Are you ready to become a more informed voter, but short on time? Join me as I share details about Danielle Hewetson, a candidate for the four-year seat on the Board of Commissioners for Holly Springs. Although Danielle was unable to join us, we uncover the core issues of her campaign from her online presence, diving into her background, platform topics, views on local infrastructure, safety, and small businesses.
From being a stay-at-home mom and an at-home baking business owner to possessing an MBA and a past as a sales and marketing executive, Danielle brings an array of experiences to her candidacy. We delve into her focus on responsible growth, quality of life, and involved leadership. As we approach the upcoming municipal elections, it's crucial to understand each candidate's perspective. Amplify your impact and let your voice be heard. Tune in, learn, and don't forget to check out our other episodes for an in-depth analysis of other candidates.
As always, if you are interested in being on or sponsoring the podcast or if you have any particular issues, thoughts, or questions you'd like explored on the podcast, please email NCDeepDive@gmail.com. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Now, let's dive in!
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Hello, friends, you are listening to the Holly Springs Deep Dive Podcast, soon to be called the NC Deep Dive. I am your host, Amanda Benbow Lunn, and this episode of our 2023 Candidate Segment will feature Danielle Hewetson. Danielle has unfortunately not responded to my emails, phone calls or messages on social media, and she has declined via a third party. Danielle has chosen not to prioritize speaking with you via this medium. However, I feel having as much information as possible as a voter is important, so I will simply be going over her website and information that can be found online in case it's easier for you to take in the information this way. If you are short on time, you can get most of this information from her website or a Google search, so feel free to skip this podcast if that's a better use of your time. Danielle is running for the four-year seat for the Board of Commissioners for Holly Springs, also known as Town Council. She will be running against Stacey Almquist, Brian Dennis, Chris Deshazor, and Jack Turnwald. You will be eligible to vote for up to two of these candidates for this seat on your ballot when you go to vote in the upcoming municipal election. Without further ado, friends, let's dive in.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Danielle is a stay-at-home mom with an at-home baking business. She holds an MBA through Xavier University in Cincinnati and had a career as a sales and marketing executive prior to moving to Holly Springs and starting her family. Danielle, along with her husband and three daughters, have called Holly Springs their home for about six years. She has served on the town's Board of Adjustment and was recently appointed, back in January, to the Holly Springs Town Council to fill the seat left vacant by former Councilmember Kristi Bennett. Her website is HewetsonforHollySprings. com and she lists three platform topics, the first of which is responsible growth, where she says let's talk about growth. Did you just think you mean traffic? You're not alone. My five, four and two-year-old talk about it too. If we ever come to a stop in town, even a standard red light as a part of our infrastructure, that has an impact on our day-to-day lives, our way to work or play and our way home. I'll tell you what I'll tell them. We're working on it. The hot topic of traffic in and out of town is, in fact, a result of progress. Do we have a lot of work to do? Absolutely. I'll acknowledge the challenges and opportunities that a town growing at the rate Holly Springs is as readily as anyone. I'll tell you that in every development approval or zoning change that comes before the council, it is one of the topics we spend the most time considering and pushing for improvements on. This is, and will continue to be, a focal point for me your roads.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
The next platform speaks towards quality of life, in which she says there are many moving parts of the place that we choose to call home that affect our quality of life the parks and programs our kids frequent. The ways and locations that we have available to shop, eat, work and play. The infrastructure of the town that fulfills the basic needs of all residents, including our roadways, water trash and yard waste collection. All of these are important to me, but I believe perhaps none of these would be of any significance if we could not rely on the safety of ourselves and our families. I take great pride in Holly Springs being recognized as one of the safest towns in North Carolina and I take great pride in our Holly Springs Police Department and Holly Springs Fire Department, who provide us so effectively with that security. I will continue to recognize and support, in any way that I can, the work that these organizations do to ensure the safety of our residents.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
And lastly, she speaks towards involved leadership, in which she writes there are many things that Holly Springs has done so well over the last several years. Take, for example, our incredible Parks and Recreation Department. I have so much pride in our parks and our programs, and my family and I participate in as many of them as we can. There's so much more to come and it's all worth our excitement, but I want to take a moment to focus on something else we do great. The economic development of Holly Springs over the last several years has been exceptional and will have impacts on town funding and our quality of life for generations. Much of my focus moving forward will center around small businesses and how we can support the start and operation of small businesses in this community. These small businesses are a point of pride in Holly Springs and bring so much character to our town. It is my goal to get our community behind them for continued success.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
She has links to her Facebook and Instagram page and pictures in an about section of the town, where she just has the picture and a caption. She encourages you to mark your calendars for November 7th, to talk to your friends about the importance of municipal elections and to please vote. She has been endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party, and that is the entirety of her website. Democracy is at the heart of all we hold dear. Our local governments have the influence to decide our community's priorities. These offices have a major impact on our daily lives and can have real consequences. They create and enforce local ordinances, fund our local fire and police departments, create the structure and ambiance of our communities and decide our local property taxes. Lower voter turnout in local elections means your vote has even more of an impact.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
Early voting starts October 19th at the Wake County Board of Elections and begins October 28th and will run through November 4th at the John M Brown Community Center in Apex and the Avery Street Recreation Center in Garner. During early voting, you may go to any of these early voting sites. Election Day will be Tuesday, November 7th. On Election Day, you have to go to your designated polling site. Please remember you will need a valid ID to vote. This year. The voter registration deadline is October 13th, though you may also be eligible to register at the voting sites during the early voting period.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:
And that brings this episode of the Holly Springs Deep Dive podcast, soon to be called the NC Deep Dive, to a close. Make sure you check out all the other relevant candidate episodes for the Board of Commissioners, also known as Town Council, for Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina at www. HollySpringsDeepDive. com, spotify, apple Podcasts, audible or wherever you currently listen to your podcasts. I will include helpful links for each candidate and voting in general in their episode show notes on our website. If you have any thoughts or topics you'd like to share, you may do so through social media or via email at HollyS pringsP odcast@ gmail. c om. Thank you for engaging in today's episode and becoming a more informed citizen. Democracy is a team sport. Together we make democracy work and our communities a better place to work, live and play. Your vote absolutely matters. Your voice absolutely matters. You, my friend, absolutely matter. Until next time, my friends namaste. The love and light in me sees and honors the love and light in you.