Bryan Haynes: 2025 Fuquay Varina Board of Commissioners Candidate

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (00:09):
Hello friends.
Welcome back to the NC DeepDive Podcast.
I am your host, Amanda BenbowLunn, and today I am honored to
be speaking with Bryan Haynes aspart of our 2025 Municipal
Election CandidateConversations.
Bryan is running forre-election for the four-year
seat on the Fuquay Varina Boardof Commissioners.

(00:31):
For this race, Bryan will berunning against Gage Cook,
Kris Vorren, and Nolan Perry.
These races are nonpartisan, sothere will not be any party
affiliation, like an R or a D,next to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to votefor up to two of these
candidates for this seat on yourballot in this election.

(00:52):
The top two vote getters willjoin Fuquay Varinas Board of
Commissioners, Charlie Adcock,William Bill Harris, and Marilyn
Gardner 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,

(01:14):
and fine-tuning with AI to keepthem as fair, unbiased, and as
open-ended as possible.
Without further ado, myfriends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Bryan Haynes, to theNorth Carolina Deep Dive
Podcast.
I'm gonna allow you to takesome time and introduce
yourself, how long you've livedin the area, and what has

(01:35):
inspired you to run.

Bryan Haynes (01:36):
Sure.
Thank you, Amanda, for havingme this evening.
My name is Bryan Haynes.
I am running for re-election inthe town of Fuquay Varina Town
Commissioner board.
I am a lifelong resident, whichis near and far between now
with many people in the town ofFuquay Varina, but I'm still one
of those natives around here inFuquay Varina.
That's awesome.
I've matriculated through allthe public school system in

(01:56):
Fuquay Varina as well.
The reason why I'm running forre-election is to continue what
I started four years ago,continue to make sure that I
achieve everything that I toldthe citizens that I was running
on the last four years andcontinue to build on that.
So that's the main reason whyI'm running.
I think we are moving in aright direction, but we have a
long way to go still.
See, you know, how ourcommunity continues to change

(02:18):
and needs we need to addressstill.
There's our community becomingmore diverse.
So we're meaning to make surethat we meet the needs of all of
our citizens.
My biggest thing with anythingis make sure that we uh have a
great quality of life for allour citizens.
I tell people all the time,when you're running at large,
you have to remember that inevery vote you do is that when
you make a decision, you'remaking a decision not just on a

(02:38):
certain group or a certain areaor anything.
You make a decision based onevery citizen in town of
Fuquay Varina, which makes itdifficult at times because
you're thinking of everyone,these citizens, and you know, no
matter what their you know,social economic background is,
their race, anything, but youstill have to make those
decisions based on everycitizen.
So you have to think of everycitizen when you're making a
decision.
So I'm one of those people inthe community all the time.

(02:59):
So I'm always trying to makesure I know what the needs of
the community are because theychange.
You know, stuff that happenedlast week is different from this
week.
So I'm making sure we'reunderstanding what you know,
what our citizens want, whatthey need, the issues they have
with what's going on in town orthings they see that they wish
they would have in town.
So make sure we make all thatstuff happen in our long-term
plans as well as making surethat we're meeting the needs of

(03:20):
people from day to day.

Okay.
Have you been an active voter,including in local elections?

Yes.
Since I was allowed to vote, Idon't recall ever missing an
election.
Even when I was out of school,when I was in West Salem for
college, I drove back forelection day.
So I've always voted.

Awesome.
What do you feel is the role ofa board commissioner?

The role is really one is to know what the needs
of the community are.
I don't think you can be aneffective leader.
I don't think you can be adefinitely can't be an effective
town elected official withoutknowing what your community
needs, what your communitywants.
And so that's the main mostimportant thing is one, listen
to the citizens.
Two, is educating citizens.
A lot of time it can besimplest things from trash

(04:03):
pickups or anything, just makingsure that the citizens are
educated on you know what to putin a trash can.
Most people don't know youcan't put a pizza box, you know,
in the recycling bin.
So you have to explain all thisstuff.
So a lot of education,education on how the budget is
done, why your water bill mightgo up or your water bill might
go down, or when tax rates comeout, you explain that we don't
control that.
The county controls that.
So doing a lot of educationdefinitely is key.

(04:25):
Making sure you're supportingso many initiatives and
businesses and organizations,nonprofits, civic organizations,
faith-faith organizations,making sure you're supporting
all of them.
I feel like it's very importantbecause people need to see you,
citizens need to see you, andnot just, you know, for a photo
operating thing, but just seeyou out there doing the work.
I feel like the title is good,you feel upset, but you can't

(04:46):
just, I feel like a towncommissioner is more than just
coming and sitting on a dais twotimes a month.
It's about what you do whenyou're not sitting up there
behind them doing votes.
So that's that's what I thinkit is.
I mean, getting involved,building relationships with not
just your commissioners on yourboard, but also building
relationships with your county,with your state, and even with
your federal representatives.
I think that's key to tocontinue to advance your

(05:06):
community.
Because if you don't have thoserelationships and those
connections, you miss a lot ofneeded either resources, needed
grant money, and so many otherthings.
So make sure you're buildingthose relationships as well.

Could you explain a little bit further
about how you build thoserelationships and what those
relationships look like?

Yeah, so you know, for me is going outside the
Fuqua y Varina, uh going to theGeneral Assembly, speaking to
your representatives, your Houseand Senate representatives.
Every year I travel to DC withour National League of Cities,
which is the organization thatkind of represents all of the
municipalities in the wholeUnited States of America.
So they have a congressionalcity conference in DC every year
where we take one day where allthe municipal elected officials

(05:44):
that come in town go on CapitolHill and talk to your federal
representatives who representyour state.
So going there, they're seeingyour face, you're meeting their
connections, meeting theiraides, making sure they know
what you need in your community.
Because oftentimes they'relooking at a big area.
But if you go there, let themknow what you need, what's
really going on in theFuquay Varina and the needs you
need and how we possibly canhelp Fuquay Varina is key.
Or at your county level, justtalking, sitting down, having

(06:06):
coffee.
I think that's one of thesimplest things, just sitting
down, having coffee or lunchjust to get to know them, for
them to get to know you as wellas know what's going on in your
town.
Because oftentimes, you know,they come in, they oftentimes
come in town, but just reallyknowing what's you know going on
the ground going on all thetime is key for them to one help
you meet some initiatives,especially if you need that
funding.
So definitely, like I said, youhave to get out there and go

(06:27):
meet them.
Because oftentimes, you know,they might come once a year, but
I feel like it's ourresponsibility to try to keep
that communication throughoutthe year because that always
puts you a little bit ahead ofsomebody else if you already
have that communication, thatrelationship going on.

True enough.
What is your involvement withinthe community and town
government and whatqualifications make you prepared
to maintain this role?

I'm involved in so many different things.
I tell people it's not to bragor anything, it's just that's
how I grew up.
My mom was a single parent mom,and she literally worked, you
know, a few jobs, but also madesure she was PTA president.
She never missed a footballgame, wrestling match.
She never missed a bandperformance.
She was a surrogate mother forkids, kind of helping kids who

(07:07):
didn't have that motherlyfigure.
So, you know, I tell people myhustlers, I always gain that
from her.
So people like you, you'realways doing stuff in the
community.
I'm like, I tell people, Ithat's what I grew up on, you
know.
And she still was sitting onother boards and everything.
So that's me.
One, I stay abreast of so manythings, just running my
nonprofit organization,Pine Acres Community Center,
where you know, even duringCOVID, we stepped up and made
sure kids are being fed and notjust Fuquay Varina, but in Holly

(07:29):
Springs and some of Apex andeven some of Harnett County,
make sure they're fed.
And now we still feedingfamilies each uh month.
So that gives us a breast onwhat's going on and what the
needs of the community isoftentimes.
And oftentimes these are peoplewho per se at times look or
feel overlooked.
So making sure we know whatthey need as well, because
oftentimes, you know, we talk toour business owners, we see our
business owners, we see a lotof the bigger people in town

(07:51):
that you see all the time.
But the people who oftentimesfeel overlooked need to be heard
too.
So make sure that I sit onRotary Club on so many civic
organizations.
My Masonic Lodge is here inFuqua y Varina.
We're celebrating 120 years.

Wow.

