2024 Elections: Jonathan Barfield Jr. hopes to retain seat on NHC Board of Commissioners

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Jonathan Barfield Jr., a broker and owner of Barfield & Associates Realty, has been on the commission since December 2008. He has chaired the board four times and served as vice chair thrice and seeks re-election. (Courtesy photo)

NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Having served the community for 16 years, Democratic commissioner Jonathan Barfield Jr. 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

Barfield, a broker and owner of Barfield & Associates Realty, has been on the commission since December 2008. He has chaired the board four times and served as vice chair thrice.

“I bring a unique historical perspective to the county commission,” Barfield said. “I possess lots of institutional knowledge about New Hanover County that can be valuable to newer members as I have voted on many of the county’s past initiatives that are now bearing fruit. In 2011 when I chaired the board for the first time, I led the county in its first strategic planning session in almost 20 years. I couldn’t believe that our county had no visioning document and no strategy to chart a course forward. As a result of that effort and the investment of $35,000 for a consultant to lead the charge we now have an office of strategy and we’ve updated that strategy several times since.”

The candidate cites housing affordability, funding the replacement of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge and homelessness as his top priorities. He faces off against Democratic candidates Cassidy Santaguida and Stephanie Walker, as well as Republican John Hinnant and GOP incumbents Bill Rivenbark and Dane Scalise.

What Jonathan Barfield Jr. is…
• Listening to: Smooth jazz
• Watching: “Chicago Med,” “Fire” and “PD”
• Reading: “Leadership in Turbulent Times” by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Name something about yourself that readers would be surprised to learn:  I am a second-generation county commissioner. My father Jonathan (Joe) Barfield Sr. served as a New Hanover County Commissioner from 1980 to 1992.

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?
Jonathan Barfield Jr.: Housing Affordability, addressing the needs of and finding solutions for our unhoused population, and funding to replace the Cape Fear Memorial bridge that does not include tolling.

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. 
JB: Wouldn’t it be great if we could eliminate the homelessness problem in our community and find permanent housing for all? There are a good number of homeless children in our community because of unfortunate circumstances. While we are making strides in addressing and finding possible solutions, for me it’s not happening fast enough. We offer emergency shelter in cold weather, but what about extreme heat or rain events? Something to think about. 

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?
JB: We are in the process of updating our 2016 Comprehensive Land Use Plan. This process will involve lots of citizen input to ensure the community’s concerns are captured. I’m looking forward to seeing what we learn and ultimately apply to the update as we move forward.

As it relates to affordable housing, the county has committed $15 million dollars over five years to invest in affordable housing initiatives. We are now in year three and we’ve seen a number of affordable housing units come online or coming soon. I see this investment is already producing the results we are looking for. 

As past chair of the then Affordable Housing Coalition back in the early 2000s, I have been advocating in this arena for a long time and I will continue to do so. 

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?
JB: N/a

PCD: Do you believe the county is adequately funding public education? Explain. If so, do you believe it could be improved upon and how? 
JB: Yes, as a graduate of New Hanover High School, I have always been a supporter of our public school system and I’ve supported, I believe, every increase in funding requested, as well as previous bonds.

A few years ago, I supported making our teachers’ local supplement the highest in the state — and the year prior to that, bonuses for all school personnel. I did not vote for this year’s budget in part because of what I called “inadequate funding” for our public school system. I have been endorsed by the New Hanover County Association of Educators because of my advocacy.

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?
JB: I am in full support of what we’ve done so far, however, the process is not complete. At our last convening the staff of both the city and county will cull everything we talked about into a strategy for us all to get behind. There but for the grace of God, there go I.

[I would like to see] increased capacity of our local providers and additional day shelters. If the local governments can help with funding to increase the capacity of the providers that would be a good first step. Supporting the Good Shepherd, Salvation Army and other shelters is critical.

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? 
JB: The county started a new department after Hurricane Florence. We now have a storm water utility department serving the unincorporated parts of New Hanover County. We initially received a $4-million dollar federal grant after Florence to help us clear debris and streams and ditches to allow water to flow properly.

When you take a 30,000-foot view of the topography in our community and see the many ditches and streams that are connected to allow water to flow to streams, the river and the ocean, it will amaze you. It is all interconnected and when one part gets clogged up it can have devastating consequences.

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.
JB: I support every option with the exception of tolling. Never before in the history of North Carolina has an existing road been tolled. It is illegal for the NCDOT to impose a toll on any existing road, so in my opinion the pressure was applied locally for our MPO to request tolling as an option. This vote was quite controversial, as I believe any tolling would affect those who could least afford it and cause an undo burden on many of our first responders and teachers who live in neighboring counties and commute for work.

One of my big concerns with the replacement is the negative effect on housing in New Hanover County. By moving the bridge south of where it is now, a number of new  housing units built between Greenfield Street and Third Street will be torn down and many resident displaced between Greenfield Street and Fifth Avenue. In light of today’s real estate market, I don’t believe NCDOT will adequately compensate those individuals to where they can find a new house to call home.

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?
JB: Since day of, I have been in this fight to protect the drinking water for our community from PFAS and other forever chemicals. I have served on CFPUA’s Board for over three years, and we have sued Chemours and others while building a new granular activated carbon filtration system to remove forever chemicals from our drinking water. The county also plans to invest in providing water service to areas of our community with wells that are contaminated with PFAS, working with CFPUA in seeking damages from Chemours. I’ve been advocating for our community since we heard about this issue.

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?
JS: I assisted an individual renting the old Manor movie theater on Market Street recently who recognized the building he was renting was unsafe. I brought in the county’s inspections department and they declared the building unsafe. That building has since been torn down. I believe the safety of the public, both those utilizing the building for work and those for other purposes should know the space they are in is safe.

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.
JB: In the past many years, what most county resident experienced was tax decreases as opposed to increases. As noted in our budget sessions that took place this year, staff noted that due to recent tax decreases, over $12 million had been taken out of the county budget. That amount is in perpetuity until the board decides to increase the tax rate to cover the county’s expenses. I believe with $300 million in a special revenue stabilization fund from the sale of the hospital we should not need to raise taxes for quite a long time.

We are earning between $12 and $15 million dollars a year in interest from those dollars, which represents between 2 and 3 cents on our tax rate. That’s 2 cents less that taxes would need to be raised. However, it takes a supermajority of the board to access those funds — four out of five commissioners would need to vote in the affirmative. 


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