I was one of five applicants out of thirteen selected by the Board of Commissioners to interview for the vacant Commissioner’s seat. The following interview has been transcribed from the official Town of Wake Forest recording of the June 23 work session, since the Town does not transcribe meetings. My answers are true to transcript.
You can watch the Work Session video here . (17:36)
Abby Black (AB): Thank you for again considering me as a candidate to fill this second vacancy. I am deeply appreciative of your trust and commitment to finding the most qualified, prepared, and knowledgeable individual to work alongside you for the next three years.
I am in the unique margin of Wake Forest residents who have the honor and privilege of calling this town home for their entire lives. I’ve witnessed Wake Forest grow exponentially over nearly three decades, and I’ve deeply weighed how that growth affects our residents of all generations, businesses, schools, housing, traffic and utilities, town governance, landscape, and recreation. Wake Forest is becoming a blueprint for other areas of the region, and I would like to see our strength of character, historic preservation, and welcoming hospitality remain intact, as we intelligently navigate solutions to this growth, and utilize creative and innovative ways to educate and involve our residents in that process.
Prior to this now, I had already pursued a greater depth of understanding about what happens behind the scenes here in Wake Forest. I’ve read the Town Charter in its entirety, along with both the current and Draft UDOs. I attended Planning 101, and was part of the inaugural Citizens Academy, both of which were invaluable experiences. At the Academy, I learned how our numerous town departments train and meet public needs, I interacted with our well versed staff, and I came away more knowledgeable and appreciative of town operations. Planning 101 taught me the methodology behind integrating new infrastructure with the old, planning ahead for the future, through engaging, hands-on activities and team work.
Since the last Commissioner vacancy, I have not been idle. I have intentionally invested my time further analyzing budgeting, town data, and state laws that govern municipalities. I have taken additional academic coursework in civics, economics, and public policy. I have been a regular presence at Board meetings, attending every regular session since January, in addition to all of the meetings I have attended prior. If the Urban Forestry Board was still together, I would be finishing my term and continuing my service there, as well.
Civic duty is not something I take lightly. I am passionate about giving back to the community, and educating others on the value of being an equipped and involved citizen. I pay attention to local, state, and federal issues and legislation, and share this information on my original weekly radio podcast, LIFTing North Carolina, in addition to contributing engaging articles of Wake Forest interest in Wake Forest Matters. As a Constitution Coach, I have hosted numerous civics classes on America’s founding documents and principles of freedom and liberty for all people. I love empowering others with the knowledge of the proper functions and jurisdictions of government, how we can respectfully and honorably defend our rights, and how to properly and effectively engage our elected representatives with questions, concerns, and encouragement.
In closing, alongside you as a fellow Commissioner and as a public servant of our community, I will labor for all current and future generations to find Wake Forest a warm and inviting place to live, grow, and achieve great things. I will stand for and defend my neighbors’ Constitutional Rights, I will advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves, and I will compassionately weigh the voices and concerns of all of the residents of Wake Forest. I am committed to pursuing affordability, transparency, traffic relief, responsible fiscal and budget management, public safety, and fostering a culture of trust. I am ready, enthusiastic, reasoned, and more than competent. Thank you for your vote of confidence.
Town Manager Kip Padgett (KP): Thank you, Miss Black. We’ll start with the questions, and if you need me to repeat one, just let me know, and I’ll do that. What is your understanding of the council-manager form of government and how do you see the respective roles of the commissioners and the town manager?
AB: The council-manager form of government is, I believe, depicted in General Statutes 160A, administration, and it involves the Board of Commissioners handling policy, while the manager handles staffing concerns and other things that would involve the back end. I think there was a second part to the question, can you repeat that?
KP: No, you answered it, what is the understanding of the council-manager form of government and how do you see the respective roles of the commissioners and the town manager.
AB: I think I did answer that, then.
KP: Yes. Are there any follow up questions? The next question – What measures would you use to determine whether Wake Forest is succeeding as a community?
AB: There’s always the hard data that should show what works and what doesn’t, but also I think that would show what is functioning and what isn’t is what the public feels about things and public input. Because while the data might show that something is working on this side, and everything seems to be leading up to it functioning, so you would continue investing in that result. However, on the back end it might be hurting someone and you wouldn’t know unless you were talking and communicating with the community.
KP: Any follow-up questions? Okay. What do you see as the biggest growth related challenges facing Wake Forest and how would a Commissioner address those challenges?
AB: I missed the first part of that sentence.
KP: What do you see as the biggest growth related challenges facing Wake Forest today and how would you as a Commissioner address those challenges?
