Urgent Election Info...Wrightsville Beach

In those years when there is no Presidential Election, we all suffer from low voter turnout!

Why don't we vote? 
Don't we think it matters?

Not voting can be disastrous; many Executive, Legislative and Judicial government positions are up for grabs, that can and will have an enormous impact on our daily lives going forward. 

Mayors, Aldermen, Councilmen... the people who govern our local communities are seeking our vote.... and our vote as singular and individual as it is, may make all the difference in the outcome... and for years to come.

Think about it, years to come! How we are taxed and what gets done with those tax dollars is what's at stake. Will it be spent strategically or perhaps frivolously? 


Critical Election at Hand in Wrightsville!

In Wrightsville Beach we do in fact have a rather critical election at hand. 

The current Board of Alderman in Wrightsville Beach have been predominately a 3 to 2 vote to stall that has stalled the strategic direction of WB time and again. It has been painful to attend the BOA Monthly meetings and observe the performance of Aldermen Collins, Mills and King.. they simply have refused to engage and address critical issues in our town. They have hidden behind their moronic moniker of being fiscal conservatives and thus has been a simpleton's dodge for let's avoid addressing the issues.

say it ain't so!

Let the future  Boards deal with this stuff... "we can look good just holding the world as is". But in a community that has in excess of $3 Billion in Real Estate Value and a year round population on 2500 that swells to 25,000 to 30,000 in season, and is in the path of potentially severe storms, we the citizens can not depend on "just holding things in place". We need active management of our strategic issues., planning for that rainy day and engagement with the regional, state and federal agencies and private partnerships. Whether you own property and live here, own property and visit here, rent here or just love to visit, the issues of Wrightsville Beach as a resort destination community loom before us. 

We now have up for election 2 Alderman seats.  Filling these seats with experience, demonstrated commitment and simple listening and engagement with the citizens is critical!

Good News!

We have 2 extremely qualified and tested candidates to take on those 2 Alderman seats.

Bill Sisson for WB Alderman on FB &
billsissonforalderman.blogspot .com

Bill Sisson our incumbent Alderman is running for re-election  

Re-Elect Lisa Weeks for Wrightsville Beach Alderman on FB &
lisa4alderman.com

Lisa Weeks a previous 
Alderman is seeking re-election.

       These two individuals Lisa Weeks and Bill Sisson are neighbors you will see around our town, engaged in speaking with citizen and our businesses in town before during and after election day, They are on the Loop, out on the water, at the beach and in committee meetings of other important organizations and government agencies, at beach sweeps and town fund raising events. Checkout their postings on Facebook etc. as noted above they have shared their views

unlike other candidates. 

Bill Sisson as been own most active Alderman, he has been Driving a regional coalition to delay the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance and he has succeeded. He has also been the Alderman focused on NC DOT projects and prioritization that effect WB . 

Lisa Weeks beyond her previous Alderman years 2 years ago has not rested for one moment. The Wrightsville Beach Foundation, Taste of Wrightsville  Beach, Masonboro Island, Hospice of Cape Fear have all had Lisa's experienced leadership hand at play. These 2 candidates are all about leadership.

 They spend their time connected to the citizens and the issues we face. Their Heart, Minds and Interests are focused on the community interests of the People of Wrightsville Beach.

Talk is cheap ... action speaks volumes!

           A comparison of Lisa and Bill to the other candidates (Andy Hall & Hank Miller for Alderman as well as the uncontested Mayor Candidate Bill Blair) will easily show that Lisa and Bill have "the" track record of open government, strategic thinking and engagement on Wrightsville issues and above all an absolute commitment of their time in seeing things through. 

          In the world of politics and government "talk is cheap". The track record of Lisa and Bill is clearly refreshing when it comes to our future needs.

I Voted

When we fail to vote we fail to push elections in the direction that we may want to see driving our future.

Please Vote.

