William (Bill) Harris: 2025 Fuquay Varina Mayoral Candidate

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Amanda Benbow Lunn (00:09):
Hello, my friends.
Welcome back to the NC DeepDive Podcast.
I am your host, Amanda BenbowLunn, and today I am honored to
be speaking with William BillHarris as part of our 2025
Municipal Election CandidateConversations.
Bill is running for thetwo-year mayoral seat in

(00:29):
Fuquay Varina for this race.
He will be running againstcurrent Mayor Blake Massengill.
These races are nonpartisan, sothere will not be any party
affiliation like an R or a Dnext to their name on your
ballot.
You will be eligible to votefor one of these candidates for
the seat on your ballot in thiselection.

(00:50):
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
open-ended as possible.
Just as a special note, MayorMassengill chose to politely

(01:12):
decline and so will not beparticipating in these candidate
conversations.
Without further ado, myfriends, let's dive in.
Welcome, Bill Harris.
I appreciate you hopping on theNC Deep Dive podcast with me
today.
I'll allow you to take sometime and introduce yourself, how
long you've lived in the area,and what's inspired you to run

(01:34):
for mayor.

William (Bill) Harris (01:35):
Hello, Amanda.
How are you doing?
It's always good to have anopportunity to come and to be
with you.
I really appreciate all thatyou do.
I think it's important that wehave this forum where I can
share who I am and why I'mrunning for mayor.
And hopefully this will be away where people can understand
who I am.
Of course, I'm Bill Harris, anda couple of things I just want

(01:56):
to say is that my roots run deephere in Fuquay Varina.
I've been here practically allof my life except for moving
away and going to school andthen getting married and working
and then coming back to thisarea.
This community has been one ofthe greatest opportunities for
me as far as being able to electme to public office over six

(02:19):
terms.
I've been elected over 30years.

Wow.

Which speaks to my ability to work
with diverse groups of people,to work across racial lines, and
also to be able to experiencewhat it means to collaborate and
coordinate with others to getthings done.
One of the things that I'velearned being in office is that
in order to get things done, youhave to be able to work with
and through others.

(02:44):
And I think that that abilityqualifies me, number one, for
the position of mayor.
I come from humble beginnings.
My mother was one of the firstAfrican-American barbers here
in Fuquay Varina.
Wow.
My father was a caddy atPinehurst Country Club until he
went into the military, wentinto the war in World War II.
He was a staff sergeant inWorld War II.

(03:06):
And he transitioned here toFuquay from Moore County.
And he met my mother and theymarried, and he got a job in the
textile meal here, and theyraised my sister and myself.
So, yes, for me, I look at theexample that my parents left and
I draw from both of them myability to work in the public
arena because by my mother beinga barber, and she kept me in

(03:30):
the barbershop with her onSaturdays, I guess to keep me
out of trouble.
By my mother being a barber, Isaw how she interacted with
others and how she talked aboutthe importance of relationships
and listening to people becauseshe had a large customer base
and she knew how to keep thatcustomer base.
And I used to watch her onSaturday mornings because my job

(03:51):
in the barbershop was to shinethe shoes.
So I would be there, she wouldsee me, I would see how she
interacted with customers andher outgoing and friendly
demeanor and how it kept hercustomer base.
My mother.
So I looked at both of thosedifferent personalities, and I

(04:31):
drew from that.
You know, there was a themeamong caddies that my father
used to share in regards tokeeping that kind of job.
He said there are three thingsyou do when you're a caddy, and
you show up, you keep up, andyou shed up.
Well, you see, so so from thatregard, both of my parents
taught me the importance ofsustaining relationships and

(04:54):
building relationships as wellas understanding how to operate
in a larger arena with peoplewho might have differences in
order to get things done.
So I draw from my parents thatkind of experience that I think
qualifies me to be in publicoffice.
And when I think about it, Isaid, okay, yeah, I saw my
parents, I saw how they wereable to interact with other

(05:15):
people, different kinds ofpeople, sustain good working
relationships.
So that's part of my backgroundthat has sort of propelled me
into public service.
So that's the synopsis of who Iam.
After graduating from highschool here Fuquay Varina, I
went on to college and got anundergraduate degree in business
administration and then got amaster's degree in public

(05:37):
administration.
So that has allowed me over theyears, with my experience on
the board, to hone my master'slevel expertise in public
administration, which enables meto, I call it, look at things
from a broader systemic way, aswell as to understand from my
parents' experience the power ofhaving those one-on-one

(05:58):
relationships.
So I bring both of those to theposition as commissioner and
now to the position of mayor.
I think that those two people,my parents, their overall
experience, my experienceeducationally, as well as having
been on the board a number ofyears, qualifies me to become a
good mayor.

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

Yes, I've voted every election.
I think that that's important.
I think the vote is one waythat everybody can dissipate in
government.
I think the vote that's at thelocal, state, and federal level.

Okay.
What do you feel is the roleof the Fuquay Varina mayor?

The role of the mayor is, first of all,
an ambassador for the town.
The mayor, in theirinteractions and what they do,
they literally represent thebrand of the town.
And the mayor's primary role,number one, is to be an
ambassador and to protect thebrand.
Number two, the mayor, ofcourse, is to consider the

(06:58):
chairman of the board.
So that the mayor also chairsthe town meetings, the local
governmental meetings.
The mayor also represents thetown at ceremonial occasions
where there's opportunity forthe town to be represented at
the state, local, and federallevel, as well as within the
business community.
The mayor is key to promoting ahealthy business environment,

(07:20):
as well as being the liaisonwith the entire community when
it comes to representing whatlocal government means to the
citizenry.
So, of course, chairing themeetings, being an ambassador,
protecting the brand.
And then the last thing, ofcourse, is to providing
leadership.
Think the mayor is thatvisionary out front that can set

(07:41):
the course for the town.
Even within our kind ofgovernment, we have the council
manager form of government.
I think a mayor can be thatperson who drives the vision for
the town, which I believe is soimportant.
So those are the general rolesthat I think are so important to
the mayor.
And one last thing is themayor, of course, has to be able
to develop and support thoserelationships, those what I call

(08:05):
the intergovernmentalrelationships.
That's with local officials,state officials, and federal
officials when it comes to uhdeveloping relationships and
partnerships can in turn benefitthe town.