I'm a local minister in the community as
well.
So I kind of have my hands in alittle bit of everything, which
I feel like helps me in thisrole to navigate pretty much
anything that'll come across ourdesk.
And then also statewide, serveon North Carolina Black Elected
Municipal Officials Board ofDirectors.
So I'm on the board ofdirectors there, as well as for
the National League of Cities, Isit on the Education and Family

(08:25):
Advisory Committee as well asthe Federal Advocacy Committee
for Economic Development, aswell as Small Cities Council.
So I feel like those help meand preparing me to make sure
that I'm being the best towncommissioner I can be.
And that's where thatrelationship comes back in
handy, where I'm dealing withpeople on the state level with
our state legal municipalitiesas well as our federal legal
municipalities, which you'rebeing able to talk to elected

(08:46):
officials all over the country.
So they have, and you realizethat most of us have the same
issue.
It's just either they'resmaller or they're bigger
because of our population oreither our budgets, but we're
all dealing with the same typeof issues.
So we'll be able to share thoseissues, run those issues by.
You can always call somebody.
I can call somebody inCalifornia, somebody in Florida,
somebody in Texas, and say,What do you think about this?
I know you said you would y'allwere doing this or y'all have

(09:07):
done this or implemented this.
What do you think about it?
And how did y'all go about it?
How did y'all go about thefunding?
And how did y'all get buy-infrom the community?

That's awesome.
That's really importantfeedback to be able to have and
to be able to bounce ideas offof one another at all of those
levels.

Exactly.
I tell people you learn a lot,you know, you learn even more
once you get into office, butstill you're not an expert on
everything.
So you need to have people whoyou can call no matter whether
it's for housing, no matterwhether it's for public safety,
no matter whether it's foreducation, no matter whether
it's for traffic, you need tohave people that you can always
reach out to and get theirprofessional opinion because uh

(09:41):
have so much experience in it.
So that's where thatrelationship comes back as well.
Being able to call these peopleand ask them, and they're gonna
give you an unbiased answerabout everything and just like
this is what it is, and how youmight want to go about it, how
you might want to look at it.

Excellent.
What's your long-term visionfor the future of Fuqua
y Varina?

Long-term vision, one of the biggest things is
making sure that everybody canlive who works in Fuquay Varina
in Fuquay Varina.
That's one of our biggestthings.
I know that's a hard thing totackle and a hard thing to see
happen, but definitely ourpolice, our fire, our educators,
but also our barbers, ourbeauticians, cosmetologists.
So making sure everybody canlive in the town Fuqua y Varina.

(10:17):
Make sure that as we continueto grow and as we continue to
become more diverse, making surethat we make space and
opportunities for everybody tothrive and have a great quality
of life.
My biggest thing always is tomake sure no kid goes hungry in
Fuquay Varina.
I'm very big on that.
Making sure that at some pointin time where we don't have to
hear, we have traffic problemsFuquay Varina.
I mean, we hear it all thetime, but make sure the stuff

(10:38):
we're doing now will impact usto the point where at some point
in time we will be to the pointwhere traffic is moving
smoothly everywhere.
And you know, that's kind ofhard because we continue to
grow.
We're not gonna stop growing.
The county as a whole is notgonna stop growing, and even our
state is not gonna stop growingbecause there's so many people
being attracted to this area.
So definitely making sure wecontinue to expand our youth

(10:59):
programming, our seniorservices, my long-term plan.
I'm still one of the few thingsthat I don't have.
I tell people I went back andlooked at my platform and I can
pretty much check off everythingI ran on last year already.
So that's amazing.
But I still have one thing thatI'm working on that's public
transportation.
We're working on it, it's inprogress because I understand
that so many people don't havetransportation all day long.

(11:19):
People share cars, family sharecars.
So somebody might have it inthe morning, somebody might have
it in the afternoon.
Some people don't have it atall.
Our seniors need to be able toget around freely to their
doctor's appointment, to thegrocery store, to the pharmacy,
and then even our young peoplewill be able to have where they
can actually ride on thesetransportation to get around
town from school outside ofriding a bus or to other

(11:40):
activities, because now we havetwo community centers, one on
our south side and one on ournorth side.
So I want to make sure we havetransportation so people can get
to the north side communitycenter because it's amazing, but
we got to make sure people areable to get there.

That's really great that you have the
foresight to think not only dowe bring this amazing community
center here, but if you buildit, people will come.
But some people might not havethat opportunity.
So making sure you're beinginclusive to make sure that
everybody does have thatopportunity to get there.

Yeah, I tell people I'm a very observant
person.
So, you know, I see the peoplewalking to work or walking their
kids to school or walkingpeople different places.
And, you know, I want to makesure that we can provide that
opportunity to where they canwalk safely.
That's one of the biggestthings to make sure we have
sidewalks all around town.
We're still working on thatplan to make sure we have
sidewalks everywhere.
We had uh one of our elementaryschools, I just kind of took

(12:27):
some pictures during our what isbike to ride to school and show
where people had to ride andbike in the street because there
was no sidewalks coming fromthat area.
So that's being addressed now,which we've gotten some state
funding and other things, andthat should be coming online
very soon.
So make sure we have thosesidewalks is one thing we don't
want to have is food desertswhere people can't safely walk
to somewhere to get food or toget their services.

(12:48):
So that's another thing thatlong term to make sure we have
that.
Because people walking in thestreet, people don't watch like
they used to watch to make sureour people can get around
safely.

And you had mentioned that most of your
platform lists from the lasttime you have been able to check
off.
Do you want to share thosethings as well?

Sure.
Last time, like I said, uh oneof the things is public safety,
make sure we continue to supportand expand our public safety,
which this past meeting, we justhad our fire safety inspection
come back rate in one, which istop.
Only a few of the uh firedepartments in this whole state
of North Carolina have thatrank, as well as our public
safety, our police department aswell make sure they just
achieved uh North Carolina CALEAcertification.

(13:28):
We worked to get our own SROsoutside of the county into our
schools, so that was brought on.
We got Tree City USA.
I was pushing for that, so wegot Tree City USA.
I was pushing for our youthcouncil to be re-implemented in
town, and now we have two youngpeople on the state board, and
they are now theirstate-recognized youth council,
as well as there's over ahundred and something kids in

(13:49):
the youth council, as well astraffic.
I tell people all the timethere's gonna be a lot of
projects going on all at onetime, but we're working very
hard on traffic, so you're gonnasee cones going up everywhere.
I tell people you're gonna seea lot of cones, but just know
we're working.
So making sure we've beenpushing that all of our parks
and recs continue to expandthose.
We're just getting another parkonline now at Wheeler Springs

(14:09):
Elementary School.
So all those things are in theplatform that I can check off.
Another thing was we never hadany smoke ordinances at any of
any of our facilities, straightacross the whole city.
So I went back and looked, Iwent and looked at all the other
municipalities in Wake County,and we had nothing checked off.
So now, because a lot of peopledon't want to smell cigarette
smoke or cigar smoke or anythingwhile they're watching their

(14:31):
kid play baseball or soccer orfootball or anything like that.
So now we have those wherethey're smoke-free at our parks
and a lot of our governmentfacilities and everything like
that.
Because you want everybody tohave a quality of life and have
an enjoyable time while they'reout there cheering on their
kids.
So those are just a few thingsthat I definitely focused on
during the last election thatthose have become positive wins,
and I was able to get buy-infrom the rest of the board to

(14:53):
get a lot of stuff approved andyou know support them on so many
of their initiatives as well.

That's awesome.
You've talked a little bitabout it, but what would you say
your top three priorities arefor you Fuquay Varina now if you
were to be re-elected?

Top three is one, keeping the momentum we're
going.
I think we're going in a greatdirection now.
It's taking some time, butwe're really working to where we
are becoming a very proactivecommunity and making sure that
we're not being reactive toanything.
So we're not just looking downthe line five years, looking
down the line 20 to 30 to 40years, and even 50 years down

(15:25):
the line, because even after weare all off the board, we want
to make sure that we laid up thefoundation for the people to
come behind us to pick up andtake it even further.
One of the biggest things ismaking sure that just simple
things is our traffic.
Like I said, traffic is stillan issue.
You know, that's one of thefirst things you hear.
Say if you went on Chat GPT,the first thing that's gonna
come up when you see that askswhat the biggest issue is in
town of Fuquay Varina, and theygo through it, it's gonna say

(15:46):
traffic.
So continue to make sure we'readdressing a lot of those
traffic problems, and some ofthose traffic problems and even
street problems is sidewalk.
So making sure we continue toexpand our sidewalk programs so
kids and families can be able towalk safely, continue to expand
our greenways.
We're so excited aboutconnecting to Bass Lake and
Holly Springs.
That's gonna be an amazingthing.
A lot of the long distancerunners are so excited about

(16:08):
that because they can run allthe way to Bass Lake and run
back.
So a lot of my focus is onbeing regional.
And we understand if we had todo a lot of these projects on
our own, it costs us a lot ofmoney.
But if we can partner with ourother communities around us to
make these initiatives happen,it saves both municipalities a
lot of money and even thecounty.
So having regional partnersaround, making sure that we can

(16:28):
partner on stuff, even with ourwater system.
We're partnering with HollySprings, we're partnering with
Pittsboro, we're partnering withSanford to get fresh water here
and have water that we can havefor the next 10-15 years.
So making sure that happens,definitely when it comes to
economic development, makingsure that we are still focused
on bringing some more bigcorporations in the community.
Right now, most of our tax basecomes from residential housing.
We're very lopsided on that.

