September 25, 2025 • 45 mins
Josh Prizer shares his vision for Holly Springs Town Council, focusing on managed growth, public safety, and fiscal responsibility while maintaining the town's unique character. He draws on his extensive community service background and planning board experience to outline strategies for proactive development planning and infrastructure improvements.
• Six-year Holly Springs resident with a background as volunteer firefighter for 15 years
• Currently serves on Holly Springs Planning Board, Pine Springs Preparatory Academy Board
• Prioritizes responsible growth, public safety, and maintaining current tax rates
• Advocates for proactive rezoning to streamline development and potentially reduce housing costs
• Supports biotech industry development while ensuring small business growth
• Proposes regular office hours for direct resident engagement if elected
• Emphasizes infrastructure investment for future planning rather than reactive solutions
• Believes in working collaboratively with fellow council members and neighboring towns
• Committed to maintaining Holly Springs' small-town feel despite rapid growth
• Endorsed by Wake County Republican Party & Holly Springs Committee for Responsible Growth
Prizer 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!
JoshForHollySprings.com/info@joshforhollysprings.com/Facebook/Instagram
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Early Voting Locations
October 16-November 1
Wake County Board of Elections Office-1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh 27610
October 25-November 1
John M. Brown Community Center-53 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502
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Herbert C. Young Community Center-101 Wilkinson Avenue, Cary, NC 27513
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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 Josh Prizer aspart of our 2025 Municipal
Election Candidate Conversations.
Josh is running for thefour-year seat on the Holly
Springs Town Council.
For this race, Josh will berunning against Sarah Larson,
(00:32):
Joe Cuccurullo, Kara Foster, TimForrest and Annie Drees.
These races are non-partisan,so there will not be any party
affiliation like an R or a a Dnext to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to vote forup to three of these candidates
for this seat.
On your ballot in this election, the top three vote getters
(00:53):
will join Holly Springs TownCouncil members Chris DeShazor
and Danielle Hewetson to make upits five-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
(01:15):
open-ended as possible.
Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Josh Prizer.
You're running for the HollySprings Town Council.
You want to tell me a littlebit about yourself, how long
you've lived in the area andwhat's inspired you to run.
Josh Prizer (01:30):
So my name is Josh Prizer.
I've been in Holly Springs forabout six years, moved down here
July of 2019.
My family and I moved here fromTom's River, New Jersey, and we
were just seeking a better wayof life.
I am a father to threechildren, and two daughters that
are 12, going on 13, and a sonthat's seven, going on eight.
What inspired me to run?
(01:51):
Well, I have been involved inthe community pretty much all my
life in some capacity.
I was a volunteer firefighterfor 15 years.
I did five years in Long Island, moved to Chicago for a few
years so I was not a volunteerthere and then moved to Jersey
for a few years so I was notvolunteered there and then moved
to Jersey for about 10, 11years and was a firefighter the
whole time when I was there.
And you know before that I'vedone a variety of different
(02:12):
volunteer positions, but being afirefighter, it was kind of the
plan when moving down here andactually tried to join a local
fire department close to HollySprings, but my certs were
missing a certain approvalrequired by the state of North
Carolina, so they were happy toput me through the academy.
But at 42 years old and threechildren I was not going through
the academy again.
So I told the chief at the timeI think it's time to hang up my
(02:36):
firefighter helmet.
And then I decided to try tofind other ways to get involved
in the community that I couldlend efforts to.
So, you know, I investigatedand found that there was, you
know, a board of adjustment anda planning board within Holly
Springs and talked to some ofthe folks within the town of
time about it, decided to put anapplication in, ultimately was
selected for the planning boardwhere we're going on four years
(02:57):
now and I have really, reallyenjoyed it, really really
enjoyed to get a peek inside thetown, really lend even though
we're not a governing body, weare a recommendation body to
where the town is headed andreally enjoy that aspect of
service.
Also, the other things thatI've done I'm on the board at
Pine Springs Preparatory Academyand I've been involved in that
for three years now.
(03:17):
Really love part of thatcommunity and helping guide the
choices and the expansion of theschool.
We're opening a high schoolnext year.
I'm not done with Wow Ifconstruction goes well.
So, and then I also do somevolunteer coaching with my kids'
sports.
My girls are in competitivecheer now, but they used to be
in soccer.
I don't do the competitivecheer teaching, but my son's now
involved in football and hockey, so I help out there.
(03:40):
And then, in addition to that,I'm on the board of the Hero
Golf Tournament, which raisesmoney for Holly Springs first
responders.
So I've just been trying to giveback any way that I can, you
know, in a way that lends mytalents from business to just,
you know, general overall effort, and I felt, you know, we've
got a lot of great things goingon in Holly Springs.
We have a ton of growth, we havea windfall of tax revenue about
(04:01):
to come in from our partnersand the various biotech
companies, and I just want tosee the town continue to thrive,
continue to grow, but to growin a way that's managed
responsibly, to grow in a waythat's beneficial to the future.
I've moved around quite a bit inmy life and it's been great.
However, I would love to createa town in which my kids can go
away, do their thing, go tocollege, maybe move to a big
(04:25):
city for a while, but ultimatelybe able to come back to and a
place that's like it is nowright.
It's just got that small townfeel, you know, but we're a
large town.
It's got great places to play,to eat and to work.
If so, you should wish in ourarea and I'd love to be able to
help continue the mission thatMayor Dick Sears helped create
and past councils have helped toreally get us to this day and
(04:48):
continue on in that traditionand get us into a place you know
, 10 years from now, 20 yearsfrom now, we look back on and we
need to be proud of.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (04:56):
Perfect.
Have you been an active voter,including in local elections?
Josh Prizer (05:00):
I have Yep.
I vote in every election.
I pretty much have, I think, atleast since my mid-20s at least.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:06):
Okay, what do you feel is the role of a
town council member?
Josh Prizer (05:10):
The town council member, you know you hold many
hats, but the primary positionis to really guide the town in
the direction in which it goesto A lot of it's development but
a lot of it's fiscal as well.
So you're managing the budget,you're managing the growth,
(05:30):
you're managing public safetybut that also points back to
budget as well and you're makingsure that you're listening to
the citizens right.
So, if elected, your job as acouncil person is to listen to
all, not just the people thatagree with you or take certain
positions on certain things, butyou listen to all the facts,
listen to all the opinions andreally make a sound decision.
Really that's the guiding lightof the town and really what's
(05:51):
going to represent the massesand the future masses that we
have.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:56):
You've listed this a little bit, but if
you want to go into more detail, what is your involvement
within the community and towngovernment and what
qualifications make you preparedfor this role?
Josh Prizer (06:05):
So as mentioned, I've been on the planning board
for four years, so I've sat asan advisor to mayor and council.
You know that's a sharp inclineright.
It's like climbing a cliff.
You come into this role, youknow understanding what it is,
but I think the first fewmeetings I was just kind of in
awe in terms of really what goesinto all of this and you really
learn the process in whichgrowth happens.
(06:27):
Some would consider it maybe afast pace, but really I think
the developers would arguedifferently, maybe sometime.
But really there's a lot ofplanning, preparation.
There's a lot of work done bythe town staff.
They, in my opinion, do a veryterrific job in terms of really
making sure that a lot of theordinance type things, all the
things that are vetted, and thatcertain projects that don't
(06:49):
pass muster really don't gothrough.
And I think they do a good jobtoo of warning the developers
that they're headed down a badpath and that they should, you
know, reconsider things.
And you know, in that positionit's really giving me a peek
behind the curtain in terms ofhow the town actually operates
right, how the sauce is justmade, and you know, I think that
that lends itself right off thebat, I can hit the ground
(07:14):
running right, understandingthat process and knowing some of
the things that might be ableto do tweak differently.
I think overall, the town doesa fantastic job.
You know there's always roomfor improvement, right.
In any sport, any job, anything, there's always room for
improvement.
So having kind of a generalsense and idea of what that is,
I think that sets me up.
By day I'm in sales, I managerelationships, multi-million
(07:34):
dollar accounts of a VP for apharma tech company, so I think
that experience is there, wouldhelp lend itself to a lot of the
things that I would like to doare relationship oriented and it
makes it sound simple.
It's not, but it sort of is atthe same time, right.
So services to the town andinfrastructure development are
(07:55):
really relationship based right.
And it's being able to sit downat a table with some of these
developers that are coming inand, you know, wanting to do
projects and wanting to getthings approved and really
understanding what they wantaccomplished and then being able
to convey to them and have themunderstand what the town is
looking to have accomplished,right, and sometimes that exists
outside of the scope of whatthey're required to do, but if
(08:16):
we can come to some sense ofunderstanding and relationship
there and you see a lot of thesefolks over and over again,
right, it's sort of the samerepresentation.
There's a large economy inRaleigh but it's a lot of the
same folks coming through on ayearly, bi-yearly basis.
But you form theserelationships and really, you
know, try to get the most andcome to the middle and try to
(08:37):
get some things from them thatthey might not be able to get,
and then help them in ways andsuch, you know, maybe somebody
that's a little more staunchwould not be able to offer, and
then ultimately, if you can getsome extra infrastructure paid
for or some extra road paved,that cost savings gets passed
down to the taxpayer.
The taxpayer no longer bearsthat burden, right?
(08:58):
Some of those skills, I think,could lend themselves very well
to the council position.
Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (09:04):
What's your long-term vision for the future
of Holly Springs?
Josh Prizer (09:07):
Well, I'd like to see Holly Springs continue the
path in which it's taken.
I think that the mayor and theformer councils have done a
pretty good job sketching outthe vision for this community.
You know, we've got a strongbusiness acumen in terms of what
we have.
We've got some very, very largebusinesses.
But we've got some largebusinesses and we've got some
medium sized businesses andwe've got some small business.
(09:30):
Ultimately, I'd like tocontinue to encourage small
business and be able to helpthem develop.
I know a number and I'm friendswith a number of small business
owners and they love living hereand I would love to be able to
continue to promote and helpbolster the small business
community, because you know whatyou really want from a
community.
You want the people that havebusinesses in that community.
(09:52):
You want them living in yourtown.
