.
What is working well within thetown today and where do you see
room for improvement?
Annie Drees (10:43):
We've had a number of successes in the town of
Holly Springs.
We just opened fire stationnumber three with the parks and
rec bond.
We have Eagles Landing Parkcoming online.
We have some big roadimprovements underway with Holly
Springs Road.
There are a lot of wins inHolly Springs lately Our AAA
bond rating.
That means that we get a betterdeal when we borrow money for
(11:05):
these big capital projects.
So that's a win for theresidents of Holly Springs.
A lot of the issues we'redealing with are state
limitations, are statecomplications.
You know the funding of the DOTis an issue.
Hurricane Helene did not doNorth Carolina any favors, and
the issues getting federalreimbursement on those funds.
Those issues are ripplingoutward even as far as Wake
(11:27):
County.
So I see we have a lot of workto do in partnering with our
state representatives andsenators on the needs of our
community, especially one that'sgrowing so quickly.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (11:38):
Do you support the current town budget?
Where would you advocatechanges, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities, if needed for
fiscal responsibility?
Annie Drees (11:48):
Yeah.
So one of the things that Isuggested in the town budget
that was not approved was wehave $600K reserved for the
Festival Street planning indowntown Holly Springs.
Now I'm excited about FestivalStreet.
I do think that could bringsome businesses to downtown and
has the potential to bring moreevents.
But because of our immediatetraffic needs, I could see that
(12:11):
$600,000 be better spent on ourITS, our Intelligent
Transportation System.
That's the light timing systemthat we've been working on.
Or there are a couple places intown that we know need traffic
lights today, right, and the DOTis supposed to build them and
they haven't.
Now those traffic lights cost amillion dollars, so that 600K
(12:35):
wouldn't buy us a traffic light.
But perhaps we could use it toincentivize DOT and say if we
kick in 300K, can you get thistraffic light up in three months
.
I see some opportunity there,whereas I think we could
postpone Festival Street for ayear.
I do not think that we shouldbe paying for a lobbyist.
This is something I thought alot about.
(12:57):
Right now, we share a lobbyistwith Wake County and he is
advocating for Holly Springs andhe's also advocating for Wake
County, and I feel like we arenot getting the advantage.
I think the things that he isadvocating for he would be
advocating on behalf of WakeCounty anyway.
And.
I think it would be morestrategic to develop our
(13:18):
relationships with statelegislators and save that money
from Holly Springs taxpayers.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (13:25):
Oftentimes it feels like government waits
until a specific need iscritical before taking action.
Do you support being moreproactive and if so, how and in
what ways specifically?
Annie Drees (14:00):
Yes, I do.
I think town and this issomething that I followed up
with the police chief, with thetown manager, and I'm asking
questions like how often are wehearing about e-bikes?
So I checked in a couple ofweeks ago, actually, and it
sounds like we're only gettingtwo calls a month.
So do we need to put anordinance in place to make sure
(14:21):
that kids are safe?
Is this a real problem?
I don't want to createordinances that don't serve any
good but, it is something I'mwatching and I've asked the town
to keep an eye on as well.
If this starts upticking, if itstarts increasing, that we are
ready to take action.
So, yes, I would like to takeaction if there is a need and
(14:41):
before something happens, right.
So that's an example.
Yes, I absolutely believe wewant to be ahead, not behind,
and we get that way by listeningto people.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (14:51):
What new initiatives or attractions would
you champion to boost revenueand community pride?
Annie Drees (14:57):
I would love for Holly Springs to have more
community events, more culturalevents.
I would like to see morerepresentation of the people who
live here and the town support.
I think that would be good forbusinesses in the downtown area
as well as for community andsense of pride.
I think that's really importantand gives Holly Springs a sense
(15:21):
of self.
And, yeah, I fully support theHolly Springs town being more
engaged in that way.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (15:28):
Have you ever disagreed publicly with a
current town decision or policyand if so, what was it and how
would you handle a similarsituation if you were reelected?
Annie Drees (15:38):
It is not uncommon for me to be the odd man out
when it comes to developmentapproval decisions.
Recently there was a 55 pluscommunity across the street from
the Holly Springs High Schoolon Avent Ferry Road area and I
did decide to vote against thatdevelopment because I have
concerns about the safety onAvent Ferry Road.