(16:49):
So working to make sure we canbring some more commercial tax
base to the town, which helpsleverage and keeps your tax
rates low.
You know, we don't want toraise taxes by no means.
So we try to do everything wecan.
So even with our budget thisyear, we didn't do a lot of the
frills this year per se, becausewe want to make sure that we
address what needed to happen.
So we were more on a needsbasis and not really the wants.

(17:10):
We did some won't stuff, but weunderstand, and you know, when
you're in this position, youhave to make sure that you're
addressing the needs that needto be handled not just today,
but tomorrow and even next yearwith our budgets and even five
years down the road.
So we really focus on that, butalso we didn't want to raise
taxes.
So that was really big.
I mean, there's some stuff thatwe kind of had to raise, like
our water bill this year, but uhwe still have to continue to

(17:30):
provide safe water and water forus is going up, costing us more
to provide water to the town,as well as we have to spend our
water system to continue to growour community as well.
So there's a few things that wehear a lot of times, but we try
to address and make surebecause at the end of the day,
we all live in Fuquay Varina.
So, you know, it's the sameincreases we're paying, those
increases.
So we understand and we try tokeep everything to where cost is

(17:51):
not going up because I knowit's taxing on so many people.

And you had mentioned the education piece
and something that you justlifted up.
Like maybe if I would havethought about it, I would have
come to that conclusion, but Inever had a moment to even think
about it until you said thatthe town pays for water and your
expenses are going up withthat.
Like, I don't know how Ithought water got here or like
where those fees all come andgo.
I know I pay the town ofFuquay Varina, but I didn't, I

(18:16):
guess, as a resident, know thatthe town is paying whatever
their fees are.
And some of what we're seeing,we're paying a lot of those
costs.
So thank you for lifting thatup.

Yeah, we get water from different sources.
So we get water from HarnettCounty, we get water from other
municipalities and othercommunities.
Also, we get water from tworiver basins.
We get water from the NeuseRiver, and we get water from the
Cape Fear River.
So we have to put that waterback two different ways because
those are two different watertypes.
So that costs us even more tomake sure the two different
water systems are coming in tomake sure they're clean for you

(18:46):
to drink.
So all of that costs us a lotmore money.
We're expanding our watertreatment plant where for the
longest time they were never 24hours, but we're going to a
24-hour water treatment plant toprovide safe and healthy water
and clean water for ourresidents as well.
So those are things that we'reincuring the cost on, which is
kind of cost us a little bitmore.
So, but we're doing that tomake sure that we provide this
quality of life as we all see itto the citizens.

(19:08):
So that's costing us moremoney.
I mean, even with simplethings, I think a few years we
had to raise our recycling anduh trash pickup, most of the
time, but people didn't realizewe were incuring the cost for
recycling.
But after a while, it got tothe point where it was costing
us way more money, so we had toshare that cost, and that's
where that education piece comesin.
Oftentimes, even with sayroads, they're like, Why you
haven't got this road fixed?

(19:29):
Even though it's inFuquay Varina, that's a state
road.
The town had to contact ourstate DOT and address these
issues, which it might take alittle bit longer because
they're addressing the need.
So some roads are state roads,some roads a town maintain
roads, even though we maintainall the roads and make sure they
look good and they're cut,those roads are actually state
roads oftentimes.

Interesting.
What do you feel is workingwell in the town today, and
where do you still see room forimprovement?

What's working great is we continue to grow
with the times.
You know, one of the thingsthat we always focus on,
especially me being a native, ismaking sure we still keep the
Fuquay Varina charm that we allgrew up and knew, but also
making sure that we're beingprogressive at the same time and
understand that our communityis changing.
Our community is becoming morediverse, our community is
becoming at times younger.

(20:15):
It goes back and forth.
We still have a great seniorpopulation.
We understand that a lot ofgrandparents are moving here to
help take care of theirgrandkids.
Also, we realize we have a lotof business professionals
because for the longest timewe've been a bare road
community.
So, you know, we've beenmeeting those needs, but now we
need to make sure that therevenue that people are spending
in other municipalities, we cankeep it in town of
Fuquay Varina.
So continue to expand, likeMcWally's opening up was big.

(20:38):
That's something people havebeen asking for for I don't know
how long.
So now we have something wherepeople don't have to go outside
of Fuquay Varina, go to Raleighor go to all these other
municipalities to go to.
They can come bowl right hereFuquay Varina.
They can play at the arcadegames, they can get great food.
So continue to, you know,expand those types of things
from restaurants and when GoldLeaf Crossing uh shop center
comes online, that's gonna helpa lot keeping that revenue in

(21:00):
town.
The True by Hilton Hotel justbroke ground last week.
So making sure we have aquality hotel in town is key to
as well, because a lot ofrevenue has been going to our
neighboring communities onhotels and lodging.
So making sure that we'rekeeping up with the times as we
continue to grow, making surethat we're meeting the needs of
these different communities whoare joining us.
In the last few years, we'vehad a growth in our Indian

(21:23):
community, which they have beenamazing.
Our Hindu community, ourIslamic community, our African
community.
So, you know, making sure thatwe're having opportunities to
let these different culturesshowcase their culture, making
sure that we're still continuingto strengthen these
partnerships.
We have amazing nonprofits, wehave amazing businesses, we have
amazing faith-basedcommunities, civic

(21:43):
organizations, but just makesure we're all working together
to get to one goal.
So those are the biggest thingsthat we see us going in the
right direction, but continue tomake sure that we're putting
what we need to do in play tomake sure it keeps going ahead.
And like I say, I tell people,you know, I brag on our town all
the time.
Every town has issues, but tobe able to talk about how just
simple things of, you know, howour board, even though we don't

(22:05):
agree on everything, we getalong.
That's awesome.
I see so many other boards whoso much other stuff happens in
their board meetings outside ofboard meetings, but you know, we
might not agree on a situationor a vote or anything like that.
But five minutes down the road,we're still asking, How are
your kids or how's a familydoing, or something like that.
So that's key because if youdon't have a board that's a
functioning board that's workingtogether, there becomes more

(22:25):
issues.
And I will say that, you know,we have a board that's been
really working hard.
You really care abouteverybody, you know, you make
sure everybody's family is good,you ask those questions, you
see their family, seeing theirkids grow up and grandkids and
everybody else.
So just to make sure all that.
So, like I said, well, as wegrow, making sure that we're
putting what's need to be inplay to make sure that our town
grows in the right, safe, andquality direction.

Yeah, and I think that also contributes to
the small town charm, is whenyour board can get along and
model the behavior and it justseems more accessible and
friendly, easygoing.
So kudos for that.
Do you support the current townbudget?
Where would you advocate forchanges, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities if needed for fiscal

(23:10):
responsibility?

I fully support our budget.
We have multiple budgetmeetings.
The town, when they come totown board meeting and present
it, that's a short end, but no,we're sitting in a room for
three, four hours where they layout the budget.
But I'll tell people our budgetfor next year is being worked
on now.
We just approved the budget atthe end of June.
But as soon as that budget wasapproved, we're already working
on next year's budget.

Oh wow.

And then also during our town strategic
retreat, we bring other thingsthat we look and we talk about
and discuss and make sure we'regoing in the right direction
from what the numbers areshowing.
So we bring what we're lookingfor, what we need as a board to
the budget as well.
I tell people by March, wealready have a budget ready,
really.

Oh wow.

