NEW HANOVER COUNTY — A small business owner and current Republican county commissioner Dane Scalise is hoping to maintain his seat on the board in this year’s election.
READ MORE: What to expect when voting in NC during the 2024 election season
Scalise was appointed to take over the seat of Deb Hayes, who unexpectedly passed away in spring 2023.
“I deliver for the people of New Hanover County, even when it’s difficult,” Scalise told PCD. “In my year-and-a-half as your commissioner, I have delivered record funding to our public schools and law enforcement, stopped Chemours from further polluting our drinking water, protected the wetlands on the western bank of the Cape Fear River, and provided early cancer detection testing to our firefighters. My platform is my record. I have achieved major victories for the people of our county and will never stop working to protect this special place we call home.”
The candidate cites clean water, safe neighborhoods and good schools as his focus should he win. He faces off against Republican incumbent Bill Rivenbark and John Hinnant, as well as Democratic candidates Cassidy Santaguida, incumbent Jonathan Barfield and Stephanie Walker.
| What Dane Scalise is… • Listening to: Our dog barking at me because she wants me to stop working and take her on a walk. • Watching: My family and I just watched “The Wild Robot” in theaters. We loved it. • Reading: I’m reading “A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears” by Jules Feiffer to my kids. It is fun and silly, but also teaches some important life lessons. |
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Absentee ballots are already being mailed and early voting opens mid-October. Locations include:
- Carolina Beach Town Hall, 1121 N. Lake Boulevard
- CFCC Downtown Campus, Health Sciences Building, 415 N. Second St.
- Future NHC Board of Elections, 226 Government Dr.
- Northeast Regional Library, David Poynter Room, 1241 Military Cutoff Rd.
- NHC Senior Resource Center, Multipurpose Room, 2222 S. College Rd.
Voters will be able to cast ballots at any of the above places and even register to vote beforehand on Oct. 17-18, Oct. 21-25, Oct. 28-Nov. 1, 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 19-20 and Oct. 26-27, noon – 5 p.m., and Nov. 2, 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Election Day is Nov. 5, with polls opening at 6:30 a.m. and closing at 7:30 p.m. All voters will have to go to their precinct to cast a ballot, as shown on their voter registry.
An ID must be presented to cast a ballot in the election. Acceptable forms of ID include NC drivers license or state ID, U.S. passport, college or student university ID, some state employee IDs and out-of-state drivers license or ID, as long as voter registration was done within 90 days of the election. IDs not in good standing can be expired by one year or less.
Port City Daily has compiled candidate questionnaires so voters can read up on contenders’ stances before heading to the polls this election season. All answers have been edited only for clarity; the candidates’ opinions and statements are not a reflection of Port City Daily.
The paywall is dropped on profiles to help voters make informed decisions ahead of the election.
Port City Daily: What are the top three items you’re campaigning on this season and why?
Dane Scalise: Clean drinking water, safe neighborhoods, and good schools. First, clean drinking water is THE number one problem New Hanover County must solve. It doesn’t get any more fundamental than having access to clean drinking water.
Next, we must never accept violent, property, and drug crime in New Hanover County. Law enforcement, first responders, and prosecutors will always have my full support and the resources they need to keep you safe.
Finally, I will continue to vote to increase public education funding. That includes not just funding for day-to-day operations, but also funding to ensure that we do everything we can to preserve campuses like New Hanover High from being demolished.
PCD: Name an issue you struggle to find a solution for that affects your district and how have/would you go about determining a path forward? If you have a personal anecdote to share that has helped guide you in deciding how to move forward, please, share.
DS: The concrete elephant in the room is the growing frustration with the rate and location of new development in New Hanover County. It is true that growth is good for increasing the tax base, attracting good-paying jobs, and creating amenities to enjoy; but it also true that unrestricted growth has serious effects on the beauty, charm, and character of our community. I hear the back-and-forth every day. At the end of the day, my view is that future growth has to make sense for our existing residents.
PCD: What changes, if any, would you make to county zoning ordinances, incentives, programs and/or policies to address affordable housing? Would you advocate for any new initiatives to promote affordability for residents?
DS: The county and [New Hanover Community] Endowment have pledged a combined $34.5M to address this issue. These investments are already bearing fruit. While we certainly need to address the issue of affordable housing, we can’t allow our solutions to jeopardize the character of our existing single-family neighborhoods. We must be mindful about where and how we build. The solution isn’t as simple as filling every square inch of New Hanover County with new housing. We can, for instance, invest in fixing up existing residential properties for our citizens.
PCD: Some residents have stated local governments, including New Hanover County, are applying for New Hanover Community Endowment funds for items they should be responsible for funding. In NHC, examples include the Northside grocery store, which the county committed to funding in 2022, and New Hanover County Schools literacy coaches, though NHCS was employing these coaches prior to the award. In your view, how should the county decipher between endowment opportunities and its funding responsibilities?