(16:00):
Right there there are a lot oftraffic issues and the timeline
for that road improvement isn'ttill 2029, 2030.
So it did not seem like theright time to make that
development choice, so I didlose that vote, but that happens
.
I think it's important thatdifferent points of view are
reflected in town council.
(16:21):
I think that seeing dissentingvotes is not a bad thing.
It shows the robustness that'sgoing into these decisions.
When town council always agreeson everything, you kind of
wonder if they're just rubberstamping things.
I think voices of differingopinions are valuable and an
opportunity for us to grow.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (16:41):
When you hear smart growth, what does
that mean for our town inpractical terms?
Annie Drees (16:46):
Smart growth is about growing thoughtfully, the
right development in the rightplaces, looking at not just that
unit alone but looking at theimpact to neighboring
communities, as well as givingthoughts to not just the road
impact but also the ingress andegress to that community and to
(17:08):
the adjacent communities.
It means thinking about theimpact as far as light pollution
I mean.
There are a lot of aspects ofdevelopment that can impact
existing communities and thatdoesn't mean we don't develop.
You know, if we don't develop atall, right, if we stop
development in Holly Springswhich we could not do but if we
(17:29):
did, that would mean that peoplewould move to Fuquay or Apex
and then they would drivethrough Holly Springs, congest
our roads and not pay us taxesthat we could then use to fix
our road.
So it is a very complicatedissue but I think being
thoughtful, being intentional inthe developments we approve and
really refining the UDO, theUnified Development Ordinance,
(17:52):
so that it's clear to developerswhat our requirements are and
what our expectations are.
Because if developers come tous and they get turned down
right, that's a loss of time andmoney that might get reinserted
into the price of thatdevelopment when it comes
through again right, that moneydoesn't just disappear.
(18:13):
It can increase that base costof the homes in that development
.
So I do think it's important tobe on the same page with
development on what ourexpectations are and be clear
what our priorities are.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (18:25):
How would you ensure new development
maintains our town's characterwhile remaining affordable for
residents?
Annie Drees (18:31):
So we talked about creating incentives for builders
to include units at lowerprices.
Something that town council hasdone is we have found ways to
accelerate the developmentapproval process, which does
help reduce the cost fordevelopers, which is the cost
that gets added on to those baseprices of homes.
(18:51):
The other thing I think weshould look at is looking at the
buffers in our UDO and beingmore thoughtful in those buffers
.
I think creating more greenspace between developments is a
good thing for our community tofeel our sense of Holly Springs,
certainly when you're buildingin a very densely wooded area,
(19:12):
being more aggressive in ourtree preservation.
I think that is strategic andthoughtful and something we
should do to retain the visionof Holly Springs.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (19:22):
Our town is growing rapidly, putting
pressure on infrastructure likewater and roads, public safety,
parks and recreation and housingaffordability.
If you had to prioritize onlyone of these areas this year,
due to limited funding, whichwould you choose and how would
you communicate that decision toresidents?
Annie Drees (19:39):
So one thing I've learned in my time on council is
it helps to have momentum to besuccessful in an idea, in an
agenda item.
It's really helpful for thereto be momentum from the
community, from the state orfederal level.
That helps create opportunitiesfor these items to be
successful.
Now, that's kind of a sidebar,but I wanna acknowledge that can
(20:01):
impact what we prioritize.
Let's take, for example, to besuccessful Now that's kind of a
sidebar, but I want toacknowledge that can impact what
we prioritize.
Let's take, for example, thepost office.
Yes, the Holly Springs postoffice needs some work and it's
very small and there'sdefinitely opportunity to
improve the post office or builda new post office, but there is
no momentum for that right nowright.
So that's a need that I know wehave in Holly Springs, that I'm
(20:22):
waiting for an opportunity tostrike on.
But there is no opportunity forthat in today's climate, I
would say.
So I just want to kind ofsidebar and say that looking for
those opportunities of momentumcan change prioritization
because it can make anopportunity to do something even
bigger if you act with thatmomentum.
(20:42):
For public safety.
