Cape Fear Chapters: The ABCs of Local Government

Wilmington, NC (WWAY) — A former Leland Town Council member is using the alphabet to introduce young children to the role local government plays in their everyday lives.

Bill McHugh, an attorney and former council member, recently released his first children’s book, “The ABCs of Local Government.” McHugh discussed the book and the experiences that inspired it during an appearance on WWAY’s Cape Fear Chapters.

McHugh served on the Leland Town Council from 2021 to 2025. He said conversations with residents while in office often included explaining how local government works.

“Ultimately, I discovered that a huge portion of the conversations that I had with the public contained an educational component, and I realized that local government was largely missing from civic education,” McHugh said.

That experience led McHugh to consider ways to introduce the subject to children. He said the idea for an alphabet book also came from reading to his 2-year-old daughter, who enjoys ABC books.

“I was looking for a book to introduce her to local government, and I discovered that one didn’t exist, so I decided to write it,” McHugh said.

The book is aimed primarily at children ages 4 to 8 and uses each letter of the alphabet to introduce a different aspect of local government. McHugh said the format allowed him to cover 26 topics without going too deeply into concepts that could be difficult for younger children.

For example, “A” stands for administration and introduces the people responsible for overseeing government staff, while “Z” covers zoning and how communities determine where different types of development can be located.

The book also touches on infrastructure, including roads, schools and sewer systems.

McHugh said the goal is not for the book to provide an exhaustive explanation of local government, but to start conversations between children and adults.

“It’s intended as a conversation starter,” McHugh said. “So you might find a letter in there that’s something you hadn’t thought of, which might trigger further research or a Google search, or reaching out to your mayor, council or their staff to try to find out more information.”

McHugh said he self-published the book, which is available through several online book retailers and at a local business in Leland.

He said he hopes the book encourages families to learn more about the level of government responsible for many services residents encounter in their daily lives.

“I hope people recognize how important local government is to their day-to-day lives,” McHugh said.