They're equally as vested asyou, as a citizen of a town, in
their business, you know,because they want their business
to thrive but they want thetown to thrive as well.
So I'd like to see the towncontinue in the fashion that
it's been continuing, but with alittle more emphasis on helping
that small business community,continuing strategic growth, but
also being perhaps a little bitmore strategic in the way in
(10:15):
which we grow.
So that means taking a look atour UDO and our future plan and
really taking a look at that andmaybe being proactive in zoning
a little bit more.
We've done a little bit of that, but I think that we could do
more and I think that what thatcould do is really shape the
vision, even sketch that visionout a little clearer, and
developers can then see that aswell.
(10:36):
So if we start to proactivelyrezone, we can potentially cut
some of the process down.
So if we rezone proactively andsay, okay, this is what our
vision is, this is where we wantthis to be, this to be, this to
be, one, we can temper some ofthe development in terms of when
it happened, where it happens.
But two, you cut down asignificant amount of process in
(10:57):
terms of rezoning and anythingcan be rezoned again right, and
the vision may change in thefuture.
Who knows, 10, 15 years downthe road.
If we say today, this should bethis, maybe the town requires
something different, so italways can be rescheduled.
However, you can cut out some ofthat timeframe.
The idea is that the developershave cost savings there within
the time and amount of effortbecause they know that it's like
(11:20):
, okay, well, that's zoned forthis, we want to put this here,
it's not zoned for that, we'renot going to bother.
But there is another developersays, okay, yeah, we want to
develop this right, so they savethat amount of time, that money
, into the rezoning process andthe whole thing in which they
have to go through, and the ideais that that cost savings get
passed down to the potential newhomeowner, the renter, however
(11:41):
it makes.
But again, it's in thatconversation and relationship
that it takes to really explainand make sure that's followed
through with as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (11:48):
What are your top three priorities for
the community if elected?
Josh Prizer (11:52):
So responsible growth.
Obviously, public safety is abig one of mine.
We know what's coming in termsof growth and population and we
have to make sure that we'remaintaining the public safety
right, and that's obviously ahuge thing.
With my background, I'm a firmbeliever in strong lease fire
EMS support.
So I really want to see leaseand fire specifically supported
(12:13):
in.
You know, not only theirtraining but their equipment,
and then to make sure that theyhave their staffing
appropriately right, and thensome of that is building out.
So we've got to make sure thatwe're building out the fire
stations appropriately.
I think there's plans already inthe works for station four and
there's long-term plans forstation five of making sure that
gets accomplished and thatwe're budgeting properly for
that growth, sure that we're notlagging in any of those safety
(12:36):
measures.
There's not a lot we can doabout EMS other than support
them Right.
The EMS is managed by thecounty at this point, so I'd
really like to see us supportthem in ways that you know be
able to have zones for them tohouse their units within our
station so that when they're noton calls they're locally
available.
So I think that's what we cando.
And then the third would betaxes.
We're getting hit really hard.
A lot of people don't realizethat a lot of our taxes in Holly
(12:59):
Springs come from the countylevel.
Both of our taxes aredetermined by the board of
commissioners.
At the county level, however,you know, there's municipal
taxes as well, and I'd like tocommit to not raising those
during my term.
I think that we've got enoughtax revenue and windfall that
come in where we can reallycontinue the growth, continue
the strategy and support all theservices that we're doing
(13:20):
without having to pass that onto the taxpayers.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (13:22):
What is working well in the town today
and where do you see room forimprovement?
Josh Prizer (13:27):
So I've addressed this a little bit, but I think
the development slightly, wecould improve that process and
get that process a littlesmoother in hopes of a cost
savings, you know, back to theempire.
So I think that we can look atthat.
I think we need to be proactiveat looking at the future growth
of Holly Springs and make surethat we're doing it.
And everybody says responsiblegrowth, responsible growth.
(13:47):
But what does responsiblegrowth mean?
Well, to me that means we don'tjust approve a blanket of
projects.
Right, that's one, two.
You want to make sure, when youapprove a project, that you
don't just go and approveanother project that's right
beside that.
Right, we've got a decent amountof congestion here.
I think a lot of it's startingto be abated with what
developers are required in termsof road widening and filling in
(14:07):
those gaps that are currentlythere.
Polly Springs has just gotten agrant to widen 55, so that's in
the process.
It's not going to be doneovernight, but it'll be done in
the next four to five years,which will improve things
greatly.
But we've got to keep an eye onthe density of what we're
approving.
But we also got to make surethat we're not approving
apartment complex here and thendown the street less than a mile
(14:28):
another high density unit.
You got to make sure thatyou're strategic about the
growth and making sure thatwe're getting the most
infrastructure improvements fromour developers.
I think it's being done wellnow, but I think we could do
better, and I think you knowmyself, being on the planning
board, I understand that and Ithink that we can definitely
improve in that aspect.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (14:47):
Do you have any specifics of how it could be
done better?
Josh Prizer (14:50):
Well, I think it's in that process of asking for
more, right.
So it doesn't have to always bea be in lieu or okay.
You're required to do this, butyou need to ask for more in
terms, and that doesn't meanit's a significant overage to a
developer per se.
It's a meeting in the middletype deal, right?
So, for example, there's aproject recently approved I
(15:12):
won't get into the specificsbecause I'm not sure how far
along in the process it is, butI'm going to use raw numbers
here.
It required eight sections ofsewer, one side of road wide
main, and that's what they wererequired by the town to do.
The planer board said yep,that's good, rubber stamp, blah,
blah, blah.
But it was in an area that was alittle bit already congested.
(15:32):
It was in an area that wasalready a little bit of a hot
spot, and so they asked for more.
So there was widening on bothsides of the road.
There was extra lengths of thesewer main that drastically
needed like 14 sections improved.
So they got a few extrasections of improvement, and
it's things like that that youreally have to push for and say,
okay.
Hey, listen, we've got aproblem here.
(15:54):
You've got a problem where youwant to put this X project on
what's mean in the middle herelet's figure out what we can do
and how we can do it, and so youget a little bit more.
You don't have to then improveon Holly Springs' budget, ergo
passing it along to the taxpayer, and you get it from the folks
that are doing the project atthe time that they're doing the
project.
We just need more of that
Amanda Benbow Lunn (16:15):
Do you support the current town budget?
Where would you advocatechanges, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities, if needed for
fiscal responsibility?
Josh Prizer (16:25):
So I'm never a fan of tax raises.
I think that there's alwaysroom to do better, right?
I think Dan Barry said itreally well the last time they
approved the budget when hevoted against the tax raise, but
I think they could have donebetter.
I think that, should I beelected, it'll be a little
easier to do that because of therevenue that's going to start
coming from the big projectslike Food to Dinosaur and Amgen
(16:47):
and eventually Genentech, and sothose tax dollars will be
readily available.
It's a significant amount ofmoney coming back to the town
and so, you know, I thinkthere's really always a way to
be able to go back, do the work,go through the budget, comb
through it, find ways toreallocate money and not have to
pass that back to the taxpayer.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (17:09):
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?
Josh Prizer (17:19):
The town, I believe , has a really good sense of
where things are going in thefuture and I think they know the
growth that we're expecting.
They know the amount of growthgoing on in other areas, and so
I think the way to be proactiveis really just run the numbers
right and figure out okay, we'regoing to be at X population in
2035, right, and what does ourinfrastructure look like right
(17:44):
now?
What's our water consumptionlook like?
What does our sewer usage looklike now and what are we going
to need in 2035?
What are we going to need in2040?
And being proactive in gettingthat accomplished before we're
there, you can't just wait forit to come and then do the
necessary remediations or thenecessary fixes or the necessary
plumbing, sewer, et cetera.
(18:05):
You can't wait for that.
You have to look into thefuture and it's not hard.
You know, we know what is it 60, 66 people coming to Wake
County every day.
Think about that.
We know Pauley Springs is anextremely attractive area to
come.
We are one of the hottestcommunities right now.
Our taxes from a townperspective are the second
lowest in the county, so we're avery attractive place to live
(18:25):
and to move to.
So we know that people arecoming, we know what those
numbers look like and we have toplan for that future.
And it goes back to thedevelopment.
We have to do those improvementsnow, and the way we do those
improvements now are workingwith our developers to make sure
that they are helping us toimprove.
The other way in which you cando this from a road perspective
and they're doing this withHolly Springs Road right now we
(18:47):
don't have control over the DOT,but we can take out loans to
pay for certain infrastructureimprovements, and roads being
one of them.
We can borrow from lenders anddo those improvements and then,
at such a time when that projectthat road improvement was
slated by the DOT comes up, theDOT then reimburses us and so
(19:07):
you kind of take this likelaying the track in front of the
train approach, sort of withthe monetary funds, right.
So like when you get reimbursedin the DOT, then you take that
money that you have and thenparlay that into another project
that might take longer than wewant to wait for, right.
You got to just be verystrategic in the way in which
we're approving projects andwhere we're putting projects and
(19:29):
prioritizing projects?
Amanda Benbow Lunn (19:31):
What new initiatives or attractions would
you champion to boost revenueand community pride?
Josh Prizer (19:37):
I think we have a really great opportunity with
the downtown development.
I think that we have anopportunity there to increase
some small and local businessesand give them a place to exist
and to create a thriving kind ofcarry-ish, if you will like,
downtown for people to gomorning, afternoon and night,
(19:57):
and with that probably comessome more attractive housing for
younger folks.
A lot of the ideas are taxpayercommercial on the bottom and
then apartments on top, butreally giving folks a place and
a hub, you know, a traditionaldowntown, to thrive in.
You know, I think EaglesLanding Park.
I think it's going to be agreat addition to the community.
I think we're very I've seen itpersonally with having young
(20:20):
children in sports we're verystretched in terms of the space
in which we have to have some ofthese sports activities.
So I'd love to see another parkin the future probably not, you
know, the next five years, butprobably is something that we
need to plan for, because thisarea is just growing and most of
the people we're attracting,quite honestly, are families.
So we've done a lot of thegreenway work that's already in
(20:43):
the town and it's kind of beingplugged up as we speak, you know
, and connected.
So I think we've done a prettygood job there.