Two years ago the town made asignificant investment in public
safety that staffed FireStation 3, that staffed enough
police officers to supportcommunity policing, which is
keeping the same officers in thesame neighborhood, allowing
these officers to get to knowthe people who live there,
understand where the hotspotsare and develop a relationship
(21:05):
with the community Utilitiesinfrastructure.
The town is currently making alarge investment in water, both
in drinking water and waterreclamation.
That is a capital investmentthat we are making now and have
been making.
So that is an investment thatwill come to fruition over the
next several years.
So that's the case for that one.
(21:25):
Parks and Recreation again, wejust had a bond happen for
Eagles Landing.
So I would say for those threewe have made steps, momentous
steps, in the past two, threeyears to advance opportunities
there.
So that would bubble up thehousing affordability to me and
I would say that creating thisincentives for builders is not
(21:48):
something that would cost thetown money but would create
opportunity.
We talked about utilities andinfrastructure, but another
piece of that is traffic and Iadvocated for reserving more
money a quarter of a cent twoyears ago in the town budget and
that was successful to help usget larger scale projects off of
(22:09):
the ground to facilitate thetown partnering with the DOT.
When the DOT funds a road, it isa very long process, it is a
very slow process and when thecost of highway construction is
increasing every year, a slow,long process means a bigger
price tag and it takes longerfor our community.
(22:32):
I mean the needs we have as faras transportation, our needs we
have now.
So I would really like to getthe ITS system off the ground,
get that ownership in HollySprings.
That's that timed lightingsystem, coordinating the signal
lighting, so that when you'regoing into work in the morning
you're getting all greens.
When you're coming home in theevening you're getting all
(22:52):
greens shaving off that time.
I think there's realopportunity there to make a
significant difference without agiant price stack there to make
a significant differencewithout a giant price stack.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:04):
Do you feel we already adequately meet the
needs of any of theseinfrastructure, public safety,
parks and recreation or housingaffordability?
Annie Drees (23:10):
So we certainly made a lot of investments, but
the tricky thing about a growingcommunity is it's growing,
which means those needs aregrowing.
So meeting the needs todaydoesn't mean we're meeting the
needs tomorrow.
So it is a constant evolutionand assessment of where we are
and where we're going to betomorrow and how we prepare
ourselves for that next day.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:32):
As the population grows.
What strategies would youprioritize to address roads,
utilities and otherinfrastructure challenges?
Annie Drees (23:40):
I believe that transit is a great way to make a
difference.
I do.
That is much more affordablethan building more highways, and
the problem with more highwaysis more asphalt.
I don't think anybody wants tolive in an asphalt community.
But in conjunction with that, Ithink the savings that we're
doing today and the additionaltax money we will get from these
(24:02):
big corporations we have comingto Holly Springs allow us to
continue to find opportunitiesto partner with the DOT to help
move them forward, to helpadvance our projects.
I also think we need tocontinue to advocate for better
funding of the DOT, particularlyin growing communities like
ours.
(24:23):
At the state level there is alimit on what we can do there,
but I think we've got to be astrong advocate.
Counties like Wake County thatare growing rapidly.
They need extra investment fromthe DOT to support that growth.
I also think there'sopportunity for more partnership
.
Holly Springs is not alone inthis rapid growth right.
We're surrounded by othercommunities going support that
growth.
I also think there'sopportunity for more partnership
.
Holly Springs is not alone inthis rapid growth right.
(24:43):
We're surrounded by othercommunities going through
similar things, something thatbubbled up.
I was at a joint council meetingwith Carrie and Holly Springs
and they are advocating for moresidewalks in their community.
They've been doing a lot ofsidewalk connections and so I
asked them.
I said do you have a sidewalkcrew, do you have that
employment inside Cary?
(25:03):
And they said no, we have tocontract that out.
And the same is true for HollySprings.
So that bubbled up to me istheir opportunity to work with
Cary and Apex and Fuquay andshare a team.
You know.
Come up with some memorandum ofunderstanding where we each get
a set amount and put in enoughto fund it together and reap
(25:25):
benefits across our community.
Excellent.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (25:28):
Holly Springs has focused on bringing
in biomedical and science-basedbusinesses.
How would you balancesupporting these businesses and
garnering more with some publicsentiment that may be skeptical
of science and vaccines?