Okay.
You've mentioned this a littlebit already.
What is your involvement withinthe community and town
government and whatqualifications make you prepared
for this role?

I have a proven track record of getting
results.
And I can start with my veryfirst suggestion to the town,
and this is when I wascommissioner earlier on, and I
was, of course, in graduateschool at the same time studying
public administration.
At that time, the town did nothave a capital improvement plan.
And we were a smallmunicipality at that time, and I

(08:48):
think maybe there was an ideathat there was no need for that.
So I brought thatrecommendation back to the
board.
And of course, now we have acapital improvement plan.
And it's a five-year plan nowthat we use in order to sort of
guide and direct some of theplans and projects that the town
has.
The next thing that I've doneis I worked locally to establish
the Martin Luther King Holiday,which Fuquay Varina became one

(09:11):
of the few municipalitiesseveral years ago to officially
recognize Martin Luther KingHoliday.
I also worked with a group oflocal citizens where we
collaborated and developedpartnerships, and I wrote a
grant and brought over half amillion dollars Fuquay Varina
through the Department ofJustice.
And that half of a milliondollars, a part of that was

(09:33):
designed to support thecommunity through developing
prevention, intervention, andtreatment services for
individuals with substance abuseproblems or drug abuse
problems.
So we gave $250,000 to theFuquay Varina citizens against
drugs, which I was the chair ofthat committee.
And then the other $250,000went to the police department

(09:55):
where we gave $250,000 to thepolice department, where we used
some of that money to help thepolice in regards to
intervention and what we callweeding out the issues around
substance abuse.
So the police department usedthat $250,000 to purchase
equipment to do crime preventionactivities as well.
So that was a big thingFuquay Varina.

(10:17):
I'm probably, in fact, I knowI'm the only commissioner who's
ever taken that direct effort tobring in money to the town, to
Fuquay Varina.
And one last thing I'll say isthe most recent was my
advocating for the LessFuquay Varina community
engagement platform.
That tool has been anexceptional tool to allow
citizens to have input into theprojects and plans and ongoing

(10:41):
activities of the town.
That's a platform that Irecommended during one of my
campaigns.
I advocated for it, and withthe assistance of town
management and staff, we got itdone.
So when you see the Let's TalkFuquay Communication platform,
that was my idea.
That was something that I'vedone for the community for the
town of Fuquay Varina.

Awesome.
I just filled out one of thesurveys on that platform.

Well, great.

Great.
Great.
What is your long-term visionfor the future of Fuquay Varina?

Well, the long-term vision is this that
we will, first of all, have abalanced growth strategy where
50% of our growth will beresidential and 50% will be
commercial.

Okay.

Right now we are off balance.
We are more residential thancommercial.
So I think we got here mainlybecause of the rapid growth,
that we responded to the requestfor residential living here in
Fuquay Varina, which was okay.
But I think now that there is aneed to turn that to looking at
more commercial development.

(11:46):
And one of the things that Iwant to do is strategically work
to balance that because I thinkthat what has happened, given
this environment that we're innow, you know, residential
growth is good.
But one of the things that hashappened Fuquay Varina, we
haven't had a lot of commercialgrowth or industries to come to
Fuquay Varinaa within the last10 years.
Now, what that does is thatbecause we don't have a lot of

(12:10):
commercial growth, it does notallow our tax base to expand as
it should.
Thus, we get into a situationwhere in Fuquay Varina, the cost
of living becomes so highbecause a lot of the burden for
a lot of the infrastructure lieson your residents.
So you have high water bills,and maybe rightly so because the
town has to pay for buildinginfrastructure.

(12:31):
But the jewel of commercialdevelopment is that your large
commercial developers andindustries can come in and they
can help relieve some of thattax burden on residents.
The other thing is because ofthe residential growth, it's
almost out of control.
What you get now, you gettraffic jams, you get higher
cost of living, you get a burdenon the infrastructure, which

(12:52):
that cost has to be transferredsomewhere.
In some instances, servicesbecome higher because of the
overburden of the town trying toprovide for these large
residential customers.
I envision our returning backto or trying to balance that
existing residential andcommercial relationship.
I think in the long run thatit's going to benefit all the

(13:14):
citizens.
So I want to encourage and havethe vision of our attracting
clean, environmentally safeindustries that can provide more
jobs.
It can provide an opportunityfor an expanded tax base.
Now, what does that do?
That makes it so that a youngfamily, a veteran, a working
class family, they can comeFuquay Varina and they can live

(13:35):
right now because of the cost ofresidential living.
You know, it's hard for peopleto come to Fuquay Varina.
Young families comeFuquay Varina and raise their
children, you know, withoutbeing stressed.
And then the other thing is itenables people who come here,
maybe their children want tostay here, instead of having to
leave and to go find a jobsomewhere else because they
can't literally afford to stayhere.

(13:57):
So that's the vision there fromthe economic development
standpoint and the housingstandpoint.
If you bring industry, industryis going to pay higher
salaries.
And then those higher salarieswill allow people to afford to
live here.
Certainly, you have your retailjobs, that's okay, but it's
hard to purchase a home ifyou're working at a retail job,
making $12, $15 an hour.