Please vote for our 2 Alderman Candidates 

Lisa Weeks and Bill Sisson 

Please share this post with your friends who care about Wrightsville Beach.

 Thanks for reading, we encourage everyone to view the TOWB BOA Monthly Meetings ( Go to Livestream.com search Wrightsville Beach) to validate how local government has performed.

From the whole team at WrightsvilleView.blogspot.com we welcome your comments.

Noah, Liz, Ned, Mike and quite a few other who encourage us. 

18 Seconds more ... could mean Life or Death

Changing a posted speed limit in a town or neighborhood can be a contentious matter. A real hot potato type issue. These days the emphasis always seems to be about faster, faster, faster! So when the public seeks to slow things down and reduce the speed it is worth noting... it is even worth listening.

On October 10, 2013  in Wrightsville Beach Town Hall Chambers, there was be a Public Hearing about the idea of reducing the speed limit along West Salisbury Street from 45 to 35 mph.

The citizens registered their opinion loud and clear,

"Reduce the Speed, Make it consistent, Make It Safe"!

The NC-DOT even recommended this change NOW! Not Later, Not after further studies, but NOW!

This is driven by safety. The statistics, that Vehicle Speed Kills pedestrians and bicyclists, are well established. AAA, NTSB, CDC and many other organizations all have had a hand in evaluating reducing the risk of Severe Injury and Death due to collisions with vehicles is the goal. Make it Safe!

The increased travel time due to this speed limit reduction is 18 to 20 seconds, that is a moot point.

The good news is the motion to reduce the speed was passed by the Board.

Hopefully, this change will make it easier and safer for pedestrians and bicyclists to use this corridor and to cross Salisbury Street.

BTW... it is NC State Law to stop in both directions for people in designated crosswalks. Just like we need to do for a stopped school bus.

Thanks for reading and please have a safe walk, jog or ride at Wrightsville Beach.

Liz

Urgent Issue Regarding National Flood Insurance Rates

Urgent issue regarding Flood Insurance Rates and Real Estate Values

Dear Neighbors….Property Owners living in or near flood zones,

            This is to inform you about significant changes in the National Flood Insurance Program that will have grave economic consequences to all of us with property on or near any flood-able stream, creek, river, bay, sound or ocean etc. in the United States. This is an issue of national scope. .

 There is an important action that each of you (husbands, wives, adult children) need to take to protect your financial assets including your real estate. It is important to send a short email to our North Carolina Congressional Representatives (Senators Burr and Hagan, Congressman McIntyre), seeking their support to delay implementation of the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act 2012.

I will briefly outline the history, consequences and the simple action steps that you should take.

History- In July 2012 the President signed a Transportation Bill (HR 4348) tucked quietly into the pages of that bill is a section known as Biggert Waters. This sub-section was virtually unread by our representatives prior to approval and is only now (over 12 months later) being put under the light of scrutiny, regarding the implications that will effect our homes across the nation..

Biggert Waters – This Bill was driven by the massive financial loses in the National Flood Insurance Program experienced from Hurricanes Katrina and Super Storm Sandy. The goal is to make the program financially solvent by immediately canceling or reducing subsidies of the flood insurance premium rates. Rates will immediately jump to be on full risk premium basis for business properties, non-primary residence or upon sale of a home. Primary Residence currently insured will have a 20% jump each year until the full risk premium is reached (estimated to take 4 -5 years).

Consequences – While the goal of financial solvency is noble the implementation, which begins this coming October, will have significant consequences...our insurance premiums will jump. The amount of increase, will vary with the location of your home to the water, the amount of open water your home faces (susceptibility to wave action), the elevation above sea level and the height of your first floor.

Estimates are that some rates could be in the range of $10,000 to 30,000 per year.

This will have, not only a direct impact on our pocket books but also effect real estate values until this turmoil stabilizes in perhaps 5+ years.

Clearly the consequences of this Bill were never understood and now time is of the essence to take action. Only Congress can stop of delay this situation.