And we're just tweaking that budget.
In April, we get presented abudget.
So by the time June comes, Itell people our finance staff,
our management work very hard onthat budget.
And then that also, in turn,one, keeps all our ratings low.
So if we do need to get loansor you know, borrow money, our
borrowing power is so goodbecause we're able to sow that
fiscal responsibility.
We always get top tier, wealways get high rankings and all

(24:09):
this.
I mean, we're getting anassessment going on right now
from all of our rating agencies,and we've been top tier and top
excelling on that.
And that in turn is where wedon't have to raise taxes.
Because at the end of the day,the county raised taxes, and
because we didn't raise taxes,helped a lot of families, you
know, because they wouldn't haveto incur taxes from us as well
as the county at times.
So, you know, we look at allthat and put all that in play as

(24:29):
well.
So our budget was reallyfiscally responsible because
uncertainties with going onabove our means, we had to make
sure that we were good as acommunity and make sure that we
can provide all the resourcesand part of life things that we
have to provide and not putourselves in any kind of bond as
well from a town standpoint.
So we were looking at all thesedifferent things.

Okay.
Oftentimes it feels likegovernment waits until a
specific need is critical beforetaking action.
Do you support being moreproactive and how and in what
ways specifically?

Always.
I feel like that's where everyboard should be.
That's and definitely for me, Idon't want to wait till we're
in a situation to have to handleit.
I'd rather be looking down theroad.
So that's why I said our focusis down the road.
So we're already looking atwhere trends are going.
We're already looking wherewhat issues might arise or what
areas are hot spots where growthis going to happen.
So, how can we make sure thatinfrastructure is there before

(25:20):
they get there?
So it's not a big incurrence onus, and people don't realize
it.
Say we had a project bid now orsome type of project, six
months from now, that projectmight be a hundred to two
hundred to three hundredthousand dollars more.

Wow.

So making sure that we're planning ahead
because we know the stuff, thecost of everything keeps going
up.
So being proactive ineverything you do is very key.
But I also, in turn, the onlyway you can be proactive is if
you know the needs of thecommunity.
So that goes back to listeningto your citizens.
You got to make sure you listento your citizens.
What do your citizens need?
What issues are they seeing?
I mean, it's small things thatpeople bring up to you, but

(25:52):
those are issues that at somepoint in time become problems.
So if we address them now, theywon't become problems.
I've I've had a few phone callsa day, and so I'm working on
those to make sure we don't haveto see somebody, you know,
possibly get hit uh pulling outof a driveway or somebody
pedestrian walking across thestreet.
So those are things that we canprevent now.
You know, we can make sure thatwe provide that safety for our
community all the way around.

Excellent.
What new initiatives orattractions would you champion
to boost revenue and communitypride?

Initiatives, you know, I'm always big on shopping
local.
I'm big on that.
As a business owner myself, Iunderstand that vibrant
downtowns need a vibrantcommunity as in general.
I just met a young lady whofamily who were opening up a new
learning center in the town.
So I'm like, people go supporther.
So making sure you're pushingthat because that helps our
economy, that helps ourcommunity grow.

(26:41):
So pushing those things whereit comes to supporting downtown,
go to your local coffee shops,your restaurants, supporting any
initiative goes on, no matterwhether it's your food,
pantries, no matter whether it'syour clothing, shelters,
anything.
So that's what createscommunity.
I'm big on community.
I've always been big oncommunity, making sure that we
are the community that we don'tlike what we look on just on

(27:01):
paper, but when people come intocommunity, they feel that they
see that, and it keeps themhere.
You know, I hear it all thetime.
I ask people all the time, howin the world did you first find
Fuquay Varina?
I mean, I have people comingfrom Los Angeles, California,
Washington, state, you know,Washington State, so many other
places.
I'm like, how do you find it?
And you have hear the weirdeststories ever, how people found
Fuquay.
One of the easiest things ispeople look at the education

(27:22):
system in Wake County.
They look for what are thesafest towns in North Carolina.
And a lot of people, when wewere the safest town in North
Carolina, people actually movedto Fuquay Varina because of
that.
So make sure our public safetyis to the point where they can
have those resources and beranked to that point.
It's key to bring new familiesin town.
There's some still some errors.
I know I hear people talkingabout we need a seafood place,

(27:44):
we need a steakhouse, we needall these things, other
steakhouses.
We need uh this and that.
So this community is seeingwhat they want to see in the
town, always continue to supportour parts of rec department as
they create initiatives, bringin more concerts in town, which
brings everybody together.
We have an internationalfestival coming.
Uh, even with that, making surethat we are highlighting all
the cultures that have movedinto town, Fuquay Varina, so

(28:06):
they can be highlighted in theinternational culture fest.
So just making sure that we'remeeting the needs, make sure,
and not just, you know, like Ican tell people, it's easy for
anybody.
You work, you live, you're incertain areas, but you got to
make sure as a town, especiallyat large, that you are make sure
you listen to all of yourcitizens.
So most of my grocery storeruns can turn into uh five, you

(28:27):
know, uh an hour-longconversation, but I feel like
that's your responsibility tosit there and ask a question.
Like I said, a lot of timesit's just education.
People are like, well, how doesthis happen?
Simple things is when railroadsclose, they're like, why'd it
happen?
I said, Well, for every onerailroad that opens up, you have
to close two railroad crosses.

Oh, really?

So that's what happens.
People didn't know.
They was like, Oh, I never knewthat.
I said, Yeah.
I said, That's stuff I didn'tknow either.
So that's where the educationpiece comes back as well.
Make sure people understandthat, you know, that's stuff we
have to abide by as a town, as amunicipality, that we have to
adhere to from state and federalgovernment.
Interesting.

Have you ever disagreed publicly with a
current town decision or policy?
And if so, what was it and howdid you handle it or how will
you handle it if you werere-elected?

I've disagreed with some zoning stuff at times,
but it's just because I wasn'ta fan of the project in general
or how it was being built or howit would affect the community.
One of them is being addressedcurrently, but I feel like when
you see those things, I tellpeople we take those agendas and
really look at them daysbefore, and we get the extended
agenda.
So we really have to look atthis stuff.

(29:31):
Oftentimes I encourage youriding by these areas and seeing
the property itself or seeingwhere this might be built or
seeing, you know, how this willimpact that also involves you
asking the citizen, what do youthink about it?
There's been times where I kindof at first didn't vote for it,
and it was because I neededmore research, I needed more
data, I needed more information.
Issues turn sour at times, notbecause of the issue, but it

(29:55):
turns into something totallydifferent.
So sometimes you have to easethat off and bring it back to
the board.
Later, but I feel like a lot ofit is seeing the numbers,
seeing how it worked, and again,going about talking to people
when there's issues comingaround businesses or anything
like that.
You have to go sit down andtalk to these business people.
There's a certain community.
You have to ask people in thatcommunity, what do you think
about it?
Oftentimes they have no ideaand really don't care, but still

(30:16):
it's the point that you reachedout to them to find out what do
you think about it?
How do you feel about this?
What issues do you think wouldarise or could happen, no matter
whether it's a lot more trafficin their community, no matter
whether it's you know, they feellike it might be some loitering
or anything.
You really have to ask.
So we get that agenda, but thenit takes us to have to go out,
ask questions, you know, reachout to our management.

(30:38):
And like I said, we havestraight across the board, I
brag on just our management, ourdirectors, our staff all
together, you know, to hear yourstaff, people rave, you know,
citizens rave about our staff.
You know, we hear it all thetime about sanitation and people
be leaving them gifts andeverything, which is amazing
because they work so hard andthey care and they they give you
a smile.
You know, that's a big thing.
We got to make sure we'reretaining these great employees.

(31:00):
So making sure that we continueto look at cost of living, make
sure they have good insurance,you know, health insurance and
everything else, making surethey have time off if a family
member gets sick or you know,loved ones.
So make sure all that happensand make sure, you know, we're
keeping up with you know whateverybody else is paying around
our municipality and even thestate to make sure that we are
giving them what they need toprovide for their families as

(31:22):
well as provide for the town.
All that comes into play whenit comes to the budget as well.
You know, we want to bring awhole lot more employees in, but
we also understand thatfiscally we can't put all these
employees in place until we havethose resources financially to
make sure that we can cover thatand not put any burden on our
citizens.

When you hear smart growth, what does
that mean for our town inpractical terms?