But from a sports fieldperspective and a parks
perspective as we expand outsideof the traditional Holly
Springs.
It's definitely something weneed to think about as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (21:01):
Have you ever disagreed publicly with a
current town decision or policy?
If so, what was it and howwould you handle a similar
situation if you were electedinto office?
Josh Prizer (21:12):
I can't think of any policy that I've disagreed
with that the town has passed.
I don't believe I've everdisagreed with anything that
they've passed.
To be honest with you, I'm justtrying to run through my head
on everything.
The biggest thing about beingin a council is that you have to
work with your fellow councilmembers, right?
(21:32):
And so, regardless of what theiropinion is, you have to really
try to understand their opinionon the matter, whether you
disagree with it or not.
And I would take it a stepfurther you also have to work
with neighboring towns.
That's a big thing to them,right?
There's a lot of things interms of infrastructure, water
treatment, water coming into thetown.
You have to work with thesetowns, and some of them you
(21:53):
might not agree with, butultimately, your responsibility
is to the taxpayer, right, andso you know whether you like
this person on a personal levelor you don't like their policies
, or you don't like theirdecision on something, you still
have to really take the time tounderstand what their position
is.
And then, if you're passionateabout your position and they're
(22:14):
passionate about their position,you have to figure out a way to
either persuade them to come toyour side or find some type of
middle ground.
Or, you know, in some cases youmight be persuaded, and that's
why it's important to reallytake the time to understand.
If there's something that'scontentious that's going on, I
think it requires a lot ofconversation and it probably
needs to be done before thecouncil meeting itself.
(22:35):
Right, you wanna make sure thatyou take the time to thoroughly
one understand the position ofthe person that is taking that
opposing view and then try tofigure out okay, where can we go
with this?
Okay, I'm not gonna change thisperson's opinion, so is there a
middle ground there?
Is there a way in which we canmake this work together?
And I think that's how you haveto approach anything really in
business, in life or on councilis to really just try to
(22:58):
understand the other person'sview, and maybe it's as a set of
people, maybe it's two otherpeople, maybe it's four against
one.
You know, and you're the theonly person, that you really
have to take the time tounderstand it and then try to be
persuasive.
Should you believe firmlyenough in your position.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:12):
You answered this a little bit before, but
when you hear smart growth, whatdoes that mean for our town in
practical terms?
Josh Prizer (23:19):
So I think I did answer this pretty much, but it
just means being strategic,being future orientated and
minded.
It's understanding you knowwhere we're going to be, not
just in four or five years, butin 10, 15, 20 years, and really
making sure that what you'reputting where makes sense, and
that it makes sense where it is,but also does it make sense for
(23:40):
the town.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:41):
How would you ensure new development
maintains our town's characterwhile remaining affordable for
residents?
Josh Prizer (23:47):
So I think I've kind of touched on this as well,
but really just trying to makesure that we're getting as much
as we can from the developers.
Listen, they've got to makemoney too.
There's no doubt about it,right?
Nobody's going to build aproject and not make money on it
.
Nobody's going to buildsomething for free, but there
are ways in which that we canwork with them.
Now, from a looks perspective, Ithink the town has that pretty
(24:08):
well covered.
I think it should be revisitedevery few years just to make
sure that we don't have outdatedcodes and outdated aesthetic,
outdated requirements.
But I think the town's done apretty good job of really making
sure that things are on the upand up in terms of developing
and their looks wise.
But I think the ultimate passdown that we can give the
taxpayers to make sure thatwe're getting as much from the
(24:30):
developers and then holding themaccountable to that cost
savings right.
So if we were to do thepre-zoning, that's a significant
amount of money.
I don't have a dollar value totell you right now, but I can
tell you a year to a year and ahalf of time from a developer
perspective is a significantcost saving.
So if you're doing aneighborhood and you don't have
to rezone a parcel of land forsaid neighborhood.
(24:50):
All you have to do is come inconceptually and get the plot
approved.
That's a significant costsaving and you have to hold the
builders accountable that thatcost saving should be passed
along in the price of the houseor the apartment unit or the
rent of the unit, and I thinkthat that's really where the
rubber can meet the road in thatregard.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (25:08):
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?
Josh Prizer (25:27):
So I think infrastructure is ultimately
very, very important because itfeeds the town, it feeds the
residents, it feeds thebusinesses, and just not only
for the residents, right, butthe people coming into our town
as well, right, they're comingin here for our services as well
.
So I think infrastructure, youknow and infrastructure could be
a number of things it could bethe water, it could be the sewer
(25:49):
, it could be the roads, itcould be electric.
You know, we have to keep amindful eye on all four of those
to make sure that we'rebasically operating not only for
the now but for the future, andso I would prioritize those.
So if it was a now question andwe had only to do one, I would
say your best bet is to put yourmoney in infrastructure,
(26:09):
because it's going to be asavings for the future
ultimately, if you do it now.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (26:14):
Do you feel we already adequately meet the
needs of any of theseInfrastructure, public safety,
parks and recreation or housingaffordability?
Josh Prizer (26:22):
I think we do.
I mean, I think we do a goodjob right now of deploying
public safety for our police andfire.
I think we're doing our best toproactively manage the roadways
.
I think we are getting somesignificant improvements from
the developers in theinfrastructure portion, at least
in some of the hotter spots ofneed.
When it comes to infrastructurelike sewers and water, I think
(26:44):
there's a great proactive planto supply us with more water and
that's already in place and inthe works.
So, yeah, I think that we'vedone a reasonably good job and,
like I said, we can be better.
There's no reason to notimprove on these processes.
You know, holly Springs is agreat place I don't think
anybody would argue with thatright, and anybody that did
probably plan to get out of hereanyway.
(27:05):
But we can do better and we gotto really look towards the
future and continue the hardwork that's been done around it.
To really look towards thefuture and continue the hard
work that's been done around it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:12):
Okay.
As the population grows, whatstrategies would you prioritize
to address roads, utilities andother infrastructure challenges?
Josh Prizer (27:25):
So again, I think I've addressed all of these in
some of my answers before, soI'm not going to bore people
with that Sure, like there's nodoubt it needs to be addressed.
But I do believe that we'redoing a good job, but we can do
a little better.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:33):
Okay, 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 or vaccines?
Josh Prizer (27:48):
So you know, I think the proof is in the
pudding, essentially so.
You know, I think the proof isin the pudding, essentially,
right.
So you have Seqirus, who's beenhere for a long time.
Right, they were the OGs ofbiotech.
You've got Amgen and Fuji, whoare billion-dollar corporations.
You know, if what they didwasn't adequate they wouldn't be
billion-dollar companies right.
(28:08):
And then you now have Genentechopening their East Coast
production facility now here,and just broke ground right.
And then you now have Genentechopening their own East Coast
production facility now here,and just broke ground right.
So we have significant scienceto pull from.
So I'm excited about itpersonally and I don't think
that there's anything to beskeptical on.
I understand that there's goingto be some hardships in the
beginning, just in terms of thedevelopment of the plots of land
(28:29):
themselves.
Right.
But with those developmentswill come road widenings, there
will come more infrastructure.
All of these projects arebringing services to the town
that you know.
I know some probably don't knowabout.
It's also bringing goodfamilies to the community.
Just the staff alone that aregoing to be working in these
facilities are going to feed alot of small businesses in Holly
(28:50):
Springs.
We're talking restaurants andservices.
It's good for our economy tohave these companies here.
I firmly believe it.
I'm not sure how much room isleft in Holly Springs for
another biotech.
I'd have to look at the landmap to figure out where you
could squeeze another bigfacility in.
But I think we've got reallygreat biotech companies and I'll
just kind of add on to that.
(29:12):
Some might call this ashameless plug, but you know
Pine Springs has a high schoolthat's going to be opening in
2026.
And really the vision for apart of the curriculum of that
or at least a student chooses togo into biotech and they're
going to have a biotech trackand that track will be designed
to come out of high school witha certificate that will enable
(29:33):
you to go work in one of thesebiotech companies.
Right now, the estimated salaryof that is $60,000.
So if you have a student comingout of high school maybe they
want to go to college, maybethey don't, maybe they're really
interested in this track theycan be making $60,000 right at
high school.
But even more importantly isthat they can then do this job
and then pursue education intandem with this certificate.
(29:55):
So, supporting the biotech,they're supporting us as well.
So they're helping with WakeTech, I believe.
They're helping with a numberof the local universities.
They're giving back to thecommunity, I think, as well I
would point that out andproviding us with education and
also providing jobs for localresidents.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (30:15):
As our town grows, farmland faces pressure
from development and someresidents struggle to access
fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers, protect farmland and
help ensure everyone has accessto healthy, affordable food?
Josh Prizer (30:28):
Well, ultimately it's the decision of the
landowner to do what they wantwith their property right.
I'm 100% for property rights.
So if a homeowner is feelingpressure from a developer, I
want to know about that right.
If they feel like they're beingsqueezed out, that's
unacceptable.
But if that's not happening atthe same time, farmer Smith,
whose land has been in hisfamily for three, four, five
(30:50):
generations he decides you knowwhat, man, this is generational
wealth I'm looking at to sell.
I mean, as a US citizen, hasthe right to sell to whoever he
wants, right.
So I don't want to prohibitthat, but I at the same time.
If anybody's feeling squeezedor pressured, that needs to be
addressed immediately andsomething that needs to be
handled at a higher level thanjust town council.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (31:12):
Our police sometimes receive requests from
outside agencies, while alsoaddressing our local needs.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?
Josh Prizer (31:23):
If it's a mass casualty incident, whether it's
fire or police, or if it's highstakes, mutual aid is commonly
run in departments.
I ran it when I was in the firedepartment.
You know there's things calledstaging.
If a certain area is stressed,right.
If a certain area is stressedlet's say there's something that
happens in Cary, I don't knowlet's say a warehouse blew up
(31:43):
and you have significant damageto buildings, potential loss of
life, you're going to call fromyour surrounding resources,
right, and it's up to the chainof command to pull from those
resources but also then restaffthose.
So essentially it's a staging.
So Holly Springs moves to Apex,the Apex moves into Cary, right,
and to help assist, Should theyneed the guys from Apex you
(32:04):
know the Holly Springs that arestationed in Apex to move into
Cary.