Further Biggert Waters Information- On the Town of Wrightsville Beach website TOWB.ORG at the lower right corner (homepage) you can find some presentation materials that show some examples of rate estimates and specific houses here in Wrightsville.

Actions: Please send an email to our Federal Representatives requesting a delay in the implementation of Biggert Waters until the economic implications are more clearly understood.

Congressman McIntyre - Andrew.Simpson@mail.house.gov
Senator Hagan - andrew_devlin@hagan.senate.gov
Senator Burr - matthew_dockham@Burr.senate.gov

*****Sample Text for email****: follows

Dear Senator (Burr) :

I am writing to ask for your help in mitigating the negative economic impacts The Biggert-Waters amendment (National Flood Insurance Program) to the 2012 Surface Transportation Bill will cause in my town.

By removing grandfathering provisions for existing policy holders who built their homes according to the State Building Codes in effect at the time of construction the amendment needlessly penalizes our citizens for following the law.  Furthermore by lowering the substantial improvement threshold from the historical limit of 50% to 30% those who try to meet current standards are also penalized.

All businesses are excluded from the program and even pre-FIRM, primary dwellings are not exempt from the effects of this bill.  It still allows base rates for risk classes to increase up to 20% per year.  If new flood risk maps change the risk class of a dwelling this increase would be further exacerbated.

This legislation would have a negative effect on land values, businesses, home prices and construction.

I urge you to support legislation to retain the Flood Insurance Program but to at least delay implementing the Biggert-Waters provisions until a thorough evaluation of the economic effects of its impact can be evaluated and to further modify its requirements to reduce these negative effects.

Yours truly,

John Q. Public

XX North Lumina Street,, Wrightsville Beach, NC

Thanks for reading and taking action on this matter, our personal resources and our community’s real estate value is at stake.

And a special thanks to Wrightsville Beach Alderman Bill Sisson who has been an important leader in this effort across the Town of Wrightsville Beach and across New Hanover County.

Respectfully,

Noah Bridges

A Message from the Mayor of Wrightsville Beach

Memories of Wrightsville past

The link below will take you to the Town of Wrightsville Beach Website. Specifically it takes you to the Mayor's page where he has posted a message about 2012 and some insights looking at 2013.

Also note there are 3 tabs at the bottom of his page, worth taking a look at, especially the one noting and thanking the numerous volunteers who help build our quality of life here.

http://www.towb.org/Board/MayorsPage/tabid/185/Default.aspx

Thanks for reading.   Noah

Wrightsville Beach Bridge Traffic a key issue online ...at the Chat!

For some WB citizens the premier event for this past  Thursday evening  was the online "Chat with the Chief". 

For an hour and fifteen minutes the Chief chaired a lively interaction between meeting participants both in the room and in cyberspace. 

Using the new Livestream system setup in Town Hall Chanbers, the Chief gave a short presentation covering the status of plans to improve traffic flow headed both on an off the island. An especially contentious issue raised by attendees and acknowledged by Chief House are those drivers who speed up the right hand lane and then cut into the line of waiting traffic. Clearly a road rage inducing behavior given the frustrations building over the traffic snarl that's bee with us for many months now. Great weekend weather has brought out the best of us out physically and at times the worst of us mentally. 

Traffic Cones

WBPD, working with Wilmington & NH County, Plans call for cutting down the right lane, with traffic cones, as well as officers directing traffic on both side of the bridge. There are also plans to adjust the traffic light sequence along Eastwood  road as may be needed. It must be underscored that State roads 76 & 74 are just that State roads and that means NCDOT... they are also in charge of the bridge project which is a root cause of the traffic.

The Chief took a range of question from the room and as well from email, phone-in and text-in... 

"pretty cool how this cyber- technology has quickly taken hold in the Town of Wrightsville Beach" 

Questions, many all to familiar, ranged from late night noise, littering and obnoxious behavior, to speeding, bicycling issues, using 911 and illegal drug issues and trespassing..