(14:19):
It's just hard to do that.
So by shifting and focusing oncommercial development, I'm
thinking that we can add, ofcourse, to the greater
possibilities of families comingand living here in
Fuquay Varina.
And the last thing is makingsure that we promote quality of
life here Fuquay Varina.
All of those other things, yourcommercial and your housing
availability, they impactquality of life.

(14:41):
And certainly we do have herein Fuquay Varina, we have parks,
we have a greenways.
I want to make sure we continueto promote those greenways and
to do those kinds of things.
And my biggest dream is that wehave an aquatic center here.
I'd like to work on trying tocoordinate.
I know it's going to be costlybecause I've been advocating and

(15:01):
promoting this for the lastfive years, but sometimes people
say it's not workable.
It's not getting done.
It's not, but I just want toinvestigate building those kinds
of relationships at the countylevel that will help partner
with us where we can get thatdone.
I think it would be a greatasset to Southern Wake County if
we could get that done.

Perfect.
What are your top threepriorities for our community if
elected as mayor?

Of those three that I just talked about,
commercial development, a strongeconomic strategy that helps us
level off this residentialcommercial issue.
The next thing would behousing.
I think by leveling off thisresidential commercial issue, it
will blend over into makingsure that people will be able to
find jobs, have the wages thatthey will be able to that will

(15:47):
enable them to purchase housing,that we have a diverse housing
stock that's going to make surethat people can live.
And the last one is quality oflife.

Okay.
What is working well in thetown today, and where do you see
room for improvement?

I think overall we uh are working well.
I think though that this is atime right now in our state and
in our country.
It's a moment in time thatcalls for a different strategy.
That if we continue going inthe direction that we're going,
if we continue just to buildhouses, that we won't build
community.
I believe in building communityrather than just building

(16:24):
houses.
So I see that as crucial towhere we go within the next 10
years.
That we have responded or wehave reacted to the rapid
growth, but at the same time,building community.
And a lot of long-termresidents have talked about
preserving the character ofFuquay Varina, that these are
the kinds of challenges that wehave to face.

(16:44):
Certainly, we've done a goodjob in providing parks, we've
done a good job in doing thosekinds of things, but it's a
difference in providingleadership in crucial times and
providing management in crucialtimes.
I want to provide leadership,and leadership is an action,
it's not a position.
So, in order to get that done,we have to have at this time

(17:05):
different leadership in order tosustain ourselves for the next
10 or 15 years because surelyit's coming.
It's just that we can say,well, Fuquay's running okay now,
it's doing good.
My opponent talks about it's an89% approval rate for what's
going on now in Fuquay Varina,but there's another 11% of
people who's saying, okay, wecan do better.

(17:25):
There's some things that weneed to do to try to turn this
so that we can move into thefuture.
We can be a community that'sstronger than we are now.
So I think we're doing somegood things, but may as a
leader, there's a difference inleadership and management.
And right now we are at thepoint where we are managing what
this time calls for leadership.
And I think that my experienceas past president of the North

(17:48):
Carolina League ofMunicipalities, where I led and
I represented mayors and citycouncil men and women from all
over North Carolina.
And I know that there's anabundant amount of ideas that
can take us to even higherlevels of efficiency,
effectiveness, quality, andplanning if we would focus on

(18:09):
new leadership.

Okay.
Do you support the current townbudget?
And where would you advocatefor changes, including any
adjustments to taxes or spendingpriorities if needed for fiscal
responsibility?

The current budget addresses a
five-year plan, and I thinkthat's good, but it does not
necessarily address thedirection that we need to go
within this current environment.
As stated during our budgetdeliberations, these are
uncertain economic times.
And these uncertain economictimes, it calls for innovative
thinking about how we approachthings.

(18:43):
Our budget now is $70 somemillion dollars annually.
Our priorities, of course, arebased on what we termed in our
annual strategic planningprocess.
That's good, but it doesn'tacknowledge where we are in
these uncertain economic times,that we just aren't able to
continue just buildingresidential development without

(19:06):
affording to put effort towardssecuring industry.
We have to look at that.
We do have an economicdevelopment plan, but that plan
expires in 2025.
Our budget does not speak tohow we would amend or rewrite
that plan strategically.

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

Again, I think I put that out.
I would have championed anaquatic center.
I think that I think that thatfor me would be a highlight.
I think we also need to expandwhat we're doing with our
current recreational facilities.
I think we've done a good jobwith the Hilltop Need more
Recreational Community Center.
I think we're doing well withthat.

(19:52):
I think that those are thekinds of things that I would
continue to support as far asquality of life is concerned.

Okay.
Have you ever disagreedpublicly with a current town
decision or policy?
And if so, what was it?
And how would you handle asimilar situation if re-elected
or as elected as mayor?

The most recent disagreement has been
around my supporting the socialdistrict, which I did not
support.
And I haven't supported it.
There are a couple of reasonswhy I haven't supported it.
The first time around, as Ialluded to earlier, I was
chairman of the Fuquay VarinaCitizens Against Drugs.
I also, for 25 years, workedwith the Department of Health

(20:34):
and Human Services within thesubstance abuse arena.
I was a substance abuse crisisspecialist.
I was a substance abusecriminal justice mental health
specialist.
And one of the things that Iconsistently saw in that
profession was the impact thataddiction has on individuals and
their families.
I felt and believed that as aprofessional, having that

(20:55):
knowledge base, having workedthe crisis line, and having had
calls from individuals fromFuquay Varina, that I did not
want to vote to support anythingthat further enhanced the use
of possible abuse of alcohol asan elected official.
So I voted no for that reason.
I voted no and it did not passat first.

(21:17):
That was in the prioradministration.
This current mayor brought itback up again, and I voted no
again.