AB: The growth challenges. Well. I know Wake Forest is running out of available land, that what open spaces we have are being pushed to remain open spaces. Recreation has always been a very leading factor in public satisfaction, and I think it should remain that way. But you also have to accomodate for the growth, which means you have to accomodate more peolpe. I know that there’s a bill going through the general legislature on redevelopment, where a developer would be allowed to, even though it’s not zoned residential, they would be able to put in a residential building anyway and the Board of Commissioners would not be able to veto that. That is a way the growth can be handled. Another way the growth can be handled is by making sure that what we do have we’re handling responsibly and making Wake Forest as affordable as possible but also keeping the quality of life.
KP: Any follow-up questions? As Commissioner, how would you approach your decisions regarding budgets and development?
AB: As Commissioner, I would approach those decisions by, well, by the budget, this past budget I was very pleased to see that there was no property tax increase. I was thrilled, actually, that the budgeting team managed to get that with a zero cent increase. I, as an Account Manager of my company business, and also as my company’s Treasurer, I work very diligently to make sure that we do not accrue debt, that we handle our finances responsibly. And I would bring that to the Board of Commissioners to make sure that there is minimal or no waste, I would go for no waste at all, in the town finances and budget. I would ask for audits, talk to staff, talk to the community, indeed, and see what the community thinks, what needs to be improved, what needs to be expanded upon or removed all together. Because there are things that the community will see that the town might not, and the Board of Commissioners might not. There was a second half to that question, can you please repeat it?
KP: As Commissioner, how would you approach decisions regarding budgets and development?
AB: Development. Development is an interesting question, I actually wrote an article in Wake Forest Matters very recently about can the Board of Commissioners say no to development? In that research, I found that what the Commissioners can and cannot do is dictated by general statute and what our policies in the UDO actually say.
KP: Any follow-up questions?
Commissioner Wright: Yeah, I’d like to follow up on that. You mentioned that there might be waste in our budget. What would you consider waste?
AB: Projects that aren’t meeting expectations, sunk cost fallacy I believe would be the umbrella term, because if something isn’t- I can’t name something off the top of my head, I’d have to do more in depth research on it, I’ve been researching the town budget as well as I can as a private citizen. And, I think that something that is proven to not be working should not be invested in or should be revisited to see what can be redone to make it work better.
KP: Any further questions? Okay, the next question. How would you approach a situation where you strongly disagree with the majority of the Board?
AB: Counter question, would this be at the Board meeting itself or would this be at the back end discussion? Because I’d like to have discussion on things that we will be seeing in a meeting before it’s brought it’s brough to the final vote, so that way, instead of having the counter arguments back and forth, where we’re stubbornly holding our stances, I’d like for us to come to a consensus first.
KP: Any questions? Okay, next question-
Commissioner Sliwinski: Hold on, I’ll follow up on that. You mentioned, again, any discussions happening before a meeting. I think the root of that question, so, I guess I’ll just say this. If you were in the minority on a vote, how would you handle that after the vote takes place?
AB: I’d be outvoted graciously.
KP: Any other? Okay, next question. How would you build productive working relationships with fellow Commissioners, the mayor, and town staff?
AB: I think discussions are a very important part of effective communication. I understand that three commissioners together makes a public meeting, so, obviously, can’t really do that, but in meetings like this, where we come together, we talk before the meeting, we talk in retreats, and basically build those releationships so that way we all know where each other stand and we know what the town can and can’t do, because the town and the staff are the building blocks of what a commissioner can function on. If you don’t have the town, then a commissioner is going “Let’s do this,” the town goes “We can’t do this, we don’t have the facilities, we don’t have the people.” So I think effective communication between the two is really important, as you said, in the council-manager form of government.
KP: Any questions? What role should public engagement play in decision making, especially when opinions in the community are divided?
AB: Can you please repeat that question?
KP: What role should public engagement play in decision making, especially when opinions in the community are divided?
AB: That’s a really good question. There’s a lot of polarizing things going on out there right now, but there’s also a lot of things that people can agree on. And I believe that when we focus instead on the things that we can agree on, and those things that also have solutions, I think that’s more important than sticking to our guns on the polarizing debates. It’s what the Board of Commissioners can do as much as the Commissioners have opinions and can think on their opinion. To continue, the public engagement, I believe, is extremely important, because the Board of Commissioners and the town do not operate in a bubble. Because the town is 65 plus thousand people now, and it’s a big job for Commisisoner and it’s kind of thankless. So I’d like to make it as we’re doing something. We’re listening to you. We’re having these discussions, these debates, these civil conversations. And we want to hear what you have to say.
Commissioner Cross: So where do you think the best public engagement occurs, based on what you’ve experienced so far?
AB: In my experiences, there’s the Open Houses on different events, like the toll road, where a lot of people actually got together and agreed we don’t like toll roads. At all. Then there’s the polarizing options like the S Line, some people hate it, some people don’t. And then you have those opinions as well. When the Social District was coming in, I reached out, on my own street, for public engagement on the Social District, doorknocking, going up and down, taking a survey which I presented to you. And I found that very helpful. I got to meet all my neighbors anew, and be like “Hi! How have you been? I’m just doorknocking and asking for your opinion on things” and they seemed to like it because they were having a voice and they felt heard.