Well then you got to draw up,you got to draw from outside
communities and there'semergency plans in place for all
of this to make sure thatpublic safety in your particular
municipality is not stressed bysomebody having to move out of
jurisdiction temporarily or sometype of natural disaster or
disaster.
(32:25):
In that regard, Statewidedisasters I fully support
response teams, right.
I don't know the exact fact,but I'm sure we have people on
disaster relief in the HollySprings Fire Department that are
certified as such, thatprobably get called out to
situations like Helene, and thenwe just have to restaff
appropriately.
But you know, helping ourneighbors, that just comes with
(32:46):
being a first responder.
You're there to help, whetherit's your town or not, and
that's why you got into it inthe first place.
I support that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (32:53):
How can the town better support small
businesses and connect withtheir needs?
Josh Prizer (32:58):
So I think we definitely need to listen to our
small businesses and whatthey're looking for.
I think one thing that we'reseeing a lot of is growth with
larger businesses, right, andnot so much the small, and that
probably has a lot to do with,you know, the economy cost, but
we need to figure out a way andsuch to really listen to them,
and I'd rely on some of thefolks that I know that have
(33:19):
small businesses that I'vetalked to, but also some of the
council members currently thathave small businesses and that
understand them and reallylisten to those folks to find
out, okay, where are yourstressors, where are your
hiccups?
Are you getting dingedunnecessarily?
What's cost prohibitive frombeing able to take that next
step in your business and reallyunderstanding those?
Because small business is thelifeblood and you want people in
(33:41):
your community creating smallbusinesses.
It leads to a better community.
There's no doubt about it.
When you have somebody that hasa business that lives in your
community, they're vested inmore ways than just having a
family in your community.
Right, they have their businessthere and they want to see good
things happen to that community, so it's pinnacle that we
continue to support them in anyway, shape or form.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (34:00):
Okay, what approaches would you take to
foster understanding andcollaboration amongst residents
with differing perspectives?
Josh Prizer (34:09):
I think there's a way in which to do this and
you're talking about bridgingthe gap.
So I think you can have openconversations about this.
I think you can have town halls, so to speak, right, and, if
there's a hot button issue, tohave a common sense, calm,
rational discussion about thingsand make sure that there's
representatives of both opinions.
That's a possibility.
(34:29):
In terms of hearing from thepublic, obviously, as a city
council member, obviouslythere's public commentary during
every meeting, but the otherthing that I would like to do is
to have monthly or bimonthly,depending on demand, office
hours and just have a standingday or two every single month,
at the same time at the samelocation that people just know
(34:51):
okay, you've got an issue withthis, come, let's talk about it.
Or you've got a question aboutthis, come on, let's talk about
it.
And being able to really openlydiscuss things that people may
be concerned about or may behappy about or may be
misinformed about, and beingable to really bridge that gap.
You can do that in a newsletteras well.
But that human connection and Ithink that's a lot of the times
(35:13):
that we're missing, especiallyin this day and age, right is
that it's easy to point a fingerand yell behind a keyboard.
But if you sit down withsomebody, whether it's public to
public or whether it's councilperson to public, having that
human connection and taking thetime and that calm demeanor to
just understand where thatperson is coming from, and you
may walk away from thatdisagreeing still, or you may
(35:35):
walk into that better educated,but having that openness, that
transparency, that works from acitizen's perspective and I
think that works from a councilto citizen perspective as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:46):
How will you ensure diverse voices and those
most impacted are not onlyincluded but truly embraced in
decision making?
Josh Prizer (35:54):
I think everybody has a voice right Currently.
Everybody has a voice.
I don't know that there'sanybody that's been stopped from
speaking their mind at acouncil meeting.
I don't know that anybody'sbeen stopped from holding an
event.
I don't know that anybody'sbeen stopped from participating
in whatever they want.
I think that we have a very,very open community.
(36:14):
I think we have a safe community.
I think that generally peoplefeel very safe here.
So, like from a diversitystandpoint, I have not heard
otherwise that there was aproblem with that.
I mean, there's laws in placetoo that would speak to that,
that prohibit people fromdiscrimination, right Both at
the state level and the federallevel.
So you know, I would justcontinue to encourage people.
(36:35):
Okay, if you feel not heard,come talk.
Come talk about it.
Come to a council meeting andtalk in public commentary, make
an appointment with a councilmember or a mayor, and if you
have concerns or you're not,feeling heard.
use your voice, because thatdoor's open in my opinion, and
you may have answered a littlebit of this one as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (36:54):
Do you support a non-discrimination
ordinance or policy?
Why or why not?
Josh Prizer (36:58):
So I don't.
And I don't for probably threemain reasons.
So one, I've already touched onthere's state and federal law
that prohibits discriminationalready.
Two, the NDO program in itself,the Wake County.
You know I've looked at thenumbers.
It hasn't really proven reallyanything.
The wasn't a business, etc.
Etc.
And the program in and ofitself isn't really designed
(37:36):
from a long-term fundingperspective.
You know, I think it's fundedfor like the first year or two
and then the town has to takeover the burden of this
arbitration.
But I think the biggest reasonis because these rules already
exist.
You know there's zerocomplaints in Holly Springs in
terms of zero to the policedepartment or the town.
And then also the third I thinkthat this is a larger one too,
and we talked about smallbusiness before.
(37:58):
But the legal strain and costto have to have everything
reviewed.
I just don't support puttinganother burden on small business
to have them have to deal withthe legal review of their
policies and procedures, etc,etc.
When there, when there'salready, you know, laws in place
to address this.
That's just my position on that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:16):
Okay.
Have you gained anyendorsements thus far and if you
gain more, where might votersfind that information?
Josh Prizer (38:23):
So I don't have any endorsements as of right now,
so but you would be able to findeverything on my website.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:29):
And where can listeners connect with you
and learn more about yourplatform?
upcoming events and ways to getinvolved.
Josh Prizer (38:42):
Again, wwwjoshforhollyspringscom, you
can find all the information.
My policy positions are listed.
Those came out yesterday thefull gamut.
I had it sketched out earlierbut I've got a deeper dive in
that, so please go to thewebsite.
You can reach out to me viaemail, joshforhollysprings at
gmailcom, If you have anyquestions, if you'd like to get
involved, we would love to haveyou on the team.
We're outdoor knocking.
(39:03):
Stop me in the street if yousee me.
We'd love to talk to you.
We'd love to hear your opinions.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:08):
Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to
share with those voting in theupcoming election?
Josh Prizer (39:12):
No, I think you're doing that service to everybody
by sitting down and talking withall the candidates.
I'd tell everybody researchyour candidate, research their
views, their thoughts, make surethere's substance there, make
sure that there's carefulthinking involved and that it's
the right decision for the longterm of Holly Springs.
And I appreciate your time andagain it's
wwwjoshforhollyspringscom.
(39:34):
I'd love to hear from you.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:37):
All right, perfect.
So I always close with a bit ofa lightning round just to get
to know more about you as aperson, less about Holly Springs
and politics, so you can justanswer whatever comes to mind.
What's something you do thathelps you recharge?
Josh Prizer (39:56):
Great question.
I don't know the last time Irecharged.
I always say that nobody likesto work for free more than me.
You know I like to play with mykids.
I do love coaching, even thoughthat's kind of a job.
I love to coach.
I love to work with the kidsand watch them improve over time
and then watching it, kind oflike you know, you practice, you
practice, you practice and thenwatch them in the game and
watch them improve over time andthen watching it, kind of like
you know, you practice, youpractice, you practice and then
watch them in the game and theydo well.
So you love to see that.
(40:16):
It's kind of a recharging in away.
But if I'm really really notrecharging, I like to sit by the
pool and just kind of have adrink and chill out.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:24):
What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about
you that most people don't know?
Josh Prizer (40:28):
I'm a big fan of Guns N' Roses and I went one
year to Coachella even though Iwas way too old to be there and
just to see them, because I wasso worried that Axl Rose was
going to blow them.
Blow them up and disband thethe band before they even got
out of the chance to get on theroad.
So I think their third show wasCoachella.
(40:49):
So I found a way to get thereand saw them live and they were
phenomenal.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:53):
What's something that is difficult for
you.
Josh Prizer (40:55):
Sitting still Clearly from my resume.
I have a really hard time ofchilling out.
When I can get to the beach andchill out, I can get there, but
if I'm around the house withthree kids and a job and doing
the volunteer, work.
it's really hard to sit still,but it's kind of boring.
I really like to just be busy.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:14):
What book, podcast or TV show are you
enjoying right now?
Josh Prizer (41:18):
For some odd reason , every night I fall asleep to
Ancient Aliens.
I just find it so out there,but at the same time very
interesting and for some reasonit puts me right to that.
I'll watch 15, 20 minutes of itand be enjoying it, but
something about the monotone.
Mike Rowe had the same effecton me when he did the universe.
(41:43):
The narrator has this voice thatjust puts me out, so it's a
huge failure.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:49):
Who is your favorite superhero?
Josh Prizer (41:51):
Batman
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:51):
What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received?
Josh Prizer (41:54):
Work hard, play hard.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:55):
What's one guilty pleasure that you
secretly enjoy?
Josh Prizer (41:58):
I enjoy a Zyn, a nicotine pouch.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:01):
What's a simple thing that always makes
you laugh or smile.
Josh Prizer (42:05):
Potty humor Gets me every time, especially with a
little boy in the house, gets meevery time.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:14):
Coffee or tea?
Josh Prizer (42:15):
coffee
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:15):
Morning, person or night owl?
Josh Prizer (42:17):
both
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:17):
Mountains or beach?
Josh Prizer (42:19):
beach
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:19):
Book or podcast?
Josh Prizer (42:20):
podcast
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:21):
dogs or cats ?
Josh Prizer (42:22):
dogs
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:23):
awesome.
Well, thank you so much, Josh.
I appreciate you joining me forthis candidate conversation on
the NC Deep Dive and I wish youthe best of luck with the
election.
Josh Prizer (42:32):
Amanda, it's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:35):
You're welcome.
Local elections are wheredemocracy lives closest to home.