And this time, my question was: is there any quantitative data (21:23):
undefined
to show that social districtsenhance business activity?
And there's no data availableto show that.
I was quoted that well, 63municipalities have approved
social districts.
But Amanda, there are over 450municipalities in North

(21:44):
Carolina.
So because 63 have supportedit, you have more than 70 or 80%
who have not.
So coupled with no quantitativedata to support the fact that
social districts enhancebusiness activity, and then
coupled with my own professionalexperience in regards to the
devastating impact of substanceabuse, I could not support it.

(22:06):
Nobody starts out after firstdrink thinking they're going to
be an alcoholic.
Nobody starts out.
They don't believe that.
But it's, you know, unless it'sunchecked, unless it's really
guarded in regards to theconsumption of alcohol, it can
happen down that road.
And as an elected publicofficial who was committed to
the health and safety of thecommunity, I just could not
support it.

Okay.
When you hear smart growth,what does that mean for Fuquay
Varina in practical terms?

In practical terms, I think people
are talking about trying to dowhat I'm saying.
I'm recommending that we lookat our residential development
that I think is having asignificant impact on our
community.
That's the first thing.
The second thing I think smartgrowth means is that we're going
to redirect our path to wherewe can have the ability to

(22:56):
choose the kind of developmentthat we want to come to.
Fuquay Varina, that we can alsohave plans where we can identify
preferred growth areas where wewant particular housing.
We can also identify areaswhere we want to promote future
commercial development.
We can do those kinds ofthings.
And we can also in the processstreamline our permitting

(23:20):
process for those developers whowant to partnership with the
town to make sure we have adiverse kind of housing stock
where we have duplex, triplexes,those kinds of things.
We can help in that area aswell.
But I think that that's goingto take a conversation with the
development community about howwe want to grow.
And I think where we want togrow, those are the kinds of
things that I think incorporatethe concept and the idea of

(23:42):
smart growth.
We have to have partnershipsand we also have to have a plan
and a vision as to how we wantto grow.
And yet, still we have to bringthe development community along
to help support them throughour expedited permitting
process.
Because that's been one of thethings that developers talk
about, the challenge of workingwith local government and the
permitting process.

(24:03):
And then, too, one last thingif we want to encourage smart
growth, we can provideincentives for developers to
develop kind of housing that weneed, which is a lot of
workforce housing hereFuquay Varina, but it has to be
done through a combination ofdifferent kinds of strategies.
And I think that incentives canhelp us get to that point if we

(24:24):
can work with developers inthat capacity.

Okay.
How would you ensure newdevelopment maintains our town's
character while remainingaffordable for residents?

Exactly as what I was just talking
about.
I think it's important for usto have conversations with
developers, have relationshipswith developers, let them know
what we need as a community, andthen what we are willing to do
to help facilitate that growth.
I know developers, they're inthe business to make a profit.
We're in business to ensure aquality product for our town as

(24:55):
far as housing is concerned, andalso commercial of development.
We have to be able to havethose kinds of partnerships and
conversations.
And if it takes our providingincentives in some capacity, I
think that that's something wehave to look at, especially if
it's going to bring us what wewant, which is affordable
housing, workforce housing,diverse housing, while at the

(25:17):
same time not just destroying,or for lack of a better term,
all the trees.
I think we can get there.
It just takes a conversationand really working with the
development community to makesure they know what we want here

(25:38):
in Fuquay Varina.
And the last thing is and howimportant it is to preserve the
quality of life that we'retalking about.

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

To answer your question, the decision
would be communicated toresidents through Let's Talk
Fuquay Varina, through ourcourse website, through our we
have a focus newsletter, andthen of course the town hall
meetings, which are livestreamed.
So the community will know whatthe conversation would be.
I think one of the things, themost important thing now is I

(26:27):
wish I had a crystal ball wherewe could go back 10 or 15, 20
years and lay out infrastructurefor the growth that we did not
see coming, but we sort of arein a position where we're trying
to catch up with the growth toprovide the infrastructure,
which is causing a lot ofproblems because we're building
so fast.
The infrastructure is justabout there.

(26:47):
So my idea would first be to goback and look at those deferred
growth areas as much as we canand make sure we have in place
the infrastructure that can helpus to be able to move people
around the city a lot better tobe able to help people who
commute, who take that 30,35-minute commute to Research

(27:08):
Triangle, to Raleigh or Durham,whatever, to help them get there
more efficiently.
I think 540 has helped out alot, but the internal
infrastructure, just ridingaround Fuquay, has been a
challenge.
That's certain times of the daywhere I don't try to travel
from one part of town to theother because of the traffic jam
and the way the infrastructurehas developed over time.

(27:28):
I think that that would be theprimary thing that I would look
at as far as trying to be ableto identify that as a challenge
and then communicate that to thecitizen as well as the cost of
what all that would entail.

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

To answer that question, do we already
meet those needs?
I think we do.
I think we meet the minimumrequirements of those needs.
However, I think the goal is togo beyond just the minimum.
I think that our goal should bemore than the minimum.
I think we should do anoutstanding job in meeting those
kinds of goals.
So it takes a little bit ofrethinking about government.

(28:13):
You know, it's almost like thisidea of government is when
there is a project or there'ssomething to be invested in, we
take the least bidded amount.
And that's supposed to show weare responsible for uh making
good decisions in government.
But our citizens demand more.
Instead of thinking minimum, Ithink we should think maximum
quality and excellence.

(28:33):
So that's a different way oflooking at what we do.
Certainly from the minimum, wemight be meeting those
requirements, but uh, does itreach the mark of excellence?
And that's what I want to useas a mark or standard for how we
do things.

Okay.
As the population grows, whatstrategies would you prioritize
to address roads, utilities, andother infrastructure
challenges?

