In the March 15th primary, Republican John Babb is hoping to win one of three spots on the November ballot for New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. The retired Deputy Director for Field Operations with U.S. Customs and Border Protection says he’d like to improve public safety. But developing a cooperative atmosphere on the board is also high on his list.
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JB: It is my belief that we need absolute new leadership on the county board. We have witnessed crisis-making rather than crisis management.
RLH: What do you think the Board has been doing, specifically, to create crises? Which crises are you referring to?
JB: I’m speaking about the fact – the discord and the ugly nature of the discussions on the board and outside the board, particularly. We’re making a public spectacle of the governance of the organization of the county board. And I believe that this is detrimental to the health of New Hanover County because it’s dividing our citizens into camps on a time when we should be collaborating with each other and bringing them together for all of our futures – not just a select few.
I joined the Cape Fear Community College Board of Trustees shortly after the situation that arose with the former president of the Cape Fear Community College.
RLH: Ted Spring.
JB: Yes. And what I have witnessed over the years, part and parcel, is the good people are trying to do the right things but occasionally good people choose to do things for their own either vendetta or vindictiveness or just dislike or, in some cases, hatred for other people.
I believe we need to improve our public safety.
RLH: Are you talking about increased funding for law enforcement? Or are there other initiatives, specific things that you’d like to see?
JB: I think the first step would be to get the law enforcement agencies together and find out what their risks are involved in enforcing the laws that are on the books. We have numerous laws that could be enforced better, but they may not have the resources. They may not have the training.
RLH: What is your position on the special use permit? Do you think that is an obstacle to economic development in the county or do you think it’s something that we need to have in place?
JB: I think special use permits, depending upon the industry, has a prominent part to play because we, as we all know, live in a very beautiful area, and it’s a coastal, scenic environment. Many people come here, not because of the industry, but because of our environment. So we have to be mindful of that.
There are three things that we should do, and I’ve talked about public safety -- public safety, and our stewardship of our county run hand in hand because they mean we protect the people. We protect the environment.
We give them food, shelter, and water. Those are the three key elements that we need to pay attention to. And special use permits may or may not be necessary for certain industries. For other industries, we need to protect our housing, our shelter. We need to protect our water. And we need to protect our food.
We need new business in the area, but we need the right business.
RLH: What are the right businesses in your view?
JB: The right businesses are a mix. We have to have some large businesses like the GEs, like the Cornings, like these-size industry people to come in and put plants here. However, we also need to be smart with these people.
We have to realize that if they use our resources, if they use our water, our land, our infrastructures, they must be responsible stewards of those features, as well.
RLH: John Babb, thank you so much for joining us today.
JB: Thank you very much for having me today, and I wish your viewers the very best of luck in the future. And I would just say to all your viewers: please remember it is your county and your future.
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John Babb is competing with six other people for three Republican seats on the November ballot for New Hanover County Commissioner. There are two areas he says he’s committed to improving. He would pull together a fragmented economic development effort by working more closely with the existing three-county consortium. And, he says, with his background and experience, he’d improve public safety.
"The world has changed and the world continues to change and the environment of law enforcement is changing with it… What type of training are they receiving? Are they, in fact, trained to meet the challenges and the risks that they face on the streets in Wilmington and throughout the county? Are they ready for a catastrophic event should it occur?"
Babb also says he wants to change the tone of the Board’s dialogue from discordant to cooperative.
"We need to have people with the knowledge, the skills, and the abilities to bring people together, to understand that there’s more than one opinion – there’s certainly more than my opinion – and understand that governance comes from the heart. And governance comes from your beliefs and your character."