The decisions and actions ofour mayors, the Holly Springs
Town Council and theFuquay-Varina Board of
Commissioners influence theservices we rely on each day,
the safety of our streets, thecharacter of our neighborhoods
and even the future direction ofour communities.
(42:56):
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.
(43:17):
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
(43:38):
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,
(44:01):
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.
Please remember you will need avalid 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 as on Spotify,Apple Podcasts, Audible or
(44:29):
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.
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail.
(44:52):
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.
Democracy isn't passive.
It only works when we each showup.
Thank you for helping me tomake it thrive.
(45:13):
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 me seesand honors the love and light 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 Josh Prizer aspart of our 2025 Municipal
Election Candidate Conversations.
Josh is running for thefour-year seat on the Holly
Springs Town Council.
For this race, Josh will berunning against Sarah Larson,
(00:32):
Joe Cuccurullo, Kara Foster, TimForrest and Annie Drees.
These races are non-partisan,so there will not be any party
affiliation like an R or a a Dnext to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to vote forup to three of these candidates
for this seat.
On your ballot in this election, the top three vote getters
(00:53):
will join Holly Springs TownCouncil members Chris DeShazor
and Danielle Hewetson to make upits five-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
(01:15):
open-ended as possible.
Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Josh Prizer.
You're running for the HollySprings Town Council.
You want to tell me a littlebit about yourself, how long
you've lived in the area andwhat's inspired you to run.
Josh Prizer (01:30):
So my name is Josh Prizer.
I've been in Holly Springs forabout six years, moved down here
July of 2019.
My family and I moved here fromTom's River, New Jersey, and we
were just seeking a better wayof life.
I am a father to threechildren, and two daughters that
are 12, going on 13, and a sonthat's seven, going on eight.
What inspired me to run?
(01:51):
Well, I have been involved inthe community pretty much all my
life in some capacity.
I was a volunteer firefighterfor 15 years.
I did five years in Long Island, moved to Chicago for a few
years so I was not a volunteerthere and then moved to Jersey
for a few years so I was notvolunteered there and then moved
to Jersey for about 10, 11years and was a firefighter the
whole time when I was there.
And you know before that I'vedone a variety of different
(02:12):
volunteer positions, but being afirefighter, it was kind of the
plan when moving down here andactually tried to join a local
fire department close to HollySprings, but my certs were
missing a certain approvalrequired by the state of North
Carolina, so they were happy toput me through the academy.
But at 42 years old and threechildren I was not going through
the academy again.
So I told the chief at the timeI think it's time to hang up my
(02:36):
firefighter helmet.
And then I decided to try tofind other ways to get involved
in the community that I couldlend efforts to.
So, you know, I investigatedand found that there was, you
know, a board of adjustment anda planning board within Holly
Springs and talked to some ofthe folks within the town of
time about it, decided to put anapplication in, ultimately was
selected for the planning boardwhere we're going on four years
(02:57):
now and I have really, reallyenjoyed it, really really
enjoyed to get a peek inside thetown, really lend even though
we're not a governing body, weare a recommendation body to
where the town is headed andreally enjoy that aspect of
service.
Also, the other things thatI've done I'm on the board at
Pine Springs Preparatory Academyand I've been involved in that
for three years now.
(03:17):
Really love part of thatcommunity and helping guide the
choices and the expansion of theschool.
We're opening a high schoolnext year.
I'm not done with Wow Ifconstruction goes well.
So, and then I also do somevolunteer coaching with my kids'
sports.
My girls are in competitivecheer now, but they used to be
in soccer.
I don't do the competitivecheer teaching, but my son's now
involved in football and hockey, so I help out there.
(03:40):
And then, in addition to that,I'm on the board of the Hero
Golf Tournament, which raisesmoney for Holly Springs first
responders.
So I've just been trying to giveback any way that I can, you
know, in a way that lends mytalents from business to just,
you know, general overall effort, and I felt, you know, we've
got a lot of great things goingon in Holly Springs.
We have a ton of growth, we havea windfall of tax revenue about
(04:01):
to come in from our partnersand the various biotech
companies, and I just want tosee the town continue to thrive,
continue to grow, but to growin a way that's managed
responsibly, to grow in a waythat's beneficial to the future.
I've moved around quite a bit inmy life and it's been great.
However, I would love to createa town in which my kids can go
away, do their thing, go tocollege, maybe move to a big
(04:25):
city for a while, but ultimatelybe able to come back to and a
place that's like it is nowright.
It's just got that small townfeel, you know, but we're a
large town.
It's got great places to play,to eat and to work.
If so, you should wish in ourarea and I'd love to be able to
help continue the mission thatMayor Dick Sears helped create
and past councils have helped toreally get us to this day and
(04:48):
continue on in that traditionand get us into a place you know
, 10 years from now, 20 yearsfrom now, we look back on and we
need to be proud of.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (04:56):
Perfect.
Have you been an active voter,including in local elections?
Josh Prizer (05:00):
I have Yep.
I vote in every election.
I pretty much have, I think, atleast since my mid-20s at least.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:06):
Okay, what do you feel is the role of a
town council member?
Josh Prizer (05:10):
The town council member, you know you hold many
hats, but the primary positionis to really guide the town in
the direction in which it goesto A lot of it's development but
a lot of it's fiscal as well.
So you're managing the budget,you're managing the growth,
(05:30):
you're managing public safetybut that also points back to
budget as well and you're makingsure that you're listening to
the citizens right.
So, if elected, your job as acouncil person is to listen to
all, not just the people thatagree with you or take certain
positions on certain things, butyou listen to all the facts,
listen to all the opinions andreally make a sound decision.
Really that's the guiding lightof the town and really what's
(05:51):
going to represent the massesand the future masses that we
have.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (05:56):
You've listed this a little bit, but if
you want to go into more detail, what is your involvement
within the community and towngovernment and what
qualifications make you preparedfor this role?
Josh Prizer (06:05):
So as mentioned, I've been on the planning board
for four years, so I've sat asan advisor to mayor and council.
You know that's a sharp inclineright.
It's like climbing a cliff.
You come into this role, youknow understanding what it is,
but I think the first fewmeetings I was just kind of in
awe in terms of really what goesinto all of this and you really
learn the process in whichgrowth happens.
(06:27):
Some would consider it maybe afast pace, but really I think
the developers would arguedifferently, maybe sometime.
But really there's a lot ofplanning, preparation.
There's a lot of work done bythe town staff.
They, in my opinion, do a veryterrific job in terms of really
making sure that a lot of theordinance type things, all the
things that are vetted, and thatcertain projects that don't
(06:49):
pass muster really don't gothrough.
And I think they do a good jobtoo of warning the developers
that they're headed down a badpath and that they should, you
know, reconsider things.
And you know, in that positionit's really giving me a peek
behind the curtain in terms ofhow the town actually operates
right, how the sauce is justmade, and you know, I think that
that lends itself right off thebat, I can hit the ground
(07:14):
running right, understandingthat process and knowing some of
the things that might be ableto do tweak differently.
I think overall, the town doesa fantastic job.
You know there's always roomfor improvement, right.
In any sport, any job, anything, there's always room for
improvement.
So having kind of a generalsense and idea of what that is,
I think that sets me up.
By day I'm in sales, I managerelationships, multi-million
(07:34):
dollar accounts of a VP for apharma tech company, so I think
that experience is there, wouldhelp lend itself to a lot of the
things that I would like to doare relationship oriented and it
makes it sound simple.
It's not, but it sort of is atthe same time, right.
So services to the town andinfrastructure development are
(07:55):
really relationship based right.
And it's being able to sit downat a table with some of these
developers that are coming inand, you know, wanting to do
projects and wanting to getthings approved and really
understanding what they wantaccomplished and then being able
to convey to them and have themunderstand what the town is
looking to have accomplished,right, and sometimes that exists
outside of the scope of whatthey're required to do, but if
(08:16):
we can come to some sense ofunderstanding and relationship
there and you see a lot of thesefolks over and over again,
right, it's sort of the samerepresentation.
There's a large economy inRaleigh but it's a lot of the
same folks coming through on ayearly, bi-yearly basis.
But you form theserelationships and really, you
know, try to get the most andcome to the middle and try to
(08:37):
get some things from them thatthey might not be able to get,
and then help them in ways andsuch, you know, maybe somebody
that's a little more staunchwould not be able to offer, and
then ultimately, if you can getsome extra infrastructure paid
for or some extra road paved,that cost savings gets passed
down to the taxpayer.
The taxpayer no longer bearsthat burden, right?
(08:58):
Some of those skills, I think,could lend themselves very well
to the council position.
Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (09:04):
What's your long-term vision for the future
of Holly Springs?
Josh Prizer (09:07):
Well, I'd like to see Holly Springs continue the
path in which it's taken.
I think that the mayor and theformer councils have done a
pretty good job sketching outthe vision for this community.
You know, we've got a strongbusiness acumen in terms of what
we have.
We've got some very, very largebusinesses.
But we've got some largebusinesses and we've got some
medium sized businesses andwe've got some small business.
(09:30):
Ultimately, I'd like tocontinue to encourage small
business and be able to helpthem develop.
I know a number and I'm friendswith a number of small business
owners and they love living hereand I would love to be able to
continue to promote and helpbolster the small business
community, because you know whatyou really want from a
community.
You want the people that havebusinesses in that community.
(09:52):
You want them living in yourtown.
They're equally as vested asyou, as a citizen of a town, in
their business, you know,because they want their business
to thrive but they want thetown to thrive as well.
So I'd like to see the towncontinue in the fashion that
it's been continuing, but with alittle more emphasis on helping
that small business community,continuing strategic growth, but
also being perhaps a little bitmore strategic in the way in
(10:15):
which we grow.
So that means taking a look atour UDO and our future plan and
really taking a look at that andmaybe being proactive in zoning
a little bit more.
We've done a little bit of that, but I think that we could do
more and I think that what thatcould do is really shape the
vision, even sketch that visionout a little clearer, and
developers can then see that aswell.
(10:36):
So if we start to proactivelyrezone, we can potentially cut
some of the process down.
