Jason Thompson is one of two incumbents running for a seat on the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners. The Republican candidate completes his first four-year term this year. And as he told WHQR’s Rachel Lewis Hilburn, he believes in term limits – which means he’s running for what would be his second and final term.
Declining property values and the subsequent pressures on the budget – that’s how Jason Thompson defines the weightiest issue facing the citizens of New Hanover County.
“And the way I’m handling that is to continue consolidating departments, reduce expenses and try to present a budget that the taxpayers can be proud of but one that doesn’t put them out of their homes ‘cause the taxes are too high.”
On the issue of whether Titan Cement should build and operate a plant in Castle Hayne, Thompson says he cannot voice a public opinion:
“I’m not going to say anything that even gives the hint that someone could ask me to recuse myself from voting on a special use permit that’s this important to our community.”
When asked if there is one thing he wishes more people understood about him, he puts it this way:
“I wish more people who sent emotionally-charged emails or phone calls had more facts because typically when I sit down with somebody one-on-one or a group of people and explain an issue, 99 percent of the time they end up agreeing with me. It’s just that they didn’t have all the facts. And quite frankly as a citizen sometimes it’s hard to have all the facts ‘cause you’re not at every meeting that I’m at and you don’t have the volume of information that I have to read.”
Thompson says since joining the Marines at 17, he’s always felt that giving back through public service is important.
Listen for WHQR’s full series on the candidates for New Hanover County Commissioner.