Annie Drees (25:42):
So I think the really good thing about these
large businesses is, when weland a large business like
Genentech or Fujifilm, we arenot just bringing those
employees to our community, weare also supporting local small
business right, because thoseemployees are going to want to
eat out at lunch, their facilityis going to need to be cleaned,
(26:06):
to be painted, to be repairedWith management is visiting from
another country, they're goingto fly in, they're going to need
a hotel to stay at.
There's all kinds of localbusiness growth that happens
from these bigger businesses, soI don't want to lose sight of
that.
By creating these opportunitiesof these big businesses, we are
also creating opportunities forsmaller businesses.
(26:27):
I do think we do have somevacant office manufacturing
space in Holly Springs and Iwould like to see intentional
effort put behind in fillingthose spaces as opposed to just
building new.
I think that's an opportunityfor Holly Springs and I think
there is a lot of sense and onceyou lean into a certain type of
(26:48):
business, like we have withbiomedical, other businesses
want to be nearby, otherbusinesses want to be a part of
that and I think it createsopportunity and it brings in new
business and I think that's thewin.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:02):
As our town grows, farmland faces pressure
from development and someresidents struggle to access
fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers?
Farmland faces pressure fromdevelopment and some residents
struggle to access fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers, protect farmland and
help ensure everyone has accessto healthy, affordable food.
Annie Drees (27:15):
You know, I was just at the Raleigh Visitors
Bureau, had their annual meetingand they had a panel of chefs
come and talk about why thisarea in Wake County was a great
place to open new and excitingrestaurants, and there were two
points that I thought were verypresent there.
One was the proximity to farmsand fresh food was one of the
(27:40):
reasons that brought these chefshere, and the other was the
diversity of the people of thisarea.
You know we have folks comingfrom all over.
People want to live here andthat brings different tastes.
You know different flavors,different fascination, maybe
combining different kinds offood from different places
together and that creates thisgreat melting pot of fresh food
(28:03):
and people who want to trydifferent things.
So that is absolutely one of thethings that is important for
our community, because I don'tknow about you, but in my house
we love a good restaurant.
We're excited to see a newplace open and we have the
Michelin Guide coming soon toour area.
They're evaluating restaurantsin Wake County.
They're going to publishMichelin recommendations for
(28:25):
North Carolina, which will alsobring more exciting
opportunities as far asrestaurants.
So yeah, I think we absolutelyneed to support our farmers and
farmland to preserve the farmswe have and create opportunities
to support their developmentand expansion.
Absolutely.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (28:42):
Our police sometimes receive requests from
outside agencies, while alsoaddressing local needs.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?
Annie Drees (29:09):
People who live in Holly Springs think that should
be the top priority for ourcommunity, as opposed to going
outside.
You know, if there are needshere, those should be tantamount
, I think, to our communityofficers.
So I would say that should bethe priority.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (29:19):
How can the town better support small
businesses and connect withtheir needs?
Annie Drees (29:23):
We recently just hired a new small business
staffer at the town to helpconnect with local small
businesses.
I think that's really important.
Last year, we revisited thedowntown business investment
grant that we offer for folks.
We expanded what that coversand we have gotten more
applicants because of it.
(29:43):
So that is good, but is thereopportunity to do more?
Absolutely, I think it'sappropriate and the right thing
to do for the town to engage andconnect with local businesses.
We also support Launch HollySprings as a town which brings
new innovation and smallbusinesses to the community,
which is a win.
But is there opportunity to domore?
(30:03):
Yes, and how do we do that?
By connecting and talking withthese local businesses and
identifying those common needs.
One of the needs I've heard alot of is space, and that is the
good thing about thesemixed-use developments that you
see, is that they create morespace for businesses to be
successful.
But is it the right kind ofspace?
Does it meet the needs of thebusinesses that are already here
(30:26):
?
These are the conversations weshould be having at a town level
.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (30:30):
What approaches would you take to
foster understanding andcollaboration amongst residents
with differing perspectives?
Annie Drees (30:37):
A few months back I attended a community council
meeting in Apex and I reallythink this is a great idea.
I think creating moreopportunities for council
members to engage with thecommunity and to be available, I
think that is a win.
I would love to see the town ofHolly Springs have community
meetings where council membersare accessible.