So if we rezone proactively andsay, okay, this is what our
vision is, this is where we wantthis to be, this to be, this to
be, one, we can temper some ofthe development in terms of when
it happened, where it happens.
But two, you cut down asignificant amount of process in
(10:57):
terms of rezoning and anythingcan be rezoned again right, and
the vision may change in thefuture.
Who knows, 10, 15 years downthe road.
If we say today, this should bethis, maybe the town requires
something different, so italways can be rescheduled.
However, you can cut out some ofthat timeframe.
The idea is that the developershave cost savings there within
the time and amount of effortbecause they know that it's like
(11:20):
, okay, well, that's zoned forthis, we want to put this here,
it's not zoned for that, we'renot going to bother.
But there is another developersays, okay, yeah, we want to
develop this right, so they savethat amount of time, that money
, into the rezoning process andthe whole thing in which they
have to go through, and the ideais that that cost savings get
passed down to the potential newhomeowner, the renter, however
(11:41):
it makes.
But again, it's in thatconversation and relationship
that it takes to really explainand make sure that's followed
through with as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (11:48):
What are your top three priorities for
the community if elected?
Josh Prizer (11:52):
So responsible growth.
Obviously, public safety is abig one of mine.
We know what's coming in termsof growth and population and we
have to make sure that we'remaintaining the public safety
right, and that's obviously ahuge thing.
With my background, I'm a firmbeliever in strong lease fire
EMS support.
So I really want to see leaseand fire specifically supported
(12:13):
in.
You know, not only theirtraining but their equipment,
and then to make sure that theyhave their staffing
appropriately right, and thensome of that is building out.
So we've got to make sure thatwe're building out the fire
stations appropriately.
I think there's plans already inthe works for station four and
there's long-term plans forstation five of making sure that
gets accomplished and thatwe're budgeting properly for
that growth, sure that we're notlagging in any of those safety
(12:36):
measures.
There's not a lot we can doabout EMS other than support
them Right.
The EMS is managed by thecounty at this point, so I'd
really like to see us supportthem in ways that you know be
able to have zones for them tohouse their units within our
station so that when they're noton calls they're locally
available.
So I think that's what we cando.
And then the third would betaxes.
We're getting hit really hard.
A lot of people don't realizethat a lot of our taxes in Holly
(12:59):
Springs come from the countylevel.
Both of our taxes aredetermined by the board of
commissioners.
At the county level, however,you know, there's municipal
taxes as well, and I'd like tocommit to not raising those
during my term.
I think that we've got enoughtax revenue and windfall that
come in where we can reallycontinue the growth, continue
the strategy and support all theservices that we're doing
(13:20):
without having to pass that onto the taxpayers.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (13:22):
What is working well in the town today
and where do you see room forimprovement?
Josh Prizer (13:27):
So I've addressed this a little bit, but I think
the development slightly, wecould improve that process and
get that process a littlesmoother in hopes of a cost
savings, you know, back to theempire.
So I think that we can look atthat.
I think we need to be proactiveat looking at the future growth
of Holly Springs and make surethat we're doing it.
And everybody says responsiblegrowth, responsible growth.
(13:47):
But what does responsiblegrowth mean?
Well, to me that means we don'tjust approve a blanket of
projects.
Right, that's one, two.
You want to make sure, when youapprove a project, that you
don't just go and approveanother project that's right
beside that.
Right, we've got a decent amountof congestion here.
I think a lot of it's startingto be abated with what
developers are required in termsof road widening and filling in
(14:07):
those gaps that are currentlythere.
Polly Springs has just gotten agrant to widen 55, so that's in
the process.
It's not going to be doneovernight, but it'll be done in
the next four to five years,which will improve things
greatly.
But we've got to keep an eye onthe density of what we're
approving.
But we also got to make surethat we're not approving
apartment complex here and thendown the street less than a mile
(14:28):
another high density unit.
You got to make sure thatyou're strategic about the
growth and making sure thatwe're getting the most
infrastructure improvements fromour developers.
I think it's being done wellnow, but I think we could do
better, and I think you knowmyself, being on the planning
board, I understand that and Ithink that we can definitely
improve in that aspect.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (14:47):
Do you have any specifics of how it could be
done better?
Josh Prizer (14:50):
Well, I think it's in that process of asking for
more, right.
So it doesn't have to always bea be in lieu or okay.
You're required to do this, butyou need to ask for more in
terms, and that doesn't meanit's a significant overage to a
developer per se.
It's a meeting in the middletype deal, right?
So, for example, there's aproject recently approved I
(15:12):
won't get into the specificsbecause I'm not sure how far
along in the process it is, butI'm going to use raw numbers
here.
It required eight sections ofsewer, one side of road wide
main, and that's what they wererequired by the town to do.
The planer board said yep,that's good, rubber stamp, blah,
blah, blah.
But it was in an area that was alittle bit already congested.
(15:32):
It was in an area that wasalready a little bit of a hot
spot, and so they asked for more.
So there was widening on bothsides of the road.
There was extra lengths of thesewer main that drastically
needed like 14 sections improved.
So they got a few extrasections of improvement, and
it's things like that that youreally have to push for and say,
okay.
Hey, listen, we've got aproblem here.
(15:54):
You've got a problem where youwant to put this X project on
what's mean in the middle herelet's figure out what we can do
and how we can do it, and so youget a little bit more.
You don't have to then improveon Holly Springs' budget, ergo
passing it along to the taxpayer, and you get it from the folks
that are doing the project atthe time that they're doing the
project.
We just need more of that
Amanda Benbow Lunn (16:15):
Do you support the current town budget?
Where would you advocatechanges, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities, if needed for
fiscal responsibility?
Josh Prizer (16:25):
So I'm never a fan of tax raises.
I think that there's alwaysroom to do better, right?
I think Dan Barry said itreally well the last time they
approved the budget when hevoted against the tax raise, but
I think they could have donebetter.
I think that, should I beelected, it'll be a little
easier to do that because of therevenue that's going to start
coming from the big projectslike Food to Dinosaur and Amgen
(16:47):
and eventually Genentech, and sothose tax dollars will be
readily available.
It's a significant amount ofmoney coming back to the town
and so, you know, I thinkthere's really always a way to
be able to go back, do the work,go through the budget, comb
through it, find ways toreallocate money and not have to
pass that back to the taxpayer.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (17:09):
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?
Josh Prizer (17:19):
The town, I believe , has a really good sense of
where things are going in thefuture and I think they know the
growth that we're expecting.
They know the amount of growthgoing on in other areas, and so
I think the way to be proactiveis really just run the numbers
right and figure out okay, we'regoing to be at X population in
2035, right, and what does ourinfrastructure look like right
(17:44):
now?
What's our water consumptionlook like?
What does our sewer usage looklike now and what are we going
to need in 2035?
What are we going to need in2040?
And being proactive in gettingthat accomplished before we're
there, you can't just wait forit to come and then do the
necessary remediations or thenecessary fixes or the necessary
plumbing, sewer, et cetera.
(18:05):
You can't wait for that.
You have to look into thefuture and it's not hard.
You know, we know what is it 60, 66 people coming to Wake
County every day.
Think about that.
We know Pauley Springs is anextremely attractive area to
come.
We are one of the hottestcommunities right now.
Our taxes from a townperspective are the second
lowest in the county, so we're avery attractive place to live
(18:25):
and to move to.
So we know that people arecoming, we know what those
numbers look like and we have toplan for that future.
And it goes back to thedevelopment.
We have to do those improvementsnow, and the way we do those
improvements now are workingwith our developers to make sure
that they are helping us toimprove.
The other way in which you cando this from a road perspective
and they're doing this withHolly Springs Road right now we
(18:47):
don't have control over the DOT,but we can take out loans to
pay for certain infrastructureimprovements, and roads being
one of them.
We can borrow from lenders anddo those improvements and then,
at such a time when that projectthat road improvement was
slated by the DOT comes up, theDOT then reimburses us and so
(19:07):
you kind of take this likelaying the track in front of the
train approach, sort of withthe monetary funds, right.
So like when you get reimbursedin the DOT, then you take that
money that you have and thenparlay that into another project
that might take longer than wewant to wait for, right.
You got to just be verystrategic in the way in which
we're approving projects andwhere we're putting projects and
(19:29):
prioritizing projects?
Amanda Benbow Lunn (19:31):
What new initiatives or attractions would
you champion to boost revenueand community pride?
Josh Prizer (19:37):
I think we have a really great opportunity with
the downtown development.
I think that we have anopportunity there to increase
some small and local businessesand give them a place to exist
and to create a thriving kind ofcarry-ish, if you will like,
downtown for people to gomorning, afternoon and night,
(19:57):
and with that probably comessome more attractive housing for
younger folks.
A lot of the ideas are taxpayercommercial on the bottom and
then apartments on top, butreally giving folks a place and
a hub, you know, a traditionaldowntown, to thrive in.
You know, I think EaglesLanding Park.
I think it's going to be agreat addition to the community.
I think we're very I've seen itpersonally with having young
(20:20):
children in sports we're verystretched in terms of the space
in which we have to have some ofthese sports activities.
So I'd love to see another parkin the future probably not, you
know, the next five years, butprobably is something that we
need to plan for, because thisarea is just growing and most of
the people we're attracting,quite honestly, are families.
So we've done a lot of thegreenway work that's already in
(20:43):
the town and it's kind of beingplugged up as we speak, you know
, and connected.
So I think we've done a prettygood job there.
But from a sports fieldperspective and a parks
perspective as we expand outsideof the traditional Holly
Springs.
It's definitely something weneed to think about as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (21:01):
Have you ever disagreed publicly with a
current town decision or policy?
If so, what was it and howwould you handle a similar
situation if you were electedinto office?
Josh Prizer (21:12):
I can't think of any policy that I've disagreed
with that the town has passed.
I don't believe I've everdisagreed with anything that
they've passed.
To be honest with you, I'm justtrying to run through my head
on everything.
The biggest thing about beingin a council is that you have to
work with your fellow councilmembers, right?
(21:32):
And so, regardless of what theiropinion is, you have to really
try to understand their opinionon the matter, whether you
disagree with it or not.
And I would take it a stepfurther you also have to work
with neighboring towns.