My personal opinion: (I was a Livestream & email participant)

• Chief Dan House, once again, proved his commitment to communicating and being accessible to the community. This brief quarterly opportunity, through the "Chat" format, is an easy and productive way to gain understanding and to have a direct impact on WBPD focus. Fell free to give your feedback directly to him dhouse@towb.org

• The use of the new electronic tools of video streaming and phone-in/text-in/email... while they may need a little tweaking, will greatly expand the possibilities of engagement across our community. (The Chief acknowledged afterwards offline that they would be looking at improvements in audio especially). 

Finally: If you need to contact the WBPD, even for a non-emergence complaint, use 911 ... if it's not an emergency... say "This is not an emergency" the dispatcher will determine if they can take the call at that moment or not. That's how the system for Wrightsville Beach is designed to work.

Till next time,thanks for reading.  Noah

Anatomy of a Town Meeting (101)

       For arguments sake let's call this Anatomy 101, simply because we believe  at Wrightsville View blog that we will be covering our local Town Meetings many more times in the future.

High Impact Town Meeting...Your Government at work

       It dawns on us, that many readers may not have experienced a town meeting, either in person or by way of video broadcast or streaming on the internet.

       With the recent acceptance of  the donation of video equipment from local citizen Bill Columbus, the Town of Wrightsville Beach will join the 21st Century and numerous other municipalities in providing broader public access to government proceedings. This will enable our civic participation to become much easier.

       A key starting point is to understand how important your active input to our elected officials really is. Having attended as well as watched a continuum of town meetings it has become obvious that some elected officials skate on very thin ice. By that we mean, they have very little basis for what position they take, what information, arguments or data they reflect upon and consequently how they vote.

When operating like that, they simply are not being accountable to the citizens nor the complexity of the issues at hand.

Weigh in with your opinion to our elected officials

       Imagine a town government where the majority of it's citizens and neighboring communities are able to see and hear the proceedings on particular issues of interest. Whether you live here or not...Do you care about parking, traffic, litter, recycling, noise, boat speed, zoning, taxes, beach renourishment, biking, running, walking-the-loop, coliform in the bay or drinking water? That would become a well informed and active base of citizens and would consequently drive an informed and responsible government. Wow!

         A good discussion, weighing of the pros and cons and finding the middle ground across the group of officials in a town meeting can give a citizen a proud feeling that their government is alive and well and working in their behalf.

       Consider the alternative...elected officials come to a meeting unprepared, with their mind made up! Perhaps their close group of friends have told them they "don't want this" or "do want that"...but without the benefit of a broader open discussion of the issues. Ouch!

       As citizens, who have elected these government officials, we have the right to know fully why they vote "yea or nay". What pros and cons they have considered? What are the options? What are their expectations for future impact and what will success look like? What will it cost in time and money? What is the priority. How far reaching and sustainably are they thinking?

       It has become very easy for elected officials to ignore the wishes of the majority of citizens.  Simply observe how they answer a question...Do they side step or divert.. obfuscate? We have numerous examples right here in Wrightsville Beach of 3 to 2 Board of Alderman decisions that have halted progress on addressing important strategic as well as quality of life issues around our town. Of course the recent referendum to Ban Smoking on the Beach is a colossal example of a fed up citizenry taking on a town government composed of a few too many "out-of-touch" Alderman.

Please SLOW down

       We'll leave you here with a short list of past issues derailed by the 3 to 2 voting.

