A look at the race for Brunswick County 17th State House District

Election Day is one week away if you have not already voted. Tuesday WWAY takes a look at the race to represent Brunswick County in the 17th State House District.

After six years in the State Legislature, Republican Bonner Stiller thinks he deserves a fourth term. “I attend session. I vote. I take on the tough issues. I don’t walk out in the hall and let them go,” said Stiller.

His challenger, Brunswick County Democratic party Chair, Vernon Ward, said Stiller has not done enough for constituents. “Experience and longevity doesn’t count unless you do something,” Ward said.

Stiller said he has done a lot. He said he helped keep Hugo Neu from building a landfill in Navassa, pushed for the Lockwood Folly inlet to be dredged, helped get a second bridge to Oak Island, and other road projects while other counties lost state funding.

“One of the things I had to fight for was to make sure that the monies that had been promised to Brunswick County were not scrapped.”

Both Stiller and Ward claim roads are an important need for Brunswick County.

Ward added, “I think the rapid, uncontrolled growth that we’ve had in Brunswick County helped create the problem.”

That is why Ward supports slower, controlled growth, which he says would help the county control other needs, including demands on the school system. “A lot of our schools are not meeting the standards that have been set forth,” he said.

Stiller said he would like the county to impose an impact fee on developers to help pay for needs likes schools and infrastructure, instead of the land transfer tax the county commission proposed and voters defeated last year. “There’s a lot of expense that come with development that goes onto the backs of the taxpayer that have been here for years,” he said.

Stiller said a priority if re-elected is to fight to keep homeowners insurance costs down in coastal counties by requiring more insurance companies doing business in the state to offer coastal policies. Meanwhile, Ward wants to keep spending down in Raleigh.

Ward said, “We need to balance the budget based on revenues generated for that purpose, and funds for the retirement system and trust fund were not saved for that purpose.”

Stiller said his work as an attorney helps him understand the real meaning of bills debated in the legislature. Ward points to his experience as a community college administrator and community involvement as positives.

Later this week WWAY will take a look at the 18th House District race in New Hanover and Pender counties.