(30:58):
I think there is a feeling thatcouncil members don't care that
we're not there and I think weneed to create more
opportunities for contact.
There's a town information dayat the farmer's market every
year where the town hasdifferent departments come out
and man booths, and last year Iasked that we have a town
(31:19):
council booth and myself andCouncil Member DeShazer we were
out there all morning, you know,telling people about the
different committees, about theCitizens Academy, about how to
apply, and you know people hadquestions, people had concerns,
but just being there to feelthose Some of them we said I got
to get back to you on that one,you know.
But I think being accessibleand having people understand
(31:41):
that we care, that we want thatfeedback, I mean the reality is
what makes a good council memberis being in touch with our
community and finding theseopportunities to engage, because
my experience is my experience,but the more I know about other
people's experience, the richer, more robust my decisions can
be.
So I think there is a goodopportunity in Holly Springs for
(32:03):
more touch points, and I thinkthose will make us better
leaders.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (32:07):
How will you ensure diverse voices and those
most impacted are not onlyincluded, but truly embraced in
decision making?
Annie Drees (32:20):
One of the ways in which we can bring more
diversity to our community isthrough our board appointments.
You know, I've sat on counciland cast my vote for board
appointments for two years andit is a difficult thing and I
eventually ended up creating amatrix, a spreadsheet, because
I'm an engineer with differentfactors that I would weigh
people on.
One of the things I always lookat is what part of town do they
live in, right?
(32:41):
Unfortunately, right now wehave three board of adjustment
members who live close enough toborrow a cup of milk and I say
a cup of milk, not sugar,because the milk would still be
cold and I think that is a myth.
We don't want everyone onplanning board living on one
side of 55, making decisionsabout the other side of 55.
I have, in fact, whenconsidering a rezoning decision
(33:05):
and I'm looking at the planningboard vote and it's a close vote
I have pulled up where thoseplanning board members live and
looked at how they voted,because I didn't want, when it
was practically a tied decision,I didn't want everyone voting
against it to live near it, youknow.
So these are considerations totake into account.
So I certainly see that throughour appointment process.
(33:26):
So I have my spreadsheet, Ilook at these different factors
experience where they live, howlong they've lived in town and
their enthusiasm level.
But the other aspect of thatthat I didn't really capture
when talking about this beforeis I'm also looking for a unique
point of view.
What is this person bringing tothe table that is new and
(33:46):
different?
I was at a Parks and Recmeeting the other day and one of
the Parks and Rec members is anavid runner.
He brings a lot of experienceon trails right on parks because
he's running them.
That's a different experiencethan someone who's taking their
kids to play on the playground.
Additionally, there's a hunteron the Parks and Rec Advisory
Committee.
(34:06):
That's a different point ofview and it's a valuable one to
have in the room when you'retalking about different aspects
of this decision.
So I really think beingstrategic about getting those
differing points of view in thesame room to have these
conversations is reallyimportant, and I think council
can do a better job of that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (34:24):
Do you support a non-discrimination
ordinance or policy?
Why or why not?
Annie Drees (34:29):
I advocated to council.
I suggested that we bring LakeCounty in to get an update on
the non-discrimination ordinance.
I had heard concerns that therewas a negative impact to
businesses, and so my requestwas let's find out how it's
going.
And, with the exception ofCouncil Member DeShazer, the
rest of the council voted no.
(34:50):
They didn't want the data.
Now, as an engineer, thatdrives me crazy, because how can
you make data-driven decisionsif you won't look at the data
right?
So that meeting did not happen.
I would like it to happen tomake a decision on the weight
non-discrimination ordinance.
I believe, based on what I haveseen, is that it is the right
(35:10):
thing for Holly Springs to signthe Wake County
non-discrimination ordinance.
However, because I am someonewho believes in making
data-driven decisions, I dothink we should get an update.
I think we should understand ifit is working or if it isn't,
but if it is working, yes, I seeno reason why we shouldn't join
the rest of Wake County andsign it yeah.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:30):
Okay.
Have you gained anyendorsements thus far and if you
gain more, where might votersfind that information?
Annie Drees (35:37):
I have been endorsed by the Wake County
Democratic Party and theDemocratic Municipal
Organization, dmo, and thoseendorsements are on my webpage
and future endorsements will bethere All right.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:49):
Where can listeners connect with you and
learn more about your platform?
