CANDIDATE PROFILE: Margaret Haynes says dealing with growth is top priority

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Wilmington Mayor Pro-Tem Margaret Haynes has been on council since 2009. She said if reelected, her focus will be on the city’s growth, and how to combat issues that come from a growing area.

Haynes previously served as the chair for the New Hanover County Board of Elections. She said when she was sworn in to council in 2009, the economy was in shambles.

“We had staff people that were doing two and three jobs to get through this recession we’re coming out of, so my hat’s off to the city staff for having really sacrificed in a way and gotten us through that,” Haynes said.

She said growth is her top priority.

“You never know what is over the horizon, but think, in a macro sense, we’ve got to work and develop partnerships with the private sector so that we can leverage taxpayers limited resources, and we can do bigger projects and think bigger if we’re in partnerships,” Haynes said.

One of the projects that’s been slow to grow during her time is the Water Street Parking Deck. A mixed use project she is excited about for what it could bring to the area.

“The more people we have living downtown the more we’ll have a cultural change,” Haynes said.

She also said one of the keys to handling the future growth in the Cape Fear is for better cooperation with surrounding counties, with both the struggles and benefits of an increased population.

“I understand constituent service, problem solving, but I also understand that government is the people and we’ve got to include as many people as we can in an open and transparent process,” Haynes said. “I believe strongly in that.”

In terms of crime in the city, Haynes commended the Wilmington Police Department. She said they’ve moved into community policing, and the key is getting more officers into problematic areas to develop better bonds with those who live there.

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