NC Deep Dive

Josh Prizer: 2025 Holly Springs Town Council Candidate

• Amanda Lunn

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Josh Prizer shares his vision for Holly Springs Town Council, focusing on managed growth, public safety, and fiscal responsibility while maintaining the town's unique character. He draws on his extensive community service background and planning board experience to outline strategies for proactive development planning and infrastructure improvements.

• Six-year Holly Springs resident with a background as volunteer firefighter for 15 years
• Currently serves on Holly Springs Planning Board, Pine Springs Preparatory Academy Board
• Prioritizes responsible growth, public safety, and maintaining current tax rates
• Advocates for proactive rezoning to streamline development and potentially reduce housing costs
• Supports biotech industry development while ensuring small business growth
• Proposes regular office hours for direct resident engagement if elected
• Emphasizes infrastructure investment for future planning rather than reactive solutions
• Believes in working collaboratively with fellow council members and neighboring towns
• Committed to maintaining Holly Springs' small-town feel despite rapid growth

• Endorsed by Wake County Republican Party & Holly Springs Committee for Responsible Growth

Prizer is one of six candidates running for Holly Springs Town Council, where voters may choose up to three. Early voting begins October 16th, and you'll need a valid ID to vote. Your vote on November 4th will help to shape Holly Springs for generations to come. Make sure you have a plan!

JoshForHollySprings.com/info@joshforhollysprings.com/Facebook/Instagram

Campaign Finance Report/Campaign Finance Reports for All Candidate Committees

Voter Information (Register, Am I Registered?, Election Information)
Voter Info (Designated Polling Places, Sample Ballots, Registration Status, Voting Jurisdiction, Verify Address and Party Affiliation)
Election Information (Absentee by Mail Voting, Early Voting, Election Day Voting)

Early Voting Locations
October 16-November 1

Wake County Board of Elections Office-1200 N. New Hope Road, Raleigh 27610

October 25-November 1

John M. Brown Community Center-53 Hunter Street, Apex, NC 27502

Avery Street Recreation Center-125 Avery Street, Garner, NC 27529

Herbert C. Young Community Center-101 Wilkinson Avenue, Cary, NC 27513

ELECTION DAY
Tuesday, November 4 from 6:30 AM to 7:30 PM

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Now, let's dive in!

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Hello friends, welcome back to the NC Deep Dive podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Benbow Lunn, and today I am honored to be speaking with Josh Prizer as part of our 2025 Municipal Election Candidate Conversations. Josh is running for the four-year seat on the Holly Springs Town Council. For this race, Josh will be running against Sarah Larson, Joe Cuccurullo, Kara Foster, Tim Forrest and Annie Drees. These races are non-partisan, so there will not be any party affiliation like an R or a a D next to their name on your ballot.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

You will be eligible to vote for up to three of these candidates for this seat. On your ballot in this election, the top three vote getters will join Holly Springs Town Council members Chris DeShazor and Danielle Hewetson to make up its five-member body. In these candidate conversations, each candidate will be asked the same questions formulated by our constituent survey, observing community members in person and online, and fine-tuning with AI to keep them as fair, unbiased and as open-ended as possible. Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in. Welcome, Josh Prizer. You're running for the Holly Springs Town Council. You want to tell me a little bit about yourself, how long you've lived in the area and what's inspired you to run.

Josh Prizer:

So my name is Josh Prizer. I've been in Holly Springs for about six years, moved down here July of 2019. My family and I moved here from Tom's River, New Jersey, and we were just seeking a better way of life. I am a father to three children, and two daughters that are 12, going on 13, and a son that's seven, going on eight. What inspired me to run? Well, I have been involved in the community pretty much all my life in some capacity. I was a volunteer firefighter for 15 years. I did five years in Long Island, moved to Chicago for a few years so I was not a volunteer there and then moved to Jersey for a few years so I was not volunteered there and then moved to Jersey for about 10, 11 years and was a firefighter the whole time when I was there. And you know before that I've done a variety of different volunteer positions, but being a firefighter, it was kind of the plan when moving down here and actually tried to join a local fire department close to Holly Springs, but my certs were missing a certain approval required by the state of North Carolina, so they were happy to put me through the academy. But at 42 years old and three children I was not going through the academy again. So I told the chief at the time I think it's time to hang up my firefighter helmet. And then I decided to try to find other ways to get involved in the community that I could lend efforts to. So, you know, I investigated and found that there was, you know, a board of adjustment and a planning board within Holly Springs and talked to some of the folks within the town of time about it, decided to put an application in, ultimately was selected for the planning board where we're going on four years now and I have really, really enjoyed it, really really enjoyed to get a peek inside the town, really lend even though we're not a governing body, we are a recommendation body to where the town is headed and really enjoy that aspect of service. Also, the other things that I've done I'm on the board at Pine Springs Preparatory Academy and I've been involved in that for three years now. Really love part of that community and helping guide the choices and the expansion of the school. We're opening a high school next year. I'm not done with Wow If construction goes well.