KP: Any other questions?
Commissioner Shackleford: So, are you saying, because I heard public feedback earlier in one of your answers to another question, and this one kinda piggybacks that a little bit I think in your comment. So, what is the town doing right and wrong presently with getting feedback from our constituency?
AB: I think the town is doing a decent job in making sure that people are aware that Board of Commissioners are having their meetings. Parks and Rec is very prolific in their social media posts that I have seen. There’s a lot of events, the town is very good at promoting events like the July 3rd and 4th celebrations for our 250th year, that’s a big accomplishment and I’m glad our town is celebrating that. Uh, the reason I doorknocked is because I didn’t see any citizen engagement on that, so I was going forward and seeing what my neighbors thought of it and that is something I think the town didn’t do enough in seeing not only what the businesses in downtown but also the people who live near downtown think about a Social District.
KP: Any other questions? What unique perspective, experience, or skill would you bring to the Board of Commissioners?
AB: I’m glad you asked that question. As I said, I have not been idle in these past six months. I have pursued targeted college courses on civics, economics, macro and micro economics, I’ve also had hands on, personal training as a legislator in writing policy and law. I’ve also been part of a national think tank where where I researched standing policy in the national and state levels and even wrote policy recommendations for lawmakers nationwide. So, I believe that I would bring to this board applied knowledge. I know what I’m doing. I know that I can be a benefit. We could bounce ideas off each other because I know I’m not coming into this board by myself, I’m coming into this board to be part of a team.
KP: Any questions? What is your view on the role of social media and public service, and how would you balance using these platforms for community engagement against the risk of public misinformation, digital division, and official transparency?
AB: One of the sayings that I operate by is I don’t know what I don’t know, so it’s always possible that what I say, I could be missing some part of critical information, which is why I try very hard when I do any sort of social media posts, when I talk to people, that I have all my ducks in a row and my facts straight. That I make sure I come to the table with all my sources cited. Um, I think that it’s important that people get the hundred percent truth and all of the facts with the opinions taken out as much as possible. There will always be people that interpret the data their own ways, but I would work to make it available so that everyone can form their own opinino but they have the whole picture.
KP: Any questions? What is your understanding of the rezoning process, in particular, what is your opinion of the UDO in shaping future decisions and how staff, the planning board, and the BoC work through this process?
AB: That was also part of my analysis I wrote in Wake Forest Matters on how the rezoning happens. So, in the UDOs, uh, the UDOs describe what zones we have, which is backed up by the zoning map, I believe in the planning department. And these zones depict what, well, not depict, but decree what can go where. You can’t put, unless this legislation passes, you can’t put residential in an industrial zone. You can’t put ten apartment complexes in General Residential 3 or in Rural, and it’s discouraged to develop quite a bit in a protected watershed. However, the Board of Commissioners has the power to work with the town and get the UDO amended in a rezoning. And, I know that in, I believe it was Senate or House Bill, something, it was the Hurricane Helene relief act. Passed in late 2024 that prohibited downzoning. Oh dear, I’m running out of time. prohibiting downzoning is where the town has to ask permission from property owners before they can take their house, their property basically from GR5 to 3 or even to zero and I think that’s great because it puts the power of the property back in the hands of the property owner. It also allows communcation between the town and the residents of Wake Forest, as well. So the residents of Wake Forest have a say in how their properties are managed.
KP: Any questions? Okay, the last question, Miss Black. Municipal governments are frequently impacted by state legislation that carry, that can either restrict local authority or preempt local ordinances. What is your philosophy on the balance of power between the Board of Commissioners and the General Assembly, and how would you advocate for our town’s autonomy when state mandates conflict with our local priorities?
AB: I halfway answered this question already! So, there are things that the Board of Commissioners can do that within our power, and those powers are granted by the General legislature. It’s things that happen outside of our power, like the toll way, where we would go to our representatives, such as Representative Schietzelt, and say, “Well, the community input was, the residents hate the idea of a toll road, so can you please put in legislature somewhere that we would not get a toll road?” And that is within the Commissioners and town’s power to do so. We have elevated, escalated to the next level up. And if the General legislature is doing something that the town thinks would inhibit their powers, then the Board of Commissioners would appeal to that decision, “can you please not do that, or can you put something in this legislation that would give us at least a little bit of wiggle room?” Again, it’s communication between the levels of government.
KP: Commissioners, that’s the final question. You all have any follow ups on any of the questions or this particular question?