DS: The more the Endowment can do, the less the government must do with your tax dollars. Make no mistake: the Endowment’s money is from the people of New Hanover County and for the people of New Hanover County … period. The Endowment has a duty to think big and pursue initiatives that will benefit all citizens of our county. The Endowment was established to make New Hanover County better — I say do it.
PCD: Do you believe the county is adequately funding public education? Explain. If so, do you believe it could be improved upon and how?
DS: Funding teachers and students shouldn’t be an afterthought — that’s why I made sure it was the centerpiece of our recent county budget. The county’s latest budget provides more toward public education funding than we ever have before. We are delivering a record $140-million dollars to K-12 schools and CFCC, including $9.5-million new dollars in school investment. But, even still, we need to continually strive to do more, which includes restoring New Hanover High and planning for future schools.
PCD: The city and county just approved its joint homelessness strategy in September. Do you endorse it, which includes more staff, day centers and housing programs? What specifications would you like to see the county implement to align with the strategy?
DS: As I stated during that meeting, I need to first understand the actual costs associated with this strategy as well as the metrics by which we will judge our successes and/or deficiencies. Spending more money is not always the answer. So, let’s start by making efforts to streamline and simplify existing services before adding new ones.
Furthermore, there is not a one-size-fits-all approach to this issue. For instance, we can and should do a better job identifying whether mental health issues or drug use is the root cause of someone’s lack of housing. For those individuals, our strategy should be focused on short-term shelters alongside mental health and substance-use treatment.
PCD: Many communities in New Hanover County experienced increased flooding as a result of recent tropical storms and climate research shows storms will become more frequent and stronger, with sea levels expected to rise in the next few decades. What will you advocate for as commissioner to mitigate current flooding conditions and help prepare the county for future issues?
DS: Wetlands are God’s blessing to the coast: saving life, property, and money by absorbing floodwaters when big storms hit. I will continue to vote to preserve our wetlands (as I did with the western bank of the Cape Fear River) and to maintain strong relationships with state and federal partners in order to obtain the funding necessary to prepare for and respond to the next major storm.
I am currently working with the Town of Carolina Beach to enhance flood mitigation efforts there. I also recently voted to create the county’s new sustainability manager position. This new employee is specifically tasked with helping commissioners to identify sensible ways to create a more resilient and sustainable future.
PCD: Discussions about the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge continue with the NCDOT assessing three options: a 135-foot, a 100-foot or a 65-foot span. Also, a federal grant of $242 million has been received to cover part of the costs, with more grants having been applied for. However, the WMPO voted to consider all funding options, including a toll. Though nothing has been voted on or solidified, where do you stand on the bridge size and the funding of it, including a toll? Explain.
DS: I oppose the use of a toll to fund the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge replacement. But I didn’t just stop after saying “no toll.” As long as I have been a commissioner, I have actively and regularly advocated for federal and state funding to make replacement without a toll possible.
I am open to discussions about the bridge’s proper size, but my sole goal at present is to find the money to get a bridge replacement built without a toll. And I am going to keep advocating until we receive all the necessary funding to make replacement a reality.
PCD: PFAS and 1,4-dioxane contamination in the region has been a major concern for residents in recent years. Would you advocate the county to lobby for any specific legislation or regulation on this issue, such as the Department of Environmental Quality’s proposals to enact surface and groundwater standards for eight PFAS compounds? Would you support efforts to expand local authority of environmental regulation, or advocate any other county action on this issue?
DS: Clean drinking water for our residents is non-negotiable. I’ve led the charge to sue polluters to make them pay for the damage they’ve done to the Cape Fear River while preventing them from dumping more poison into our water. Residents in areas like the northern part of our county and elsewhere shouldn’t have to spend money on expensive filtration systems just to have clean water. My number one priority will be to ensure that all of New Hanover County has access to clean drinking water.
PCD: In light of a few historic building structures collapsing this year, the county is researching policy changes to allow for more annual commercial building inspections rather than only executing them when a new structure is built or when renovations are needed. Do you support this measure; why or why not?
DS: Yes, I support it. Historic structures deserve more attention due to their age and their intrinsic value to our community. You can’t put a price on safety, and the county should prioritize just that.
PCD: Take us through your process to decide whether taxes should be increased on constituents; for instance, this fiscal year, commissioners did not increase property taxes, versus those who did in 2021.
DS: I refuse to support raising taxes on the people of New Hanover County, especially when they are struggling to buy groceries, pay for housing, fill up gas tanks, and pay bills. I have insisted that your local government must live within its means, which means focusing attention and funding on core services. By doing so, we were able to increase funding to schools and first responders without taking more money out of our residents’ pockets. I will always put the taxpayer first.
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