Josh Prizer:

So, and then I also do some volunteer coaching with my kids' sports. My girls are in competitive cheer now, but they used to be in soccer. I don't do the competitive cheer teaching, but my son's now involved in football and hockey, so I help out there. And then, in addition to that, I'm on the board of the Hero Golf Tournament, which raises money for Holly Springs first responders.

Josh Prizer:

So I've just been trying to give back any way that I can, you know, in a way that lends my talents from business to just, you know, general overall effort, and I felt, you know, we've got a lot of great things going on in Holly Springs.

Josh Prizer:

We have a ton of growth, we have a windfall of tax revenue about to come in from our partners and the various biotech companies, and I just want to see the town continue to thrive, continue to grow, but to grow in a way that's managed responsibly, to grow in a way that's beneficial to the future.

Josh Prizer:

I've moved around quite a bit in my life and it's been great. However, I would love to create a town in which my kids can go away, do their thing, go to college, maybe move to a big city for a while, but ultimately be able to come back to and a place that's like it is now right. It's just got that small town feel, you know, but we're a large town. It's got great places to play, to eat and to work. If so, you should wish in our area and I'd love to be able to help continue the mission that Mayor Dick Sears helped create and past councils have helped to really get us to this day and continue on in that tradition and get us into a place you know, 10 years from now, 20 years from now, we look back on and we need to be proud of.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Perfect. Have you been an active voter, including in local elections?

Josh Prizer:

I have Yep. I vote in every election.

Josh Prizer:

I pretty much have, I think, at least since my mid-20s at least.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Okay, what do you feel is the role of a town council member?

Josh Prizer:

The town council member, you know you hold many hats, but the primary position is to really guide the town in the direction in which it goes to A lot of it's development but a lot of it's fiscal as well. So you're managing the budget, you're managing the growth, you're managing public safety but that also points back to budget as well and you're making sure that you're listening to the citizens right. So, if elected, your job as a council person is to listen to all, not just the people that agree with you or take certain positions on certain things, but you listen to all the facts, listen to all the opinions and really make a sound decision. Really that's the guiding light of the town and really what's going to represent the masses and the future masses that we have.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

You've listed this a little bit, but if you want to go into more detail, what is your involvement within the community and town government and what qualifications make you prepared for this role?

Josh Prizer:

So as mentioned, I've been on the planning board for four years, so I've sat as an advisor to mayor and council. You know that's a sharp incline right. It's like climbing a cliff. You come into this role, you know understanding what it is, but I think the first few meetings I was just kind of in awe in terms of really what goes into all of this and you really learn the process in which growth happens. Some would consider it maybe a fast pace, but really I think the developers would argue differently, maybe sometime.

Josh Prizer:

But really there's a lot of planning, preparation. There's a lot of work done by the town staff. They, in my opinion, do a very terrific job in terms of really making sure that a lot of the ordinance type things, all the things that are vetted, and that certain projects that don't pass muster really don't go through. And I think they do a good job too of warning the developers that they're headed down a bad path and that they should, you know, reconsider things. And you know, in that position it's really giving me a peek behind the curtain in terms of how the town actually operates right, how the sauce is just made, and you know, I think that that lends itself right off the bat, I can hit the ground running right, understanding that process and knowing some of the things that might be able to do tweak differently. I think overall, the town does a fantastic job. You know there's always room for improvement, right. In any sport, any job, anything, there's always room for improvement. So having kind of a general sense and idea of what that is, I think that sets me up.