• Failure to adopt a smoking ban (took 3 years and a citizen's petition driven referendum to overturn the 3 to 2 vote)
• Failure to reduce the speed limit to 35 MPH on Salisbury Street (aka NASCAR Blvd)..just like on Causeway
• Failure to join the NHC Emergency Operations Center (Disaster Management) we are a Billion Dollars of real estate at WB
• Failure to effectively fund Capital Reserves for future equipment needs (utilization of low cost financing)
• Reversal and Stripping of previous funding for video streaming of town meetings. 
• Failure to adopt a strategic agenda and follow it. (Traffic, Bike Lanes, Recycling, we face significant challenges)
• Wasted numerous staff hours on rezoning of town property at fringe of salt marsh
• Failure to provide reasonable pay increases to town staff after multiple years of budget requests.  ("they are lucky to have a job...!!!"  are you kidding? did you really say that?)  

Nuts & Bolts  :-)

Next time we plan to cover more "nuts & bolts"  of the town meeting. We will also be putting forward a way to evaluate our elected officials and ways to communicate with our government officials.

Thanks for reading, get active, stay tuned for more..

Noah.. Oh, and please comment on our blogs.

Wrightsville Beach Town Meeting Video Streaming up for Vote

On the agenda this Thursday (Nov 8th) at the TOWB BOA Town Meeting is a vote to accept the donation of video recording and streaming equipment, by Wrightsville resident Bill Columbus.

Video Recording and Streaming has previously been turned down by a 3-2 vote of the BOA. At last month's meeting Bill Columbus came forward with his generous offer, but the decision was tabled pending review by Town Attorney John Wessel.

So tomorrow night it is back on the table. Please let our elected officials know of your need for and your support for Video Streaming of our Town Meetings.

It's easy, just send a single email to our 5 elected Wrightsville Beach officials stating your support. Their email addresses are below. Thanks,  Liz

Mayor and Board of Aldermen
David Cignotti, Mayor	910-256-5817	dcignotti@towb.org
Susan Collins, Mayor Pro Tem	910-256-5072	scollins@towb.org
Bill Sisson, Alderman	910-256-1898	bsisson@towb.org
Elizabeth King, Alderman	910-256-2260	eking@towb.org
Darryl Mills, Alderman	910-228-8552	dmills@towb.org

We got it no smoking on Wrightsville Beach

YES! It has been  decided by citizens of this Town...
No Smoking on WB!


Now! As citizens, property owners, residents, renters, visitors, vacationers, elected officials, real estate agents,  rental agents, life guards, police. beach ambassadors , local business owners  and media...but fundamentally all care takers of WB, we all need to let each and every beach goer know...

"smoking on Wrightsville Beach is against the wishes of this town... it's that simple ... and it's against the law"

This is the quality of life issue that we have overwhelmingly decided. Don't come here to smoke, drop your butts and go home .There are consequences!

Thanks to all that made this difference. (and beyond a doubt.. Mayor Cignotti, Alderman Sisson, Sean Ahlum,  Tim & Christina Taylor, Daniellle & Aaron Richardet, Ethan Crouch, Neal Briggi, Ginger Taylor and a whole bunch of citizens who put their shoulders to this effort.

Now we have a mandate to make it a reality!

Danielle your beach sweep counts going forward will define our success as citizens taking a stand and our efforts at enforcement. Thanks for what you do....it is definitive.

This continues to depend on all of us for success.... thanks for reading Noah

Inconvenient factual content contained within...at least for some!

In today's Lumina News (http://luminanews.com/section.asp?sid=23&iid=348) there are 4 Letters to the Editor, all of them focused on the Wrightsville Beach Referendum Vote to Ban Smoking on the Beach.

The facts in the case for a Smoking Ban are clear:

• Cigarette Butts are the number one item of litter on beaches worldwide, unless it is a beach that has a Smoking Ban
• Cigarette Butts are toxic to terrestrial and  marine life (birds, turtles, fish and lots of others in the food chain)
• Cigarette smoke a.k.a. "second hand smoke" is toxic to                   mammals, it can cause your death 

Through multiple beach sweeps at Wrightsville Beach, NC and Santa Monica Beach, CA some compelling results have been uncovered. Take a look.