I think, first of all, again, with the
commercial focus, I wouldsupport higher wages, trying to
encourage that with ourindustries.
I would support cleanindustries.
I would also support economicstability.
I think that those areimportant.
And within our own town, wehave great staff.
I think we need to continue tobuild career ladders within our

(29:17):
town.
And of course, the last thing Ithink is would be important is
to continue to promote a strongtax base.

Okay.
Oftentimes it feels likegovernment waits until a
specific need is critical beforetaking action.
Do you support being moreproactive?
And if so, how and in what waysspecifically?

I support being more proactive.
I support being innovative.
I do support better planningand in regards to better
planning, more input in how wegrow.
From that standpoint, I thinkit's important for us to really
continue to try to feel thepulse of the public as to what
they want, what the publicwants.

(29:56):
That can be done not onlythrough the Let's Talk
Fuquay Varina.
Platform.
But I think it can be donethrough a lot of stakeholder
groups, focus groups, and forumswhere we can actually hear from
the public as to what theirvision is for the future.
I think community engagement aswe move forward, it can be our
strength.
We just have to have differentways of making sure we can

(30:19):
garner the kind of feedback thatwill help us to understand and
sort of do a check-in as towhere we are in our plans and
our growth and our services.

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?

I think that one of the challenges for
us is how we can grow and we canpreserve those farmlands.
That is one of the biggestchallenges, I think.
Now I've had some discussionswithin the board as to how we
can grow and can we identifydesignated farmlands that are
close to Fuquay Varina and havea commitment to preserve those

(31:04):
lands, and we can actually do acombination of things.
We can continue to grow.
We can continue to identifythose key rural areas that are
farming areas and still addressthe needs for residential
living.
We just have to make thatdecision that that's what we're
going to do.
Growth can drive the train, butthrough effective planning,

(31:25):
collaboration, and coordination,we can lay the tracks to
determine where the train goes.
So I believe that that's aconversation that we have to
have.
And I think the challenge hasbeen, it goes back to the
foundational thing, Amanda, howwe have addressed and responded
to the rapid growth.
Have we reacted or have weresponded?
And I think by putting thatissue on the table, what are we

(31:48):
going to do with the farmland?
That causes for a response.
We need to have, again,conversation about how we're
going to grow.
We need to have a conversationwith designating those
agricultural areas that we wantto preserve and sustain.
And from that, we can sustainthat rural character that has
been such a part ofFuquay Varina history as I know

(32:09):
it.

Okay.
Our police sometimes receiverequests from outside agencies
while also addressing localneeds.
How would you set prioritiesfor public safety with limited
resources?

Well, one of the things we've been
fortunate enough to have herein Fuquay Varina, we have the
last heard we had full staff,which is great.
Our resources aren't limitedhere Fuquay Varina.
It's just a matter of how wemanage what we have.
And I think that the approachand effort from the police
department has been to supportother departments and to
collaborate with otherdepartments around the area.

(32:42):
I don't see that as a challengeright now.
I think because the policedepartment has had tremendous
support from town government.
I think that that's been one ofthe things that has occurred
over the last five to ten years.
So I don't necessarily seelimited resources for the police
department.
I don't see I don't see that asa challenge for them supporting

(33:02):
other law enforcement agenciesbecause that's part of what the
law enforcement community does.
They back up each other.
And I see that as continuing aswe move forward.

Okay.
How can the town better supportsmall businesses and connect
with their needs?

Well, I think that the town does a good
job in supporting smallbusinesses because number one,
we fund the chamber.
We encourage the chamber tocontinue to reclaim and to
retain businesses and to recruitbusinesses.
And the chamber has done anexcellent job in that arena.
If there's anything else thatwe can do, I think it would be
for us to continue to supportthe chamber.

(33:39):
The mayor normally serves asthe chamber liaison.
So we already have that inplace.
One of the other things that Ithought about, we might need
more than just the mayor beingthe liaison because that
oftentimes speaks to the factthat the local board supports
what the chamber is doing andhas done in regards to the
retail business community.

(33:59):
You know, I advocate and Ithink because of my position on
wanting to expand commercialdevelopment, that we encourage
the chamber, it can be sort ofthe contact that we need be for
the initial identification ofpossibly commercial development.
I think sometimes when peoplecall and want to inquire about

(34:20):
the community as far as businessis concerned, not knowing how
we are structured as a town,that first call is to the
chamber.
And if that's working for us, Ithink that that even solidifies
the role of the chamber evenmore.
That the chamber is not onlyhelping retain, recruit, and
reclaim businesses, but it'salso serving sometimes as the
first contact for someone whomight have a commercial interest

(34:43):
here in Fuquay.
You know, I think we can expandthat role somewhat if we could
have conversations with thechamber about that.

Okay.
What approaches would you taketo foster understanding and
collaboration amongst residentswith differing perspectives?

I believe the way we do that is I call it
creating opportunities forpositive collision.
And I like that because what itdoes is it says that we as a
community, we can make sure thatthrough our efforts, via
through the arts, through ourparks, provide opportunities for
people of differences to meetand interact.

(35:21):
We can have our, of course, Imentioned earlier, our
stakeholder groups.
We can have our forums, we canhave different kinds of
opportunities for people tointeract.
I propose, this is sort ofthinking out of the box, but I
propose that in my vision, wehave an art district here in
Fuquay Varina.
Can you imagine an art districtwhere we as a as a town we

(35:42):
dedicate and our focus onbuilding a portion of this
Fuquay Varina where weconcentrate on the art district,
where we support artists, wesupport the Fuquay Varina Art
Center and the areas around itand designate this as an art
district and we put funds inplace to attract artists, to
attract different kinds of artforms and have that as a

(36:03):
district.
That's going to create anatmosphere where people who have
diverse challenges, diversecultures to come together and to
communicate.
I mean, that's on the surfacecommunication, but it's the
beginning sometimes ofrelationships.
And then when you have ourrecreation department, which is
outstanding when it comes toproviding opportunities for
parents and children to cometogether, you also have an

(36:26):
opportunity to support what Iwould call uh the dynamic of
differences among people wherethey can sit down and they can
talk.
So we have to set thatenvironment through our parks
and recreation where we can havewhat I call those positive
collisions.