Josh Prizer:

By day I'm in sales, I manage relationships, multi-million dollar accounts of a VP for a pharma tech company, so I think that experience is there, would help lend itself to a lot of the things that I would like to do are relationship oriented and it makes it sound simple. It's not, but it sort of is at the same time, right. So services to the town and infrastructure development are really relationship based right. And it's being able to sit down at a table with some of these developers that are coming in and, you know, wanting to do projects and wanting to get things approved and really understanding what they want accomplished and then being able to convey to them and have them understand what the town is looking to have accomplished, right, and sometimes that exists outside of the scope of what they're required to do, but if we can come to some sense of understanding and relationship there and you see a lot of these folks over and over again, right, it's sort of the same representation.

Josh Prizer:

There's a large economy in Raleigh but it's a lot of the same folks coming through on a yearly, bi-yearly basis. But you form these relationships and really, you know, try to get the most and come to the middle and try to get some things from them that they might not be able to get, and then help them in ways and such, you know, maybe somebody that's a little more staunch would not be able to offer, and then ultimately, if you can get some extra infrastructure paid for or some extra road paved, that cost savings gets passed down to the taxpayer. The taxpayer no longer bears that burden, right? Some of those skills, I think, could lend themselves very well to the council position. Okay.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's your long-term vision for the future of Holly Springs?

Josh Prizer:

Well, I'd like to see Holly Springs continue the path in which it's taken. I think that the mayor and the former councils have done a pretty good job sketching out the vision for this community. You know, we've got a strong business acumen in terms of what we have. We've got some very, very large businesses. But we've got some large businesses and we've got some medium sized businesses and we've got some small business. Ultimately, I'd like to continue to encourage small business and be able to help them develop.

Josh Prizer:

I know a number and I'm friends with a number of small business owners and they love living here and I would love to be able to continue to promote and help bolster the small business community, because you know what you really want from a community. You want the people that have businesses in that community. You want them living in your town. They're equally as vested as you, as a citizen of a town, in their business, you know, because they want their business to thrive but they want the town to thrive as well. So I'd like to see the town continue in the fashion that it's been continuing, but with a little more emphasis on helping that small business community, continuing strategic growth, but also being perhaps a little bit more strategic in the way in which we grow. So that means taking a look at our UDO and our future plan and really taking a look at that and maybe being proactive in zoning a little bit more. We've done a little bit of that, but I think that we could do more and I think that what that could do is really shape the vision, even sketch that vision out a little clearer, and developers can then see that as well.

Josh Prizer:

So if we start to proactively rezone, we can potentially cut some of the process down. So if we rezone proactively and say, okay, this is what our vision is, this is where we want this to be, this to be, this to be, one, we can temper some of the development in terms of when it happened, where it happens. But two, you cut down a significant amount of process in terms of rezoning and anything can be rezoned again right, and the vision may change in the future. Who knows, 10, 15 years down the road. If we say today, this should be this, maybe the town requires something different, so it always can be rescheduled.

Josh Prizer:

However, you can cut out some of that timeframe. The idea is that the developers have cost savings there within the time and amount of effort because they know that it's like, okay, well, that's zoned for this, we want to put this here, it's not zoned for that, we're not going to bother. But there is another developer says, okay, yeah, we want to develop this right, so they save that amount of time, that money, into the rezoning process and the whole thing in which they have to go through, and the idea is that that cost savings get passed down to the potential new homeowner, the renter, however it makes. But again, it's in that conversation and relationship that it takes to really explain and make sure that's followed through with as well.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What are your top three priorities for the community if elected?

Josh Prizer:

So responsible growth. Obviously, public safety is a big one of mine. We know what's coming in terms of growth and population and we have to make sure that we're maintaining the public safety right, and that's obviously a huge thing. With my background, I'm a firm believer in strong lease fire EMS support. So I really want to see lease and fire specifically supported in. You know, not only their training but their equipment, and then to make sure that they have their staffing appropriately right, and then some of that is building out. So we've got to make sure that we're building out the fire stations appropriately.