That's a big thing to them,right?
There's a lot of things interms of infrastructure, water
treatment, water coming into thetown.
You have to work with thesetowns, and some of them you
(21:53):
might not agree with, butultimately, your responsibility
is to the taxpayer, right, andso you know whether you like
this person on a personal levelor you don't like their policies
, or you don't like theirdecision on something, you still
have to really take the time tounderstand what their position
is.
And then, if you're passionateabout your position and they're
(22:14):
passionate about their position,you have to figure out a way to
either persuade them to come toyour side or find some type of
middle ground.
Or, you know, in some cases youmight be persuaded, and that's
why it's important to reallytake the time to understand.
If there's something that'scontentious that's going on, I
think it requires a lot ofconversation and it probably
needs to be done before thecouncil meeting itself.
(22:35):
Right, you wanna make sure thatyou take the time to thoroughly
one understand the position ofthe person that is taking that
opposing view and then try tofigure out okay, where can we go
with this?
Okay, I'm not gonna change thisperson's opinion, so is there a
middle ground there?
Is there a way in which we canmake this work together?
And I think that's how you haveto approach anything really in
business, in life or on councilis to really just try to
(22:58):
understand the other person'sview, and maybe it's as a set of
people, maybe it's two otherpeople, maybe it's four against
one.
You know, and you're the theonly person, that you really
have to take the time tounderstand it and then try to be
persuasive.
Should you believe firmlyenough in your position.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:12):
You answered this a little bit before, but
when you hear smart growth, whatdoes that mean for our town in
practical terms?
Josh Prizer (23:19):
So I think I did answer this pretty much, but it
just means being strategic,being future orientated and
minded.
It's understanding you knowwhere we're going to be, not
just in four or five years, butin 10, 15, 20 years, and really
making sure that what you'reputting where makes sense, and
that it makes sense where it is,but also does it make sense for
(23:40):
the town.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (23:41):
How would you ensure new development
maintains our town's characterwhile remaining affordable for
residents?
Josh Prizer (23:47):
So I think I've kind of touched on this as well,
but really just trying to makesure that we're getting as much
as we can from the developers.
Listen, they've got to makemoney too.
There's no doubt about it,right?
Nobody's going to build aproject and not make money on it
.
Nobody's going to buildsomething for free, but there
are ways in which that we canwork with them.
Now, from a looks perspective, Ithink the town has that pretty
(24:08):
well covered.
I think it should be revisitedevery few years just to make
sure that we don't have outdatedcodes and outdated aesthetic,
outdated requirements.
But I think the town's done apretty good job of really making
sure that things are on the upand up in terms of developing
and their looks wise.
But I think the ultimate passdown that we can give the
taxpayers to make sure thatwe're getting as much from the
(24:30):
developers and then holding themaccountable to that cost
savings right.
So if we were to do thepre-zoning, that's a significant
amount of money.
I don't have a dollar value totell you right now, but I can
tell you a year to a year and ahalf of time from a developer
perspective is a significantcost saving.
So if you're doing aneighborhood and you don't have
to rezone a parcel of land forsaid neighborhood.
(24:50):
All you have to do is come inconceptually and get the plot
approved.
That's a significant costsaving and you have to hold the
builders accountable that thatcost saving should be passed
along in the price of the houseor the apartment unit or the
rent of the unit, and I thinkthat that's really where the
rubber can meet the road in thatregard.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (25:08):
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?
Josh Prizer (25:27):
So I think infrastructure is ultimately
very, very important because itfeeds the town, it feeds the
residents, it feeds thebusinesses, and just not only
for the residents, right, butthe people coming into our town
as well, right, they're comingin here for our services as well
.
So I think infrastructure, youknow and infrastructure could be
a number of things it could bethe water, it could be the sewer
(25:49):
, it could be the roads, itcould be electric.
You know, we have to keep amindful eye on all four of those
to make sure that we'rebasically operating not only for
the now but for the future, andso I would prioritize those.
So if it was a now question andwe had only to do one, I would
say your best bet is to put yourmoney in infrastructure,
(26:09):
because it's going to be asavings for the future
ultimately, if you do it now.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (26:14):
Do you feel we already adequately meet the
needs of any of theseInfrastructure, public safety,
parks and recreation or housingaffordability?
Josh Prizer (26:22):
I think we do.
I mean, I think we do a goodjob right now of deploying
public safety for our police andfire.
I think we're doing our best toproactively manage the roadways
.
I think we are getting somesignificant improvements from
the developers in theinfrastructure portion, at least
in some of the hotter spots ofneed.
When it comes to infrastructurelike sewers and water, I think
(26:44):
there's a great proactive planto supply us with more water and
that's already in place and inthe works.
So, yeah, I think that we'vedone a reasonably good job and,
like I said, we can be better.
There's no reason to notimprove on these processes.
You know, holly Springs is agreat place I don't think
anybody would argue with thatright, and anybody that did
probably plan to get out of hereanyway.
(27:05):
But we can do better and we gotto really look towards the
future and continue the hardwork that's been done around it.
To really look towards thefuture and continue the hard
work that's been done around it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:12):
Okay.
As the population grows, whatstrategies would you prioritize
to address roads, utilities andother infrastructure challenges?
Josh Prizer (27:25):
So again, I think I've addressed all of these in
some of my answers before, soI'm not going to bore people
with that Sure, like there's nodoubt it needs to be addressed.
But I do believe that we'redoing a good job, but we can do
a little better.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (27:33):
Okay, 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 or vaccines?
Josh Prizer (27:48):
So you know, I think the proof is in the
pudding, essentially so.
You know, I think the proof isin the pudding, essentially,
right.
So you have Seqirus, who's beenhere for a long time.
Right, they were the OGs ofbiotech.
You've got Amgen and Fuji, whoare billion-dollar corporations.
You know, if what they didwasn't adequate they wouldn't be
billion-dollar companies right.
(28:08):
And then you now have Genentechopening their East Coast
production facility now here,and just broke ground right.
And then you now have Genentechopening their own East Coast
production facility now here,and just broke ground right.
So we have significant scienceto pull from.
So I'm excited about itpersonally and I don't think
that there's anything to beskeptical on.
I understand that there's goingto be some hardships in the
beginning, just in terms of thedevelopment of the plots of land
(28:29):
themselves.
Right.
But with those developmentswill come road widenings, there
will come more infrastructure.
All of these projects arebringing services to the town
that you know.
I know some probably don't knowabout.
It's also bringing goodfamilies to the community.
Just the staff alone that aregoing to be working in these
facilities are going to feed alot of small businesses in Holly
(28:50):
Springs.
We're talking restaurants andservices.
It's good for our economy tohave these companies here.
I firmly believe it.
I'm not sure how much room isleft in Holly Springs for
another biotech.
I'd have to look at the landmap to figure out where you
could squeeze another bigfacility in.
But I think we've got reallygreat biotech companies and I'll
just kind of add on to that.
(29:12):
Some might call this ashameless plug, but you know
Pine Springs has a high schoolthat's going to be opening in
2026.
And really the vision for apart of the curriculum of that
or at least a student chooses togo into biotech and they're
going to have a biotech trackand that track will be designed
to come out of high school witha certificate that will enable
(29:33):
you to go work in one of thesebiotech companies.
Right now, the estimated salaryof that is $60,000.
So if you have a student comingout of high school maybe they
want to go to college, maybethey don't, maybe they're really
interested in this track theycan be making $60,000 right at
high school.
But even more importantly isthat they can then do this job
and then pursue education intandem with this certificate.
(29:55):
So, supporting the biotech,they're supporting us as well.
So they're helping with WakeTech, I believe.
They're helping with a numberof the local universities.
They're giving back to thecommunity, I think, as well I
would point that out andproviding us with education and
also providing jobs for localresidents.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (30:15):
As our town grows, farmland faces pressure
from development and someresidents struggle to access
fresh food.
How would you support localfarmers, protect farmland and
help ensure everyone has accessto healthy, affordable food?
Josh Prizer (30:28):
Well, ultimately it's the decision of the
landowner to do what they wantwith their property right.
I'm 100% for property rights.
So if a homeowner is feelingpressure from a developer, I
want to know about that right.
If they feel like they're beingsqueezed out, that's
unacceptable.
But if that's not happening atthe same time, farmer Smith,
whose land has been in hisfamily for three, four, five
(30:50):
generations he decides you knowwhat, man, this is generational
wealth I'm looking at to sell.
I mean, as a US citizen, hasthe right to sell to whoever he
wants, right.
So I don't want to prohibitthat, but I at the same time.
If anybody's feeling squeezedor pressured, that needs to be
addressed immediately andsomething that needs to be
handled at a higher level thanjust town council.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (31:12):
Our police sometimes receive requests from
outside agencies, while alsoaddressing our local needs.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?
Josh Prizer (31:23):
If it's a mass casualty incident, whether it's
fire or police, or if it's highstakes, mutual aid is commonly
run in departments.
I ran it when I was in the firedepartment.
You know there's things calledstaging.
If a certain area is stressed,right.
If a certain area is stressedlet's say there's something that
happens in Cary, I don't knowlet's say a warehouse blew up
(31:43):
and you have significant damageto buildings, potential loss of
life, you're going to call fromyour surrounding resources,
right, and it's up to the chainof command to pull from those
resources but also then restaffthose.
So essentially it's a staging.
So Holly Springs moves to Apex,the Apex moves into Cary, right,
and to help assist, Should theyneed the guys from Apex you
(32:04):
know the Holly Springs that arestationed in Apex to move into
Cary.
Well then you got to draw up,you got to draw from outside
communities and there'semergency plans in place for all
of this to make sure thatpublic safety in your particular
municipality is not stressed bysomebody having to move out of
jurisdiction temporarily or sometype of natural disaster or
disaster.
(32:25):
In that regard, Statewidedisasters I fully support
response teams, right.
I don't know the exact fact,but I'm sure we have people on
disaster relief in the HollySprings Fire Department that are
certified as such, thatprobably get called out to
situations like Helene, and thenwe just have to restaff
appropriately.
But you know, helping ourneighbors, that just comes with
(32:46):
being a first responder.