Yikes! In 166 sweeps at Wrightsville Beach 52,382 have been collected

by Danielle Richardet http://www.itstartswithme-danielle.blogspot.com/

"Because of the past 2 years of research that I've done regarding smoke-free beaches and their impact on cigarette litter....  I can state for a FACT that the town's littering ordinance is NOT enough to deter beach goers from throwing their butts in the sand. The answer to the question is clear: Do Smoke-free beaches help reduce cigarette litter?   Yes, smoke-free beach ordinances help reduce cigarette litter."  Danielle Richardet

A Smoking Ban  will bring a very positive impact for people and the environment on Wrightsville Beach

Vote early and Vote YES for the Wrightsville Beach Referendum to Ban Smoking on the beach.

Thank you Danielle and Sara for your tremendous dedication to this issue.

Thanks all for reading and voting with the quality of our environment and community in your mind!

Please comment.     Noah

Hurricane Lessons Learned

What can our Alderman learn from Hurricane Sandy?

• Wrightsville Beach could just as well have been the Jersey Shore, Staten Island or Hatteras... but for the grace of God
• A Cat 1 Hurricane is strong enough to wreck devastation across a wide area
• Surge, Wind and Rain mean Power Outages, Flooding, Fire, Injury  and Death
• Rescue, Recovery, Relocation and Rebuilding ... a slow step wise process
• Life gradually getting back to normal ... someday ... so much the wiser
• Acts of God do happen...

How about a re-Vote, Board of Alderman? Why not make it   unanimous (5-0) to join the New Hanover County Emergency Operation Center?

Thanks for Reading  Liz

Urgent...house insurance rate increase

Do you want to pay 17% more for your home insurance?

Well the Insurance industry wants you to!

They have proposed this to the NC DOI.

Specifically that have targeted the coastal communities as we are easy "pickens" for their focus, because most people will believe that we are the real drain on the insurance claims due to storms.. 

Guess what we are not!

In fact,statistically the data shows the claims stem from inland, where trees are big and tall and houses don't need to meet the code we have to here at the edge of  the continent in the coastal communities.. are they kidding 17% in this economy it forces families to regroup their expenses to make ends meet.  

You simply must send an email to voice your opposition to the rate increase. Its simple and easy here is the email address. 2012homeowners@ncdoi.gov  (copy paste please)

You must do it now, as the deadline is NOW.

And here are 2 examples of what others have sent and here is a link to the Lumina News Article Today that gives some background!

Example No.1

"Dear Sirs, I have owned and lived in my current residence at Wrightsville Beach for 41 years. I have paid Homeowners, Flood and Wind and Hailstorm Insurance during that entire time. I estimate that I have paid $125,000 to $150,000 in premiums duing that time. I have filed two claims. One for $17,000 in flood damages from Hurricane Fran in 1996 and one for $1500 in roof replacement from Hurricane Bertha in 1998. My brother in law in Gastonia and several friends in the Raleigh area have had more and higher claims from hurricanes, tornados and other weather related damages in less time than my 41 years. I feel that coastal residents are being burdened with excessive insurance charges as compared to the inland parts of North Carolina. I recommend that the Dept. of Insurance compare the actual costs associated with weather related events and publish the results for the various areas on NC. I believe that coastal residents are being forced to pay for the insurance costs of Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh etc. "

Example No.2

"Dear Mr. Mack, I am a resident of Wrightsville beach for the past 10 years. The currently proposed rate hike for Home insurance is inappropriate on several counts:.

• It is excessive 
• it comes at a time when the economy is weak at best, 
• it comes at a time of high unemployment, 
• it is a rate increase that will necessitate not just a belt tightening but a major shift in expenses for home owners. 
• The data base for this rate request does not support the conclusion for the coastal communities.

I strongly oppose this rate increase request.

This really covers it! Link to Lumina News:  http://luminanews.com/article.asp?aid=10979&iid=346&sud=30


Go for it! It's real $$$ in your pocket... or not!





Thanks for reading and taking action, Noah