So, smart growth is one, you have to look and see
where the hot spots where yourgrowth areas are going, making
sure from our standpoint is thatwe have the infrastructure
there.
Because when you don't haveinfrastructure there, that bogs
down other areas, which causesissues in other areas.
And it can literally be onestop light up.
And because we haven't madesure that infrastructure is to

(32:07):
where it needs to be, that cancause traffic jams, cause water
issues, making sure that ifwe're going to install this
infrastructure, we're adding,say, you're adding housing to
this community, making sure thewater pressure is up to people's
liking and make sure the waterpressure is good.
So we have to look at all that,and that's constantly always
evaluate.
We have stuff that goes down.
A lot of times people don'tknow there's a lot of on-call

(32:27):
people in our town.
So when water issues, sewageissues come up, we have people
on call who literally go outmiddle of the night, storm
happens, people on call,departments on call, and they
have to go out and handle that.
So make sure we're providinginfrastructure.
That's one of the biggestthings from an elected official
standpoint is make sure we havethe infrastructure to provide
smart growth.
Making sure that we're lookingat the plans and make sure that

(32:48):
we're providing for me differenttypes of housing when it comes
to smart growth as well, atdifferent price points to make
sure it's attainable for allcitizens.
So for the longest time, themodel for years is only we
either had apartments orsingle-family homes, maybe
townhouse, but we're havinglooking at more options to make
sure that we can provide thosedifferent price points, as well

(33:09):
as land is becoming more scarcein Fuquay Varina.
So making sure that weunderstand that it's some stuff
is gonna have to become moredense over time to make sure
that we have that housing andprovide that quality of life,
people.
So looking where we can not allthe time expand out, but expand
up.
Smart growth is bringing onthis parking deck because we
hear all the time that downtowndoesn't have enough parking.

(33:31):
So working to get that going.
So bringing on things like thatis smart growth.
You know, smart growth for uswas is going into this big water
project to make sure that wehave that water to provide for
the new businesses that arecoming in town and new residents
to come in town.
So looking at all that is smartgrowth as well as you know,
when you're looking at that, youhave to look at where do we
need to put our next firestation.
Right now, our policedepartment is busting its seams.

(33:54):
So we need a new policedepartment, the building itself.
So looking at that, and do weneed to put substations around
town to make our response timeseven shorter?
So all that is smart growth aswell.
You know, all the times peopletalk about smart growth and it
goes straight to housing, butit's a lot more than complex
smart growth because if youdon't have the infrastructure
and the public safety and fire,police, and all these other

(34:14):
things, you're still notproviding smart growth because
you have areas that you'remissing.
I mean, it's amazing that we'regetting Wake Med building the
new emergency center therebecause we have resources on our
northern side, but now we'll beable to go to that northern
side to our west, but now we'llbe able to meet the north side
Fuquay Varina so people will beable to get to emergency
services even faster that way.
So that's smart growth as well,looking at where those trends

(34:36):
are.
Um, you know, we're alreadylooking at areas in our ETJ, and
even further than that, whereFuquay is looking to expand in
the next 20 years.
And how are we gonna be able toaddress that now?
So we already have all theinfrastructure plug and play
whenever people start movingthat way.
I mean, and then alsoprotecting our corridors, our
main road corridors for ourcommercial properties and

(34:57):
commercial businesses to come inso they're able to access those
main roads and get to our majorhighways.
So trying to attract them intoour major corridors is key too.
And then also mixed use is key.
It's amazing when you can livesomewhere, walk downstairs, get
a slice of pizza, possibly walkto the grocery store, you can go
to a little corner store.
So looking at that as well,that model of mixed use property

(35:17):
where you can come downstairsand shop, eat, and even play at
times.
Most of our communities nowhave parks, little amphitheater
areas, playgrounds, dog parks.
So make sure they have allthose amenities right there
where they can come downstairsand never even have to get in
the car.

And that is super keeping it local.
So, how would you ensure newdevelopment maintains our town's
character while remainingaffordable for residents?

One, I serve on the affordable housing
subcommittee for the CentralPines organization, which is an
organization where municipalityis Wake County, Orange County,
Chatham County, most of our areacounties serve and we kind of
meet together.
So we're trying to look at howwe can address this from a
regional standpoint.
Because if you go to any townnow or any state, it's just
across the board.

(36:00):
Even when I'm in my nationalmeetings, you know, housing is
at the forefront of allconversation.
But I tell people it's it's notone thing that we can address
as a town, town board by itself.
It's gonna take us bringingdevelopers, builders, other
experts, as well as electedofficials all together to really
address this issue, which Ifeel like we're starting to kind

(36:20):
of start turning the table andfind some solutions.
And it's not an easy thing.
And if you ask anybody, there'snot a plug-and-play type thing
where that's an easy answer youcan really address and go from
there.
So I develop that's theconversation.
We got to keep thisconversation going and look at
how certain things can beaddressed to make the cost go
down from what we can do to helpthese developments keep their

(36:42):
costs down on our standpoint, nomatter whether it's I guess how
long it takes for them to getall their processes and their
permits and everything else,which at the end of the day that
costs money each day.
So at the end of the day,they're gonna have to tack down
to the cost of a house or if theinfrastructure is there, how we
can look at it that way.
So, like I said, it takes aconversation between all of us.
And if we as a board just tryto address that, you're never
you're gonna we're never gonnago anywhere.

(37:04):
Um, so it has to be aconversation and a collaboration
between everybody to really getto a point where straight
across the board, no matter whatmunicipality, this is how we
can handle it.
I tell people that's still aworking document.
It's something that we're alllooking at constantly, how we
can keep costs down to make itaffordable for our residents,
because land is going up, yoursupplies are going up.

(37:25):
I mean, just you you can justwatch the the price of sheet
rock or the price of plywood,you see how the price is is
elevated from 18 years ago tonow.
So you see why stuff is costingmore.
Like I said, that's one ofthose things where we really
have to tackle this as a group.

Mm-hmm.
Our town is growing rapidly,putting pressure on
infrastructure like water androads, public safety, parks and
recreation, and housingaffordability.
If you had to prioritize onlyone of these areas this year due
to limited funding, which wouldyou choose and how would you
communicate that decision toresidents?

So I'll put infrastructure up under a big
umbrella.
So if we tackle theinfrastructure that helps
everything in infrastructuremeans the traffic, your water,
your sewer, because you know,our town has been around a long
time.
So we're replacing pipingthroughout town to make sure
it's up to code, uh replacinglines for our fire hydrants to
make sure that they have thepressure to when our fire

(38:19):
engines hook up to that firehydrant, they have the pressure
they need, and as well as makingsure we have the water coming
in.
So all that infrastructure kindof is up under one big umbrella
for me, just focusing on it.
That's the key thing because ifwe have handle the
infrastructure, everything elsewill come and follow.
But we have to make sure wehave that one is running good,
we're able to expand and we'relook 10 to 15, 20 years down the

(38:40):
road, everything else fallsinto play.
So then you have, then you'reable to make sure that you have
a great, you know, parks, makesure you have great facilities.
You know, we have to make surewe're looking at where we're
gonna run this infrastructurebecause at some point in time we
know we're gonna have to bringon more parks, we know we have
to bring on more greenways.
So we haven't looked at allthis, but all this goes back to
infrastructure.
And everything at the end ofthe, like I said, it goes back

(39:02):
to infrastructure.
So make sure we have thatinfrastructure already in place
where it's more of aplug-and-play and not, okay,
they're gonna do this, and nowwe gotta bring the
infrastructure in.
And that in turn costs moremoney.

Mm-hmm.
You've mentioned it a littlebit, but once you make these
decisions, how do youcommunicate that to residents?

If something gets voted on, I try to reach out to
those organizations or whoeverand tell them, you know, what
how we voted.
I always kind of share what'sgoing on in so many different
ways, conversations.
I meet with citizens on analmost daily basis.
People reach out.
So then I'll reach out to othercitizens of groups and ask
them, let them know what'scoming ahead, what might be

(39:38):
coming in their community orwhat might be on the horizon,
how do they feel about it?
So trying to keep thatcommunication line helps me
educate people pretty fast.
A lot of times people reallyreach out to me because they
don't understand.
Say they get a public hearingnotice in the mail, they reach
out and like, well, what doesthis mean?
You know, they're changing yourzoning, they're changing this,
and then I kind of explain to alot of different citizens on

(39:58):
what this means and how thisaffects them.
If it doesn't affect them, um,oftentimes when new projects of
developments come, they're like,even when it comes down to
annexation, you know, we can'tforce you to annex in the town
of Fuquay Varina.
But when people start seeing alot of activity or a lot of
development around theirproperty, they feel like they're
gonna be the next one to getannexed.
And I'm like, no, that's notthe case.
You have to voluntarily annexin the town Fuquay Varina.