Mayor Clapsaddle: I have just one kind of a comment question. The time requirements for, as a member of the Board of Commissioners or anyone who sits on this dais is very very long. They’re long hours, some of them are during the business day, weekends, so forth. So, that’s just a statement-
AB: I have very flexible business hours.
Mayor Clapsaddle: The question is, will you be able to meet those commitments throughout the next three years but also cover some of the things that you talked about, like meeting with our citizens, meeting with state legislature as called, and so forth? I’m just asking.
AB: I have been blessed with the ability to make my own hours my jobs so I can give role of Commissioner my full attention and make sure that I fulfill it to the best of my duties and ability.
Mayor Clapsaddle: Thank you.
KP: Any other questions? Okay, Miss Black, you can do your closing statement.
AB: Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity to come before you tonight and present my candidacy to fill our vacant Commissioner’s seat.
I’ve lived in Wake Forest my entire life. I’ve worked in my family’s local, small, 30-year business for almost 15 years and have seen how local businesses and the community encourage, support, and rely on each other in order to prosper. Those relationships and all the residents are the essential heartbeat in the community.
Many years ago, I realized I couldn’t find those civil relationships without understanding the underlying causes and effects of why they exist, so I immediately began pursuing that understanding.
When I was turning 18, I recognized that my ballot matters and it was imperative I not waste my voice, to dutifully vet and elect my representatives in all levels of office. I haven’t missed a single election since. I have completed targeted studies and application in civics, budgeting, economics, public policy, and the legislative process in my ongoing education. I am well versed in the Town of Wake Forest Charter and both the current and draft UDOs. I have read all 800 pages in these documents front to back numerous times. I possess a firm understanding of current developments in our local community and in the state and federal Congresses. I also educate and engage the public with my in-depth, cited analyses in my weekly radio podcast, LIFTing North Carolina, in the articles I contribute to Wake Forest Matters, and in the civics classes I teach as a Constitution Coach and North Carolina State Mentor. I have received years of formal, hands-on training as a legislator in writing law and policy, balancing stakeholders and communities, public speaking, classical debate, and effective communication. I was one of only 8 scholars nationwide specifically selected for a fellows program to study applied policy and write policy recommendation briefs for state legislators across the nation. Did you know I regularly carry with me everywhere I go a physical copy of the US and North Carolina constitutions? I reference these documents frequently in conversation and when issues arise. You may recognize these little books – I handed them out to you a year ago.
Because I value and practice good financial stewardship as our company Account Manager and Treasurer, I am a stringent budgeter who works to never spend more than what we can afford. I am personally not in debt, and I don’t believe that a town should be in debt, and that is a standard of integrity and fiscal responsibility I will bring to the Board of Commissioners. Because I am well versed in legislation and the process, I will not be caught off-guard when the General Assembly passes laws that affects Wake Forest, or when the Board needs to reach out to our representatives in the General Assembly on matters outside our jurisdiction, such as the controversial toll road. As a young professional, I bring a new perspective to the Board in proactively addressing issues for my generation. Because I have been an articulate, consistent, and attentive presence in this chamber for years, I am familiar with residents’ concerns and the need for Town transparency, and I also maintain institutional knowledge on how the Board functions, what the Board has seen, and anticipate and prepare for what the Board may see in the future. Additionally, my jobs allot me flexibility in my hours, so I can give my duties and responsibilities as a Commissioner my full attention and presence.
In addition to all of that, I was a member of the Urban Forestry Advisory Board until its reorganization last year. Within my first term, I was voted to the position of Co Chair for my initiative, leadership skills, and engagement in meetings and volunteering at various events. I not only helped educate the public on forestry, I also brought books from my own private library for additional information. My formal proposal to establish numerous Urban Orchards, eh I don’t have time to show it, well received as a way to address the diminishing canopy and food scarcity, and promote public health, engagement, and tourism opportunities. I loved these interactions, conversations, and building relationships with our community. I will always make myself available to my fellow residents.
You are not just appointing someone to fill a seat on the team behind the dais as a fellow public servant, and it’s not just about being able to do the job well. It’s effective communication with the people we represent, actively listening to and reaching out for everyone’s opinions and concerns. If we don’t listen to the people, they don’t trust us, they don’t feel like they can reach us, and they don’t feel heard. In everything I’ve learned over years of study and paying attention, through direct customer interactions, and by simply talking with people, it all comes back to encouraging, maintaining, and pursuing relationships that bolster community, camaraderie, and trust. If we don’t sustain those relationships, everything falls apart, and we can see those cascading effects in real time.
We’re not politicians. We’re residents who think about the next generations.
Let’s work together to keep this town a welcoming, thriving place for families, businesses, recreation, and community. I’m the right candidate to fill this vacancy. I bring the right skillset, experience, and knowledge. I’m the right person for this timing. Thank you for giving me this opportunity tonight. I look forward to working with you.