Okay.
How will you ensure diversevoices and those most impacted
are not only included but trulyembraced in decision making?

I think the opportunity, and this is
where I think, again, the Let'sTalk Fuquay Varina is so
important to us and has beensuch a positive tool for
community engagement.
That's one for those people whomay not want to come to the
town board meeting and standbefore the board to express
their concerns.
But they do have thatopportunity to come and be
heard.
At every board meeting, there'san opportunity for public

(37:13):
comment.
And if there's something that'sso pressing for a person that
they can come and they canexpress their concern to the
town board, then they canexpress their concern through
Let's Talk Fuquay Varina, oreither they can express their
concerns individually to me as amayor, or either to the city
council men and women about aparticular issue.

(37:34):
We're pressing on them.
And then once they do that, youknow, they can follow up and
ask or either see if there areresults for whatever their
request may be.
You know, I think we have acommitment to be able to respond
to our ever-growing communitythat's forever changing because
of the direction and the visionthat I have.

(37:55):
I term it let's deal with thedynamics of differences among
our residency and let's makesure we hear them and not ignore
them.

Excellent.
Do you support anon-discrimination ordinance or
policy?
Why or why not?

I don't know if there's a need for a
non-discriminatory policybecause that's currently in our
ordinances already.
I don't think that we needthat, but I will listen to
citizens who request that.
You know, if some citizens feelas if they aren't protected and
they really feel that that'snecessary, then I think that

(38:32):
there can be some dialogue aboutthat.
But my position would be thosekinds of things are already in
place.
Those protections, we just haveto make sure they happen and
make sure they are enforced.

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

I haven't intentionally sought
endorsements.
And the reason for that is asmayor, I want to be as objective
as possible.
I want to be not necessarilycommitted to one group or
another based on theirendorsement of me.
I want to be as objective andas fair and equitable as

(39:13):
possible.
I have no conflict of interestwhen I do this job.
I don't want to be looked at ashaving a conflict of interest
in any decision that I make.
So I have not sought anyendorsement.
I just want to be service and Iwant to make sure we have an
equitable, fair, and opengovernment.
So I haven't sought anyendorsements.

Okay.
Where can listeners connectwith you and learn more about
your platform, upcoming events,and ways to get involved?

Well, I have a website, and they can go
on my website, and the websitehas an opportunity for them to
email me and also to make adonation if they choose to.
And on my website, it has abrief bio of my experiences, and
then it has the three sort ofprongs I've talked about, right?
About growth and development,about housing as well as quality

(40:04):
of life, those three things.
And I also have an emailaddress as well on that website.
But if they can go to mywebsite, they can see immediate
bio, and then from there, ifthey have questions, they can
email me and I will respond asbest I can.

Okay.
Do you have any final thoughtsyou'd like to share with those
voting in the upcoming election?

Yes, I guess the question people ask is
why would I why would I votefor Bill Harris?
Why now?
Because Fuquay Varina's goingalong well and everything is
okay.
Well, the first thing I want tosay is I said just recently, I
have no conflict of interest.
I'm authentic in my leadership.
I have deep roots in thiscommunity.
My leadership is based on apromise that that I made when I

(40:47):
first was asked or appointed tothe board over three decades
ago, that a former teacher whoencouraged me to apply to be to
get on the board due to a vacantseat, he made me promise that I
would represent the peoplewell.
Of course, I had no idea what Iwas getting into, but but he
made me promise.
He said, if you become acommissioner, I want you to

(41:08):
promise me that you wouldrepresent a people well.
And I said, I will.
And it's based on that promisethat I've been here over three
decades.
It's sort of an organic processthat I got into leadership.
I didn't necessarily seek it,but once I got into it, I really
began to understand theopportunity to have an impact.
A friend of mine made thiscomment.
He said that if the life youlive doesn't have an impact,

(41:31):
then your death won't make adifference.

Wow, that's powerful.

That drives me.
That drives me because I wantmy life to have an impact.
And I believe because of myexperience here, you know, I've
prepared myself for leadership.
I have mastered levelprofessional knowledge of how a
city should run.
I've been here over 30 years.
I have the capability to workwith a diverse group of people
across racial lines and acrossthe aisle.

(41:57):
I'm a big thinker.
If you listen to me, you know,I think strategically, I think
that's important for this timewe are in our country, in our
government.
We have to look at things alittle bit differently.
And so I'm committed to thatpart.
And then the vision that I havefor Fuquay Varina, having been
here, having been able to work,I'd like to bring my
professional training andexpertise and my experience, my

(42:20):
lived experience to the positionof mayor.
I believe that I can articulatethe vision that Fuquay Varina
needs, that we no longer justneed to manage.
We need to lead.
We need to take the lead.
There are other municipalitiesin our area who are doing
exactly that.
They are attracting industry,they are growing, they are able
to provide services for theircitizens, and I want to be part

(42:43):
of that history.
So that's why I'm running.
I'm running on a promise that Imade that I would represent the
people well.
I'm running from the standpointthat I have gotten results
during the time I've been on theboard.
I've done things that havehelped to enhance the brand
Fuquay Varina, and I want tocontinue that.
As a commissioner, certainly Icould continue as a
commissioner, but as a mayor, Iwill be out front carrying the

(43:06):
banner and protecting the brandfor Fuquay Varina and being able
to have an opportunity to evenfurther carry that banner
through having the ability tohear from our citizens.
I think that's important,important to me.
So that's why I'm running.
It was so easy, Amanda, for mefor the next two years just to
ride off into the sunset andsay, okay, you know, this is it.
But there's a calling on methat this may be for me what

(43:31):
what the assignment is.
And that's how I I approachedit.

