I would guess he probably means it. As the "director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission", one would have to assume that at least some of his income is attributable to the success of the Wilmington area.

Our area's got a plethora of possibilities when it comes to location shots for production companies. About the only thing we really don't have are classical urban environment and skyline shots. Also, let's not forget, we're already ramped and running; something movie production companies prefer.