(40:19):
We can't force you to do that.
And then they're like, okay,that makes sense.
Now we're puttinginfrastructure where you can
annex in the town, and mosttimes we can get provided water
and sewer if it's in that areaand even trash pickup, but it's
your decision to do that.
So being able to educate peoplewhen stuff like that happens,
and that's being able to engagewith the community, so people
feel free to call you or textyou or email you and ask you

(40:42):
those questions on what doesthis mean makes it more
effective community and make youmore effective leader as well.

I would agree.
Do you feel we alreadyadequately meet the needs of any
of these, the infrastructure,public safety, parks and
recreation, or housingaffordability?

I feel like we're moving in the right direction,
but in every area we can alwaysget better.
Even from a governmentalstandpoint, we can always get
better as a board.
Each one of us can get better.
We're probably areas wherewe're not engaged as we should
be to make sure we're engagingthese different areas and make
sure we're being better leaders.
So I feel like our departmentsand everybody are doing great,
and they're always striving togo higher as well.

(41:18):
You know, people in thedepartments, they are going for
gaining more education, gettingmore certifications, make sure
that we are abreast, you know,even small things of having all
the offices, crisis interventiontraining, and different things
like that, where we're trying toimprove all the time.
I feel like that's key.
You can't get stagnant as atown.
If you get stagnant as a town,your town will stop growing.
So make sure we're doing it.

(41:39):
Like I said, even with ourdowntown associations and our uh
chamber, they're always, youknow, taking the next step and
trying to be proactive ineverything they do to attract
more businesses, attract morepeople, attract more people to
stay here in town.
So all that's key.
All of us are always working toget better on a daily basis.
So I feel like we all canapprove, but we're definitely

(41:59):
going in the right direction anddoing great things.
I mean, even just our surveysatisfaction of just living in
Fuquay Varina is always rankinghigh.
So make sure we continue to dothat to get an even higher grade
next time we ask citizens howwe're doing.

Mm-hmm.
As the population grows, whatstrategies would you prioritize
to address the roads, utilities,and other infrastructure
challenges?

That goes back to going ahead and having that
infrastructure already on theground and already done.
If we do that, we can addressthe growth coming in.
Because like I tell people,we're about to hit 50,000, which
consider it's technically not atown per se anymore, but was
it's actually a big town or asmall city.
So making sure that we havethat infrastructure ready.
Simple things to make sure thatwe're, you know, attracting

(42:41):
grocery stores in differentareas of town, attracting
restaurants in different areasof town, attracting shopping
stores, and so making sure we'restrategically looking at where
these growth areas are andmaking sure that we are
developing not just from aresidential standpoint, but from
a commercial standpoint, aswell as as a public safety
standpoint.
So we're looking at firestation number five and already
kind of looking at where wepossibly do a fire station

(43:03):
number six.
We're looking at where we canput up another business park in
the town of Fuquay Varina wherewe can purchase land to have a
shovel-ready property where thenext corporation will come in
and say we want to move to townFuquay Varina.
And we can say, Well, we havethis shovel ready property
already ready if you want topurchase it, and they can move
in and start building day one.
So having all that in placehelps us with the growth that's

(43:23):
gonna come.
We're projected to grow byleaps and bounds in the next 10
years, shall make sure we havethe housing.
I mean, really, honestly, we'restill in a housing shortage in
Wake County, but we still haveto make sure that we have the
housing people can obtain andafford for all different price
points, and that means that wehave to have different types of
housing for everybody to makesure everybody can live.
Because a lot of people don'twant to cut grass anymore, they

(43:45):
just want to literally comehome, they want somebody else to
handle it.
You need to have that for them.
You still need to have yourrent-style homes before your
grandparents is moving inbecause they don't want stairs.
So you have to look at allthose different types of housing
as well, even our assistedliving and senior living
facilities.
Make sure that we're attractingthose, making sure that we have
at some point in time have asenior living facility where

(44:05):
everything is in-house.
I visit some other seniors andother municipalities where
everything is in-house.
They don't even have to gooutside the door, but everything
is there to make it easy forthem.
Make sure our young people havefacilities, activities that
meet our needs of all of them,no matter what their background
is, no matter, you know, uhanything.
Where we have something foreverybody to thrive.

Awesome.
As our town grows, farmlandfaces pressure from development
and some residents struggle toaccess fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers, protect farmland, and
help ensure everyone has accessto healthy, affordable food?

Farmers in general.
Um I even have a classmatewhose family I shop from them
all the time with theFuquay Varina Growers Market.
So I try to support our localfarmers at all costs.
Even with my food program thatI run at Pine Acre Community
Center, we shop local witheverything, no matter whether
it's buying meat, no matterwhat's buying produce.
We shop local from all thesefarmers to make sure that we're
supporting them.
And then also at Pine Acres, weuh partner with Wake County

(45:02):
where we did a community gardenas well.
So I've become to have a greenthumb over the last seven, eight
months.
We are now about to starttilling up land to plant turnip
greens and collet greens anddifferent things that grow
through the fall and winter.
So it's been an educationprocess for me.
Just got done with squash.
We pulled so much squash, and Ijust picked 50 jalapeno

(45:24):
peppers.

Oh wow.

We're looking at where we can one get that
project to the point where wecan start providing people with
gardening classes so they canstart growing their mini gardens
at home and at some point intime have a master gardener's
class there so people can becomemaster gardeners as well.
So that's how I focused on thatarea, making sure that one,
people can start becoming andgrowing stuff on their back

(45:45):
porches, showing they don't needa lot of space.
But as long as they have two,three pots, they can grow some
herbs, they can grow sometomatoes, they can grow, you
know, eggplant, they can grow somany different things and
educate them on what grows thistime of year, what doesn't grow
this time of year, how to water,and then also we can teach our
young people as well.

Mm-hmm.
That's fantastic.
Our police sometimes receiverequests from outside agencies
while also addressing localneeds.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?

People oftentimes ask why do we spend so much
money on public safety?
And I tell them, I tell onething, I tell them if something
goes on in my house, I want tocall and they're gonna be there
in no time.
Uh but but say for fire, peopledon't realize the more
resources we give to our firedepartment, that actually keeps
your insurance ratings down onyour house.
So your insurance rate on yourhouse depends on your fire

(46:36):
department.
A lot of people don't knowthat.
So the better your firedepartment rates and rates the
um from from call responsetimes, everything, they keep
your insurance rates down.
Interesting.
So your police, we focus a loton that because we want to make
sure that we have support in anyavenue.
So whether we have a you knowan accident or a wreck, we have
enough police officers andofficers to respond to that, as

(46:57):
well as we took over having SROsin the school to make sure that
we're building thoserelationships at an early age
from a Fuquay Varina police uhdepartment standpoint.
So as kids grow, they'll knowto feel safe and know they can
come and talk to officers thathave on Fuquay Varina Police
Department uniform.
So we took that on to where wehave officers in that, and we
keep expanding that at somepoint in time.

(47:18):
We'll have officers in everysingle one of our schools, and
we have uh just expanding thatagain as well.
So those, and then also uhmaking sure that our officers
are not just trained forpolicing, but make sure they're
trained for crisis intervention,no matter what's domestic
disputes, no matter whether it'sstandoffs, anything.
So providing them with theresources as well as even with
our fire department, make sureuh with our new fire department,

(47:41):
we put it to where uhcarcinogens have hindered and
hurt a lot of uh firefightersthroughout the years, which many
of them got lung cancer anddifferent cancers from the
carcinogens they breathe in fromfires.
So now in fire station numberfour, they can take off their
turnout gear, wash it out there,wash the truck outside in
another unit in another facilitywhere they never have to bring
that back in the firehouse wherethey're laying their heads and

(48:02):
they're arresting between calls.
So providing those resourcesfor them, one in turn keeps both
our departments strong as wellas making sure they're staying
safe because at the end of therewe we care so much for our
employees, so make sure we takecare of them while they're
taking care of us.

Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
How can the town better supportsmall businesses and connect
with their needs?

I think the biggest thing is showing what
they offer and showing that yousupport them, showing that
you're going in these stores andthey see you in these stores,
seeing you going to thesestores.
Um, all of us try to shop localas much as possible.
I love my days when I gethaircuts where I can go get a
haircut downtown, I can walkaround the corner and get
coffee, I can walk the other wayand get something else.
I can have another meeting atanother coffee shop or another

(48:45):
restaurant.
So definitely promoting that atall costs, definitely
supporting a downtownassociation uh who does amazing
work pushing for it, lettingpeople know we have two
downtowns.
A lot of people don'tunderstand that because we're
rare.
We have two downtowns.
So letting people know what'soffered in those downtowns is
key.
I think us having thoseconcerts also lets people know
what other businesses are indowntown as well.