You're there to help, whetherit's your town or not, and
that's why you got into it inthe first place.
I support that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (32:53):
How can the town better support small
businesses and connect withtheir needs?
Josh Prizer (32:58):
So I think we definitely need to listen to our
small businesses and whatthey're looking for.
I think one thing that we'reseeing a lot of is growth with
larger businesses, right, andnot so much the small, and that
probably has a lot to do with,you know, the economy cost, but
we need to figure out a way andsuch to really listen to them,
and I'd rely on some of thefolks that I know that have
(33:19):
small businesses that I'vetalked to, but also some of the
council members currently thathave small businesses and that
understand them and reallylisten to those folks to find
out, okay, where are yourstressors, where are your
hiccups?
Are you getting dingedunnecessarily?
What's cost prohibitive frombeing able to take that next
step in your business and reallyunderstanding those?
Because small business is thelifeblood and you want people in
(33:41):
your community creating smallbusinesses.
It leads to a better community.
There's no doubt about it.
When you have somebody that hasa business that lives in your
community, they're vested inmore ways than just having a
family in your community.
Right, they have their businessthere and they want to see good
things happen to that community, so it's pinnacle that we
continue to support them in anyway, shape or form.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (34:00):
Okay, what approaches would you take to
foster understanding andcollaboration amongst residents
with differing perspectives?
Josh Prizer (34:09):
I think there's a way in which to do this and
you're talking about bridgingthe gap.
So I think you can have openconversations about this.
I think you can have town halls, so to speak, right, and, if
there's a hot button issue, tohave a common sense, calm,
rational discussion about thingsand make sure that there's
representatives of both opinions.
That's a possibility.
(34:29):
In terms of hearing from thepublic, obviously, as a city
council member, obviouslythere's public commentary during
every meeting, but the otherthing that I would like to do is
to have monthly or bimonthly,depending on demand, office
hours and just have a standingday or two every single month,
at the same time at the samelocation that people just know
(34:51):
okay, you've got an issue withthis, come, let's talk about it.
Or you've got a question aboutthis, come on, let's talk about
it.
And being able to really openlydiscuss things that people may
be concerned about or may behappy about or may be
misinformed about, and beingable to really bridge that gap.
You can do that in a newsletteras well.
But that human connection and Ithink that's a lot of the times
(35:13):
that we're missing, especiallyin this day and age, right is
that it's easy to point a fingerand yell behind a keyboard.
But if you sit down withsomebody, whether it's public to
public or whether it's councilperson to public, having that
human connection and taking thetime and that calm demeanor to
just understand where thatperson is coming from, and you
may walk away from thatdisagreeing still, or you may
(35:35):
walk into that better educated,but having that openness, that
transparency, that works from acitizen's perspective and I
think that works from a councilto citizen perspective as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (35:46):
How will you ensure diverse voices and those
most impacted are not onlyincluded but truly embraced in
decision making?
Josh Prizer (35:54):
I think everybody has a voice right Currently.
Everybody has a voice.
I don't know that there'sanybody that's been stopped from
speaking their mind at acouncil meeting.
I don't know that anybody'sbeen stopped from holding an
event.
I don't know that anybody'sbeen stopped from participating
in whatever they want.
I think that we have a very,very open community.
(36:14):
I think we have a safe community.
I think that generally peoplefeel very safe here.
So, like from a diversitystandpoint, I have not heard
otherwise that there was aproblem with that.
I mean, there's laws in placetoo that would speak to that,
that prohibit people fromdiscrimination, right Both at
the state level and the federallevel.
So you know, I would justcontinue to encourage people.
(36:35):
Okay, if you feel not heard,come talk.
Come talk about it.
Come to a council meeting andtalk in public commentary, make
an appointment with a councilmember or a mayor, and if you
have concerns or you're not,feeling heard.
use your voice, because thatdoor's open in my opinion, and
you may have answered a littlebit of this one as well.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (36:54):
Do you support a non-discrimination
ordinance or policy?
Why or why not?
Josh Prizer (36:58):
So I don't.
And I don't for probably threemain reasons.
So one, I've already touched onthere's state and federal law
that prohibits discriminationalready.
Two, the NDO program in itself,the Wake County.
You know I've looked at thenumbers.
It hasn't really proven reallyanything.
The wasn't a business, etc.
Etc.
And the program in and ofitself isn't really designed
(37:36):
from a long-term fundingperspective.
You know, I think it's fundedfor like the first year or two
and then the town has to takeover the burden of this
arbitration.
But I think the biggest reasonis because these rules already
exist.
You know there's zerocomplaints in Holly Springs in
terms of zero to the policedepartment or the town.
And then also the third I thinkthat this is a larger one too,
and we talked about smallbusiness before.
(37:58):
But the legal strain and costto have to have everything
reviewed.
I just don't support puttinganother burden on small business
to have them have to deal withthe legal review of their
policies and procedures, etc,etc.
When there, when there'salready, you know, laws in place
to address this.
That's just my position on that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:16):
Okay.
Have you gained anyendorsements thus far and if you
gain more, where might votersfind that information?
Josh Prizer (38:23):
So I don't have any endorsements as of right now,
so but you would be able to findeverything on my website.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (38:29):
And where can listeners connect with you
and learn more about yourplatform?
upcoming events and ways to getinvolved.
Josh Prizer (38:42):
Again, wwwjoshforhollyspringscom, you
can find all the information.
My policy positions are listed.
Those came out yesterday thefull gamut.
I had it sketched out earlierbut I've got a deeper dive in
that, so please go to thewebsite.
You can reach out to me viaemail, joshforhollysprings at
gmailcom, If you have anyquestions, if you'd like to get
involved, we would love to haveyou on the team.
We're outdoor knocking.
(39:03):
Stop me in the street if yousee me.
We'd love to talk to you.
We'd love to hear your opinions.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:08):
Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to
share with those voting in theupcoming election?
Josh Prizer (39:12):
No, I think you're doing that service to everybody
by sitting down and talking withall the candidates.
I'd tell everybody researchyour candidate, research their
views, their thoughts, make surethere's substance there, make
sure that there's carefulthinking involved and that it's
the right decision for the longterm of Holly Springs.
And I appreciate your time andagain it's
wwwjoshforhollyspringscom.
(39:34):
I'd love to hear from you.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (39:37):
All right, perfect.
So I always close with a bit ofa lightning round just to get
to know more about you as aperson, less about Holly Springs
and politics, so you can justanswer whatever comes to mind.
What's something you do thathelps you recharge?
Josh Prizer (39:56):
Great question.
I don't know the last time Irecharged.
I always say that nobody likesto work for free more than me.
You know I like to play with mykids.
I do love coaching, even thoughthat's kind of a job.
I love to coach.
I love to work with the kidsand watch them improve over time
and then watching it, kind oflike you know, you practice, you
practice, you practice and thenwatch them in the game and
watch them improve over time andthen watching it, kind of like
you know, you practice, youpractice, you practice and then
watch them in the game and theydo well.
So you love to see that.
(40:16):
It's kind of a recharging in away.
But if I'm really really notrecharging, I like to sit by the
pool and just kind of have adrink and chill out.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:24):
What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about
you that most people don't know?
Josh Prizer (40:28):
I'm a big fan of Guns N' Roses and I went one
year to Coachella even though Iwas way too old to be there and
just to see them, because I wasso worried that Axl Rose was
going to blow them.
Blow them up and disband thethe band before they even got
out of the chance to get on theroad.
So I think their third show wasCoachella.
(40:49):
So I found a way to get thereand saw them live and they were
phenomenal.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (40:53):
What's something that is difficult for
you.
Josh Prizer (40:55):
Sitting still Clearly from my resume.
I have a really hard time ofchilling out.
When I can get to the beach andchill out, I can get there, but
if I'm around the house withthree kids and a job and doing
the volunteer, work.
it's really hard to sit still,but it's kind of boring.
I really like to just be busy.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:14):
What book, podcast or TV show are you
enjoying right now?
Josh Prizer (41:18):
For some odd reason , every night I fall asleep to
Ancient Aliens.
I just find it so out there,but at the same time very
interesting and for some reasonit puts me right to that.
I'll watch 15, 20 minutes of itand be enjoying it, but
something about the monotone.
Mike Rowe had the same effecton me when he did the universe.
(41:43):
The narrator has this voice thatjust puts me out, so it's a
huge failure.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:49):
Who is your favorite superhero?
Josh Prizer (41:51):
Batman
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:51):
What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received?
Josh Prizer (41:54):
Work hard, play hard.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (41:55):
What's one guilty pleasure that you
secretly enjoy?
Josh Prizer (41:58):
I enjoy a Zyn, a nicotine pouch.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:01):
What's a simple thing that always makes
you laugh or smile.
Josh Prizer (42:05):
Potty humor Gets me every time, especially with a
little boy in the house, gets meevery time.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:14):
Coffee or tea?
Josh Prizer (42:15):
coffee
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:15):
Morning, person or night owl?
Josh Prizer (42:17):
both
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:17):
Mountains or beach?
Josh Prizer (42:19):
beach
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:19):
Book or podcast?
Josh Prizer (42:20):
podcast
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:21):
dogs or cats ?
Josh Prizer (42:22):
dogs
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:23):
awesome.
Well, thank you so much, Josh.
I appreciate you joining me forthis candidate conversation on
the NC Deep Dive and I wish youthe best of luck with the
election.
Josh Prizer (42:32):
Amanda, it's been a pleasure.
Thank you so much.
Appreciate it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (42:35):
You're welcome.
Local elections are wheredemocracy lives closest to home.
The decisions and actions ofour mayors, the Holly Springs
Town Council and theFuquay-Varina Board of
Commissioners influence theservices we rely on each day,
the safety of our streets, thecharacter of our neighborhoods
and even the future direction ofour communities.
(42:56):
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.
(43:17):
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
(43:38):
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,
(44:01):
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.
Please remember you will need avalid 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 as on Spotify,Apple Podcasts, Audible or
(44:29):
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.
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail.
(44:52):
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.
Democracy isn't passive.
It only works when we each showup.
Thank you for helping me tomake it thrive.
(45:13):
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 me seesand honors the love and light in
you.
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