Upcoming events and ways to getinvolved?
Annie Drees (35:55):
That is a great question.
So my website is www.
anniedrees D-R-E-E-S, or numberfour, hollysprings.
com.
My Facebook page isAnnie4HollySprings Again, the
number four, and my Instagram isAnnie4HollySprings number four.
(36:15):
So those are all great ways toreach me.
You can also email me.
I care about what you have tosay.
Like I said before, connectingwith people who live here,
hearing their concerns, I mean Irelish Tell me a different
point of view, because that'shelpful to me.
I cannot solve problems I don'tknow about right and I welcome
(36:36):
that dialogue.
Sometimes, to represent, I needto know who I'm representing.
So please don't hesitate toreach out.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (36:44):
Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to
share with those voting in theupcoming election?
You know?
Annie Drees (36:49):
I put in the work I do.
I read every page of ourhundreds of pages of prep work.
I visit sites, I talk to people, I meet with people.
That's part of the job, Ibelieve, and I am someone who
will put in the work, so I hopeyou will consider me and please
vote.
You make a difference at thelocal level.
That's where it happens If Iget elected.
(37:11):
You have my cell phone numberon the town's website.
You can call me.
I'm going to answer or I'mgoing to call you right back.
This is where you can solveproblems.
This is where you can make adifference.
So, please, please, thisshouldn't be a tiny fraction of
folks voting.
This should be where the mostpeople vote, because this is
where you live.
(37:31):
We're making decisions aboutwhere you live and you should
care about that.
I do.
Perfect.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (37:36):
All right, now we're going to go into our
lightning round.
Annie Drees (37:39):
Oh no, I remembered this from two years ago and I
had no answer.
Oh gosh, okay, I'm terrified.
Oh, I don't do lightning, I'm acritical thinker.
I got to think a thing through.
Okay, all right, sorry, noyou're good.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (37:57):
What's something you do that helps you
recharge?
Annie Drees (38:00):
So two things I run and I meditate.
I'm a big believer inmeditating, especially when
you're doing something as wackyand insane as running for public
office.
It's really important to takethose moments.
And kind of recenter, there'sthis whole campaign bubble mind
that happens.
It makes you impossible to livewith Just ask my husband.
(38:20):
And it's hard to think aboutanything else and you know that
reset, recharge is so critical.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:27):
What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about
you that most people don't know?
Annie Drees (38:32):
I used to skate roller derby.
I was a co-captain of theCarolina Roller Girls a number
of years ago.
I don't know if people knowthat or not, but if you've seen
me skate then maybe you knowthat, and I speak Spanish.
What's something that isdifficult for you?
I am someone who can't sitstill.
I like to be busy, I like to dothings, so I would rather be on
(38:53):
the move.
I would I have a hard timesitting down and just being
still.
That can be a real challengefor me.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:00):
What book, podcast or TV show are you
enjoying right now?
Annie Drees (39:04):
I have a hard time reading, except when I'm on
vacation.
When I'm on vacation, I willread three, four books straight
and I love it.
And then I get back home and Idon't.
I'm reading Strong Towns rightnow, very slowly and Toddcast.
I can't say yours, that wouldbe cheating.
But I am constantly listeningto news podcasts.
(39:26):
There's a great one on publiceducation in North Carolina that
I like.
The North Carolina League ofMunicipalities has a podcast.
They were just talking aboutEVs.
So yeah, I've listened topodcasts constantly and I can't
think of any of their names.
So don't hold that against me.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:43):
That's right , because you just click the
button.
Annie Drees (39:45):
Right, right.
Next, it just startsautoplaying.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:48):
Who is your favorite superhero?
Annie Drees (39:51):
Oh, danger Mouse, he's British, I don't know.
It must be the accent, I don'tknow.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:59):
What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received?
Annie Drees (40:02):
So someone once said to me that we're all works
in progress and I love thatconcept that we're not fully
baked yet.
We still have work to do, westill have growth.
And the other piece that I readin a book it's from Anne of
Green Gables, where she saystomorrow is a day with no
mistakes in it.
Yet.
And I love that feeling.