(49:06):
I know downtown association hasstarted some other initiatives
to make sure they're good withdowntown to make sure that
people know all of thebusinesses there.
Having events, you know, wereally focus on having events in
both downtowns so people seewhat both downtowns look like.
And then also supporting smallbusiness.
I mean, I don't have a per sestorefront, but both of my small

(49:27):
businesses are supported fromso many organizations in town,
highlighting them and alsomaking sure that we're helping
to create more small businesses.
I think that's the key.
Make sure that we're with ourchamber and different other
organizations, making sure whenpeople want to start a new small
business, make sure that theyhave a small business foundation
and structure and business planand everything to not just
start it and die in five months,but get it to work and maintain

(49:49):
and hopefully be a brick andmortar at some point in time.
Make sure we're supportinginitiatives that support those
resources as well.
So that's why we partner withthe Chamber of Commerce and
Downtown and Leadership Fuquayand Innovate Fuquay.
So make sure we're alwayssupporting all these initiatives
as well.
Continues to build our smallbusiness.
Fuquay was built on smallbusinesses, and a lot of these
small businesses will turnbig-time businesses like Dr.

(50:10):
Lane and like Bob Barker andlike John Deere, all these
different companies who evenaviator, look at Aviator, how
Aviator has grown over theyears.
So looking at those businesses,how they expanding, we have
multiple businesses inFuquay Varina that started
Fuquay Varina, have expanded inother municipalities.
So that's how we support smallbusinesses.
And then when they havehirings, send quality people
towards them.

Mm-hmm.
What approaches would you taketo foster understanding and
collaboration amongst residentswith differing perspectives?

I tell people, I think the biggest thing is
education.
People don't ask a lot ofquestions.
People don't like to sit downand talk about things.
So I tell people, you might notalways like or agree with
everything that people havegoing on.
I feel like if we haveconversation enough, we can
understand each other indifferent groups and different
circles and differenteverything.
But oftentimes we don't want tohave conversation.
We turn, you know, the blindeye or you know, or already are

(51:02):
turned off by certain type ofgroup or anything without ever
having conversation with them tofind out.
And I'm a pay I'm a peopleperson.
So I, you know, I look past alot of, you know, you look past
a lot of stuff, and like, youknow, I tell people that I'm
always about what's you know,the heart of a person.
And a lot of people find outthey have a lot of things in
common when they actually haveconversation.
Um, it's more things in commonthan differing, different
opinions and issues.

(51:22):
So I think as a the town boardmember is fostering that
conversation where you can bringdifferent groups that you might
think are differing to haveconversation to find out where
they can have a betterunderstanding on where they're
coming from, you can have abetter understanding, and
sometimes you have to agree todisagree too.
But still, I feel like for me,you always have to make sure
that you you're treatingeverybody like you want to be

(51:42):
treated one thing.
And that's big.
I tell people I always heardReverend William Barber preach
on America has a heart problem.
And if we can address the heartof people, that we can find
more community, find more lovefor everybody, no matter whether
they have different opinionsand everything like that.
So I'm always focused on theperson itself with anything.
So that's how you have to gointo your voting as well.

(52:03):
You have to always rememberthat you're making a vote based
on every citizen.
Now you don't agree with everycitizen, and you don't agree
with how every citizen thinks,you don't agree how every
citizen lives.
But at the end of the day, yourepresent those citizens.
And you have to always go back.
I say that a lot when we cometo votes a lot of time, is when
you know when we're makingvotes, please understand that we
are representing every citizen,no matter their race, color,

(52:24):
creed, economic background.
It doesn't matter.
We still represent them.

How will you ensure diverse voices and those
most impacted are not onlyincluded but truly embraced in
decision making?

Continue to create opportunities for this
different people to one, createmore, I guess, committees or
boards to address things thatpeople have, needs that we still
need to meet, but also bringingpeople to the table to
participate on different boardswhen it comes to different
decisions.
Oftentimes comes aboutcollaboration between different
groups, coming to one common,say it's just an event.

(52:58):
Let's bring some differentgroups into these events to give
us a more diverse outlook onhow we can approach this event
or how we can approach thisinitiative or how we can support
each other on different issues.
Goes back to bringingconversation, goes back to
bringing people to the tablewith most things.
And when we do that, we cancome up with some great ideas,
but you know, conversation andreally bringing everybody to the

(53:19):
table is always key.
So if we can do that, we candefinitely develop this
community that we all want tosee.

Do you support a non-discrimination
ordinance or policy?
Why or why not?

Well, I'm big on nobody being discriminated.
I don't care what anything.
When it comes to those attimes, you know, we have to look
into that because it's a lot oflegality behind a lot of
different ordinances now.
Also, as your town grows, youhave to take the approach of a
progressive approach on howyou're thinking.
And that oftentimes comes backto education, having to educate

(53:51):
people.
With me growing up inFuquay Varina, I understand
Fuquay Varina has been as atown.
Just it doesn't matter whereyou were at in town, how a lot
of citizens think and how othercitizens feel.
So it takes time with somedifferent things that you might
want to help and support or evenlook at.
But like I said, it comes withmore education, comes with more
conversation to show or to helppeople understand why a certain

(54:13):
group or certain this or certainanything feels this way and why
they feel like they might benot looked, not seen, not heard
in a community.
And it just takes time, itreally does.
A lot of times we feel likeit's something that can happen
overnight.
And as people, it's hard forpeople to grasp newness times,
it's hard for people to graspdifferent opinions, it's hard
for people to grasp differentways of seeing things.

(54:33):
So, you know, we as a boardhave to educate each other, we
as a board have to continueconversation to talk about
different things, and oftentimespeople think we don't talk
about a lot of stuff, but a lotmore stuff gets talked about
than people think it does.
It's just how do we approach itin a way that works for
everybody and the citizens, andthat's where it becomes, goes
back to being at large where youstill represent every

(54:54):
citizen in F uquay Varina.
And those decisions are hard attimes, and people don't agree
with all your decisions, butit's one of those things where
you have to look all the wayacross the board at everything
and just say what is best forthe town in general.
But I never want anybody tofeel like they're either unseen,
unwanted, unneeded.
You know, nobody feels likethey're just, you know, they
should be discriminated againstno matter anything.

(55:14):
But we're still trying toeducate people, still trying to
bring more people to the table,bring more conversation so
people can start understanding alot more.

Excellent.
Have you gained anyendorsements thus far?
And if you gain more, wheremight voters find that
information?

I haven't released any endorsements.
My most important endorsementsare to citizens.
I mean, it's fine, and I'mthankful for the endorsements
I've gotten.
It definitely and the ones thatpossibly come and the ones who
I don't get.
But the biggest endorsementsare your citizens and how they
support you and what they sayabout you.
So you'll see more of thoseendorsements from just citizens
than national and state andcounty and all these other

(55:51):
things before I put those out.
You'll see more of those typesof endorsements, which I've
already been getting coming infrom just local citizens because
that's who people want to hearfrom.
It's good to have all theseorganizations support you, but
at the end of the day, it'sabout the citizens of
Fuquay Varina.
But all that'll be on betweenuh my website,
choosehaynes4FV.com, or myFacebook, same thing, choose

(56:12):
Haynes4 FV, or Instagram, samesame handle as well.
So that's what all those willcome by.
But like I said, I havereceived some endorsements and
some more will be coming in, butI don't really reach out to all
the state officials and allthis stuff.
I'm big on it's a nonpartisanrace, so I I kind of keep all
the partisan stuff out of it.
I don't, you know, I'm big onthat because at the end of the

(56:33):
day, it doesn't matter what thepothole looks like.
It's not a Democratic pothole,a Republican pothole, a
libertarian pothole, anon-affiliate, it's a pothole.
It gotta be addressed.
So that's how I look at everydecision I make.
I'm not putting any type ofparty affiliation when I come to
voting on anything.
No, this is what is best forthe citizens of Fuquay Varina as
a whole.
So try to stay out of that typeof stuff as much as possible,

(56:54):
um, as well.
So I really stay away, reallydon't kind of promote all that
stuff or try to put all thatstuff up there.
At the end of the day I wantpeople to understand who I am,
why I'm running, that I'm reallyhere for you, and that I have a
heart for the community.
And then, like I said, what thecitizens say about that's the
most important.