All right.

That's why I'm running.

Excellent.
Well, we've made it through allof the tough questions.
We're gonna move on to ourlightning rounds.
So these are more lightheartedquestions, nothing really to do
with politics or Fuquay Varina,no right or wrong answers.
So whatever comes to your mind,feel free to shout out.

Okay.

What's something you do that helps you
recharge?

Okay, I'm a musician.
I play trumpet.
My goal is to master thetrumpet.
So I practice and I play musicwhenever I can.
I perform in church or, youknow, for different occasions
individually whenever I can.
I recharge that way.
That's from a social point ofview.
Every morning, my fraternity,we have a 6:30 prayer call that
I try not to miss.

(44:18):
It sort of sets the stage formy day.
I have experience teachingSunday school.
I taught a Sunday school classfor 25 years at my local church.
So, coupled with you know,starting the foundation of my
day with prayer, coupled with mytalent and cultivating that
talent.
And whenever I can, I try toplay golf to get out and get
some sunshine and walk duringthe day.

(44:39):
So those are the primary thingsthat I do individually that
sort of that keep me balanced.
And those are the things that Iwork on that I enjoy doing.

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

I guess playing the music and playing
trumpet, and that's basicallyit.
I did play trumpet and performsemi-professionally for about 15
years.

Oh wow.

Traveled up and down the East Coast and
played with a band, and the sameband that I was playing with,
we opened up one night forEarth, Wind and Fire, which was
a highlight for my professionalcareer.
So I performed a lot all overthe East Coast.
I guess one thing that helps inthat arena is that people may
not know that I'm the pastpresident of the Cary's

(45:23):
Toastmasters.
Years ago, I'm considered acompetent toastmaster.
No, I'm a bronze.
I got my advanced degree as atoastmaster.
So I've done that too.
But I don't know if the publicknows about that.
And I don't talk about it alot, but that was fun doing
that.

Mm-hmm.
What's something that isdifficult for you?

Even though I'm outgoing, I'm kind of
reserved and kind of shy whenit comes to interaction.
Once I get started, I'm allright.
But I don't want to use theword shy, but I guess I am to a
certain extent.
There's a part of me that likesquiet, there's a part of me
that is somewhat an introvertthat sometimes I have to work
real hard to overcome that.

(46:02):
And I do.
I work real hard to try toovercome that.
You wouldn't know it by beingin public life, but sometimes I
struggle with that.

What book, podcast, or TV show are you
enjoying right now?

Your podcast.

Remember when I said there were no right
answers?
Maybe there really is a rightanswer.

Yes, yes, yes.
Well, you know, I do audiobooks.
I like audiobooks.
And I think the last audiobookI'm reading, hold on a second,
I'll tell you real quick.
Because I put audio books on myphone, and when I go out
walking, that's what I do.
I listen to my audio books.
And I've done pretty good.
I've probably gone through atleast, let's see how many.
I've gone through at least inmy walking.
Oh, the last book, and I dothis also because it helps my

(46:54):
golf game.
Uh-huh.
But what I'm reading right nowis Performing Under Pressure.
That's the book I'm readingright now.
And the other books that I'veread have been, oh, I can't
remember all, but I I readaudiobooks.
I like, I like that.
So when I'm out walking, I gothrough and I listen to
audiobooks.

Excellent.
Who is your favorite superhero?

You mean now or when I was coming up?

Whichever you would like.

Of course.
When I was coming up young, itwas Superman.
That was the that was the guy.
Oh, that was the guy.
One year my cousin, he got aSuperman's outfit.
And I just said, Oh my gosh,boy, he has got it made.

(47:42):
He is Superman.
So it would be Superman.
Okay.
Perfect.

What's the best piece of advice you've ever
received?

The best piece of advice I've received
recently is what I said earlier.
A gentleman told me thatleadership is an action, not a
position.
And that resonated with mebecause I really had to search
myself as to why I'm running formayor.
Am I ego tripping off theposition?

(48:20):
Or is it that I really, reallywant to do something in regards
to taking action to lead thiscity?
And that has resonated with me.
It's helped me to hone in mymotivation for being in a
leadership position.
So that I think that recentlywould that's more than likely
been the most powerful statementthat I've heard recently.

What's one guilty pleasure you secretly
enjoy?

Oh boy, chocolate.

Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?

Oh, milk chocolate.
Milk chocolate, and I like agood cup of coffee and
chocolate.
To me, that goes together.
So I like that.
I just yeah, I have theseprotein bars that I buy, and
it's sort of a variety of bars.
I get them from Costco's, andit has the chocolate ones that I
love.
So in my morning, you know,this morning I'll make a

(49:17):
smoothie and I'll take a cup ofcoffee and eat one of those
little chocolate protein bars.
Because I think, you know, I'mnot I'm eating chocolate, but
it's not real sweet.
I call myself eating healthy.

So you're just making it fun and delicious
while getting other nutrientsin.

Yes.
Yes.
That's a good way to put it.
Yeah, so that's it.
Okay.

What's a simple thing that always makes
you laugh or smile?

Being with fun people.
I love that.
It's just I get a lot of energyfrom that.
Just being with fun people, itjust helps me out so much.
When I make that connection andthat energy, it's just great.
It makes me smile.

Excellent.
Coffee or tea?

Coffee.

Morning person or night owl?