Not that mistakes are a badthing I mean that's how we learn
(40:24):
but that kind of optimism ofcontinued learning and growth, I
like that a lot Awesome.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:29):
What's one guilty pleasure you secretly
enjoy?
Annie Drees (40:32):
staying up too late .
I am the worst at that.
But you know my husband, he'llbe like, well, I'm going to bed,
I'm like I'm just gonna do afew more things and then three
hours later I'm writing a postonline about you know what
happened at the town councilmeeting, or you know, watching
Netflix or anything, but notgoing to bed because I'm just
(40:54):
trying to stretch every lastdrop out of the day.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:57):
There you go .
What's a simple thing thatalways makes you laugh or smile?
Annie Drees (41:02):
I don't know.
I I like to laugh and I findhumor in funny places.
Something I see will just makeme laugh.
But I think we all need tolaugh more at ourselves,
sometimes, as well as what wesee.
Maybe a good Holly Springsroundabout meme.
You got to laugh at those, yeah.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:21):
Coffee or tea?
Annie Drees (41:22):
coffee
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:23):
Morning person or night owl?
Annie Drees (41:25):
I want to say both.
I usually go for a run in themorning.
Coffee Morning person or nightowl I want to say both.
I usually go for a run in themorning, so that feels like a
morning thing to do, but thesedays I'm afraid I'm more of a
night owl.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:35):
Mountains or beach?
Annie Drees (41:36):
Mountains.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:38):
Book or podcast?
Annie Drees (41:39):
If I'm on vacation it's book, but if I'm at home
it's a podcast, because I canwalk or go for a run and listen
to it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:47):
Dogs or cats ?
Annie Drees (41:49):
dogs
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:50):
Alright.
Thank you so much, Annie, forparticipating in the Candidate
Conversations.
I really appreciate you takingthe time out of your busy
schedule and your trust in me todo this, and I wish you the
best of luck in your election.
Annie Drees (42:01):
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate you doingthis.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:04):
Absolutely Local.
Elections are where democracylives closest to home.
The decisions and actions ofour mayors, the Holly Springs
Town Council and the FuquayVarina Board of Commissioners
influence the services we relyon each day, the safety of our
streets, the character of ourneighborhoods and even the
future direction of ourcommunities.
(42:25):
Democracy is at the heart ofall we hold dear.
Our local governments setpriorities that touch everyday
life.
They pass ordinances, fund ourfire and police departments, set
property tax structures andshape the look and feel of our
towns.
Because turnout is often lowerin municipal elections, every
ballot cast carries even greaterweight.
(42:46):
Here's what you need to knowfor 2025.
The voter registration deadlineis October 10th, unless you
register at an early voting site.
Early voting begins October16th at the Wake County Board of
Elections office in Raleigh.
Additional sites open onOctober 25th, including the John
M Brown Community Center inApex and the Avery Street
(43:07):
Recreation Center in Garner.
Those two will be the closestto us in Holly Springs and
Fuquay Varina.
Early voting concludes onSaturday, November 1st.
Please note that this year onlyincludes two Saturdays, October
25th and November 1st, and one,Sunday, October 26th.
The last day to request amail-in absentee ballot is
October 21st and Election Dayitself is Tuesday, November 4th,
(43:30):
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.
Please remember you will need avalid ID to vote.
2025 municipal electioninterviews at www.
ncdeepdive.
com, as well as on Spotify,apple Podcasts, audible or
(43:52):
wherever you currently listen topodcasts.
Show notes will include linksto candidates, voter resources
and election information.
If you find these conversationshelpful, please subscribe,
share them with friends orfamily and consider leaving a
rating or review.
Spreading the word in yourlocal spaces helps strengthen
informed participation acrossour communities.
(44:12):
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail.
com.
I'm grateful you spent this timewith me today.
Staying informed is how weshape communities worth calling
home.
Your choices matter, yourperspective matters and you
matter.
Your ballot is your voice, andboth carry more power than you
(44:35):
might imagine.
Democracy isn't passive.
It only works when we each showup.
Thank you for helping me tomake it thrive.
May we continue to worktogether to build stronger, more
vibrant communities, to live,work and play in Ones we can all
be proud to call home.
Until next time, my friendsnamaste, the love and light in
(44:55):
me sees and honors the love andlight in you.
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