All right.
And residents can go to yourwebsite, ChooseHaynes4FV.com, or
to either Facebook or Instagramto learn about upcoming events
and ways to get involved aswell.

Mm-hmm.
Yep.
Or either call or otherinformation is on the town
website and they can call thenumber and email this on there
at my town email on there aswell.
So any of those ways they canreach out to ask any questions
or meet up or want to havecoffee or anything like that,
they can reach out to me and wecan sit down and talk.

Okay.
Do you have any final thoughtsthat you'd like to share with
those voting in the upcomingelection?

Just thank you for having me on tonight.
I enjoy my conversation.
Definitely ask for your supportcoming up in November.
Be a re-elected, continue tokeep keep this uh momentum and
this progress moving forward.
I'm definitely here for thecitizens.
I have no personal agendas oranything else like that.
I'm just a regular person who'srunning, a small business
owner, and a person who lovesthe town of Fuquay Varina.

(58:05):
And I'm definitely gonna do myhardest to do everything I can
to make this town better.
People don't even know.
I kind of I made a decisionalmost a year ago now where I
had to to continue to supportand provide the resources and
everything else for the citizensand be available to the
citizens.
I I stepped into small, it wasto a full-time entrepreneurship
to make sure and stepped out ofa job that I've been working for

(58:26):
15 years to support thecitizens.
And that was a decision that Ihaven't looked back on.
Thankful, I was able to dothat.
But those are things where Itell people, you know, this is
not something that I'm justdoing just for a resume building
thing.
I really do this because I lovethis community and love the
citizens and love seeingcitizens thrive and grow and
enjoy and seeing the new peoplewho move in here.

That's awesome.
And that's really cool to hear.
All right, so we're moving intoa lightning round.
This is just kind ofoff-the-wall questions to build
a little humanity and kind ofget away from politics and the
town a little bit.
Feel free to answer whatevercomes to mind.
There are, of course, no wrongor right answers.
What's something you do thathelps you to recharge?

Something I do to recharge.
One is travel, two is get onthe road and drive.
Music.
I'm a big music person.
I went to school on a bandscholarship, so music is always
a thing.
And then I then well, mybiggest thing is what's turned
into a business was uh wasbarbecuing.
That was just my piece and mystress reliever was getting
outside.
That's something I can alwayscontrol.

(59:29):
I can control the grill at alltimes.
So just getting out theresitting out all night cooking a
pig or cooking something, thatturned into a business.
So that's my biggest thing.
So yeah, so that's my biggestrecharge at times.

Okay.
What's a hobby, talent, or funfact about you that most people
don't know?

Well, a lot of people didn't know I played
tuba.
I got a band scholarship toplay tuba in college, so I could
play the tuba, the trombone,and a uh bass guitar.

Oh, okay.
What's something that isdifficult for you?

I'm saying no, I guess.
I don't know.
Well, like I said, I've been onthis weight loss journey, so
that's been difficult.
But uh we're working on it.
That's helped me to become moredisciplined.
I think, you know, there'slessons and everything, and with
it being so difficult andfocusing on it and staying
consistent with it, oh, thathelps and everything else and
all the other areas.

Amanda Benbow Lunn (01:00:17):
What book podcast or TV show are you
enjoying right now?

Bryan Haynes (01:00:21):
I'm a binge watcher on TV shows.
So I usually watch a wholeseries when I do because I
rarely watch it on TV.
I'm all into like the crimetype shows and everything.
Oh, one of the my mostinteresting shows I watch is How
to Catch a Smuggler.
It's very interesting on howpeople get all this stuff,
customs and everything else.

(01:00:42):
So that's very interesting tome.
It just, I don't know, it justmakes you think on how people
think so in-depth to make allthis stuff happen and get all
this stuff into across bordersand everything else.
So that's very interesting.
Books was oh, uh last book Iread was How to Be a Badass.
Yeah, that was my last book.
Yeah, that was the last book Iread.
And podcasts, I'm very randomon podcasts.

(01:01:05):
Whatever kind of comes about,whether I'm thinking about
business or thinking aboutanything, I just listen to
podcasts in general.

Awesome.
Who's your favorite superhero?

So hard.
I like what I call theirsuperpowers.
I need different superpowers atdifferent times.
Which is funny is my favoritesuperhero really wasn't a
superhero, but he was asuperhero.
Was I nspector Gadget becausehe had all these different
gadgets that he did use.
So he could kind of handle anysituation.
And he always had an idea howto figure something out.
So I feel like that's kind ofand he was always able to adapt

(01:01:38):
to any situation.
So that's what made me like himso much.

I feel like you have just earwormed me for
the evening with the theme song.
It's been a hot minute sinceI've heard that.
What's the best piece of adviceyou've ever received?

I guess it's just how I live life.
It just gotta love the hell outof people.
I do that every day.
I was told that by my oldpastor when I was growing up.
He said if you handle that, youknow, you can always see the
good in everybody, no matterwhether you agree or disagree
with them.
And then that's how you do it.
You show kindness to peoplewhere even people don't show
kindness to you, you showkindness to them.

(01:02:13):
And then, like I said, just youknow, greet people with a
smile.
You just never know what peopleare going through, what kind of
day they're going through, orwhat they're dealing with, just
being available and you know,opening the door, saying, Hey,
how you doing, stuff like thatchanges people's life, or you
never know when somebody couldpossibly be, you know, thinking
about ending their life and justwhile you saying hello or how
you doing, you know, changestheir outlook on life.

What's one guilty pleasure that you
secretly enjoy?

French fries.

Nice.

That's why I stay away from

like chili fries, like regular fries.

I love crinkle fries, fries in general.
As long as it's hot and havethe right season, I'm good on
them.
I try to avoid them, and I'vebeen avoiding them.

Okay.

I haven't had fries in per se in really in
months.
So I try to avoid fries.

Wow.
Okay.
What's a simple thing thatalways makes you laugh or smile?

My friends sending me memes and everything on
Instagram and social media.
They always catch you at thetime when you need it the most,
it's a good laugh, and they'llsend something because everybody
knows each other and uh they'llsend something that makes you
laugh or you know, or just yeah,just you know, small things
like that.
Simplest things for me arealways the best thing.
I don't need big things.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee, team coffee all day.
I love tea too, but uh I likecoffee no matter whether it's
gas station coffee or coffeefrom one of the amazing coffee
houses in Fuquay, but I lovecoffee and it has to be strong.

Morning person or night owl?

I'm a night owl because I literally have to
print shirts for the next fewhours.
But I become a morning personby going to the gym, doing 5
a.m.
workouts in Durham at a gym.
I just love so oh wow.
That means I leaveFuquay Varina at four o'clock to
get to Durham by 4 45.

That is commitment.
Wow.
Mountains or beach?

Beach.
I like mountains too though.
I like those too.
I just don't like driving.

Book or podcast?

Book, I'd rather read it, see in person.
I need to look at it.

Dogs or cats?
Dogs.
Perfect.
All right.
Well, that brings thiscandidate conversation to a
close.
Thank you so much, Bryan, forbeing with me and trusting me to
handle this podcast and putthis out for you.
And I really do wish you luckin the election.

Well, thank you so much for having me.
You have a good rest of yourevening.

You as well.

All right, have a good one.

Local elections are where democracy
lives 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.
Democracy is at the heart ofall we hold dear.

(01:04:47):
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.
Here's what you need to knowfor 2025.

(01:05:08):
The voter registration deadlineis October 10th, unless you
register at an early votingsite.
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 in Apexand the Avery Street Recreation
Center in Garner.
Those two will be the closestto us in Holly Springs and

(01:05:30):
Fuquay Varina.
Early voting concludes onSaturday, November 1st.
Please note that this year onlyincludes two Saturdays, October
25th and November 1st, and oneSunday, October 26th.
The last day to request amail-in absentee ballot is
October 21st, and election dayitself is Tuesday, November 4th,
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.

(01:05:53):
Please remember you will need aballot ID to vote.
That wraps up another NC DeepDive candidate conversation.
You can find all of our 2025municipal election interviews at
www.ncdeepdive.com, as well ason Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
Audible, or wherever youcurrently listen to podcasts.

(01:06:14):
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.
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach

(01:06:35):
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive@
gmail.com.
I'm grateful you spent thistime with 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
might imagine.

(01:06:55):
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 tocall home.
Until next time, my friends,Namaste.
The Love and Light in Me seesand honors the love and light in

(01:07:19):
you.

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