Morning.
I'm up 5, 5:30.
And sometimes I'll get goingand I might not go to bed until
12, 12:30.
But I'll always come back andtry to get to bed early.
Because I like getting upearly.
Because I don't know if you'veever done it or not, but you
probably have.
That time between 4 o'clock and5 o'clock, it is so rich
because it's quiet.

(50:30):
It's almost like it'sspiritual.
Because it's almost like thetransition between night and
day.
And right in that period oftime between 4 and 5, it is, it
is so quiet.
It is just nothing is moving.
It's just, you can just, ah, Idon't know.
Whenever I can get up likethat, I enjoy.
So I normally get up about nolater than six.

(50:50):
So I can have the morningprayer call that I mentioned
earlier.
But sometimes if I go to bedearly and I get up at four or
five, I just enjoy that quiettime.
It is like it's wonderful.

See, mine is between 1 and 3 a.m.
So sometimes I'll go to sleepand have a quote unquote nap.
And then I wake up at that timewhen everybody else is asleep,
and like I can be productive andclean or work or do whatever,
or just simply enjoy me time.
And then I go back to sleep fora little bit and then wake up
and start the day.

(51:23):
Okay, okay.
We'll see.
You understand what I'm talking about then!
But that quiet that nobody else needs me
in that moment, so I can focuson me and just kind of part of
that spiritual place.
Just do whatever I need to dofor my personal soul so that I
can continue to pour out toother people.

That's exactly what I do as well.
That's just a it's a powerfultime.
It really is.
Yeah.
So that's what I do.

Mountains or beach?

I like the beach.
I like the water.
I like the whole the freshnessof the air.
I like the sound of the waveson the ocean.
I like the seagulls.
I like the sand.
And I mean, I enjoy the openair.
I love it.
And then whenever I go to themountains, I'm in awe.
The mountains speak to me thatthere is a creator.

(52:11):
There is a divine providence inthe universe that sets all this
order.
And the ocean is like the voiceof that divine providence.
I just love it.

I love it.
Books or podcasts?

William (Bill) Harr (52:23):
Audiobooks, more so than anything else.
I mean, I think am I readingthe book?
The books that I read, a lot ofbooks that I read are about my
sport, golf.
There's always I can try toread the stories about golf.
I read something about the golfswing or about different
courses.
Those are my books.
The hard books that I read.
I mean, covered books and theaudios, mainly about those kinds

(52:46):
of things.
Performing Under Pressure.
One book I read is called LetThem.
And it's more along the, Iguess, the personal development
kind of area.
And books like that when I'mout walking, the audiobooks, but
the hardcover books, primarilynonfiction and the audiobooks.
Read those.

Dogs or cats?

Dogs.

Perfect.
Well, that concludes thisCandidate Conversation.
Thank you so much, Bill, fortaking the time to come chat
with me and to share your viewsand your thoughts on what would
happen if you were mayor andyour just outlook on it.
So I appreciate you taking thetime and trusting me to put this
conversation together so thatlisteners and voters can have a

(53:31):
chance to get to know youbetter.

Well, Amanda, thank you.
Thank you for the opportunityto be heard.
I really appreciate all thatyou do.
You do such an excellent job.
And this opportunity for me, Ireally appreciate it.
And I hope that uh during thecourse of our conversation, that
there has been something that Ican convey through this podcast
to the public that will helpthem to understand, first of

(53:53):
all, the kind of person that Iam, and that they will
understand my motivation andthat they would would recognize
that I can do this job and Iwould appreciate their support.
Thank you so much.

You are quite welcome.
I wish you the best of luck onthe election.

Thank you, Amanda.
Thank you so much.
You have a good evening, okay?

You too.
Local elections are wheredemocracy lives closest to home.
The decisions and actions ofour mayors, the Holly Springs
Town Council, and the FuquayVarina Board of Commissioners
influence the services we relyon each day, the safety of our
streets, the character of ourneighborhoods, and even the
future direction of ourcommunities.

(54:32):
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.

(54:53):
Here's what you need to knowfor 2025.
The voter registration deadlineis October 10th, unless you
register at an early votingsite.
Early voting begins October16th at the Wake County Board of
Elections office in Raleigh.
Additional sites open onOctober 25th, including the John
M.
Brown Community Center in Apexand the Avery Street Recreation

(55:14):
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 oneSunday, October 26th.
The last day to request amail-in absentee ballot is
October 21st, and election dayitself is Tuesday, November 4th,

(55:37):
where you'll need to cast yourvote at your assigned precinct.
Please remember you will need aballot ID to vote.
That wraps up another NC DeepDive candidate conversation.
You can find all of our 2025municipal election interviews at
www.ncdeepdive.com, as well ason Spotify, Apple Podcasts,

(55:58):
Audible, or wherever youcurrently listen to podcasts.
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.

(56:19):
If you have thoughts or topicsyou'd like us to explore, reach
out on social media or email usanytime at ncdeepdive at
gmail.com.
I'm grateful you spent thistime with me today.
Staying informed is how weshape communities worth calling
home.
Your choices matter, yourperspective matters, and you
matter.
Your ballot is your voice, andboth carry more power than you

(56:42):
might imagine.
Democracy isn't passive.
It only works when we each showup.
Thank you for helping me tomake it thrive.
May we continue to worktogether to build stronger, more
vibrant communities to live,work, and play in.
Ones we can all be proud tocall home.
Until next time, my friends,Namaste.
The love and light in me seesand honors the love and light in

(57:06):
you.

All Episodes

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

Dateline NBC

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}William (Bill) Harris: 2025 Fuquay Varina Mayoral Candidate

Episode Transcript

Popular Podcasts

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Stuff You Should Know

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

Dateline NBC

All Episodes

William (Bill) Harris: 2025 Fuquay Varina Mayoral Candidate

Stuff You Should Know