Josh Prizer:

I think there's plans already in the works for station four and there's long-term plans for station five of making sure that gets accomplished and that we're budgeting properly for that growth, sure that we're not lagging in any of those safety measures. There's not a lot we can do about EMS other than support them Right. The EMS is managed by the county at this point, so I'd really like to see us support them in ways that you know be able to have zones for them to house their units within our station so that when they're not on calls they're locally available. So I think that's what we can do. And then the third would be taxes. We're getting hit really hard. A lot of people don't realize that a lot of our taxes in Holly Springs come from the county level. Both of our taxes are determined by the board of commissioners. At the county level, however, you know, there's municipal taxes as well, and I'd like to commit to not raising those during my term.

Josh Prizer:

I think that we've got enough tax revenue and windfall that come in where we can really continue the growth, continue the strategy and support all the services that we're doing without having to pass that on to the taxpayers.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What is working well in the town today and where do you see room for improvement?

Josh Prizer:

So I've addressed this a little bit, but I think the development slightly, we could improve that process and get that process a little smoother in hopes of a cost savings, you know, back to the empire. So I think that we can look at that. I think we need to be proactive at looking at the future growth of Holly Springs and make sure that we're doing it. And everybody says responsible growth, responsible growth. But what does responsible growth mean? Well, to me that means we don't just approve a blanket of projects. Right, that's one, two.

Josh Prizer:

You want to make sure, when you approve a project, that you don't just go and approve another project that's right beside that.

Josh Prizer:

Right, we've got a decent amount of congestion here. I think a lot of it's starting to be abated with what developers are required in terms of road widening and filling in those gaps that are currently there. Polly Springs has just gotten a grant to widen 55, so that's in the process. It's not going to be done overnight, but it'll be done in the next four to five years, which will improve things greatly. But we've got to keep an eye on the density of what we're approving. But we also got to make sure that we're not approving apartment complex here and then down the street less than a mile another high density unit. You got to make sure that you're strategic about the growth and making sure that we're getting the most infrastructure improvements from our developers. I think it's being done well now, but I think we could do better, and I think you know myself, being on the planning board, I understand that and I think that we can definitely improve in that aspect.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Do you have any specifics of how it could be done better?

Josh Prizer:

Well, I think it's in that process of asking for more, right. So it doesn't have to always be a be in lieu or okay. You're required to do this, but you need to ask for more in terms, and that doesn't mean it's a significant overage to a developer per se. It's a meeting in the middle type deal, right? So, for example, there's a project recently approved I won't get into the specifics because I'm not sure how far along in the process it is, but I'm going to use raw numbers here. It required eight sections of sewer, one side of road wide main, and that's what they were required by the town to do. The planer board said yep, that's good, rubber stamp, blah, blah, blah.

Josh Prizer:

But it was in an area that was a little bit already congested. It was in an area that was already a little bit of a hot spot, and so they asked for more. So there was widening on both sides of the road. There was extra lengths of the sewer main that drastically needed like 14 sections improved. So they got a few extra sections of improvement, and it's things like that that you really have to push for and say, okay. Hey, listen, we've got a problem here. You've got a problem where you want to put this X project on what's mean in the middle here let's figure out what we can do and how we can do it, and so you get a little bit more. You don't have to then improve on Holly Springs' budget, ergo passing it along to the taxpayer, and you get it from the folks that are doing the project at the time that they're doing the project.

Josh Prizer:

We just need more of that

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Do you support the current town budget? Where would you advocate changes, including any adjustments to taxes or spending priorities, if needed for fiscal responsibility?

Josh Prizer:

So I'm never a fan of tax raises. I think that there's always room to do better, right? I think Dan Barry said it really well the last time they approved the budget when he voted against the tax raise, but I think they could have done better. I think that, should I be elected, it'll be a little easier to do that because of the revenue that's going to start coming from the big projects like Food to Dinosaur and Amgen and eventually Genentech, and so those tax dollars will be readily available. It's a significant amount of money coming back to the town and so, you know, I think there's really always a way to be able to go back, do the work, go through the budget, comb through it, find ways to reallocate money and not have to pass that back to the taxpayer.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Oftentimes it feels like government waits until a specific need is critical before taking action. Do you support being more proactive and if so, how and in what ways specifically?

Josh Prizer:

The town, I believe, has a really good sense of where things are going in the future and I think they know the growth that we're expecting. They know the amount of growth going on in other areas, and so I think the way to be proactive is really just run the numbers right and figure out okay, we're going to be at X population in 2035, right, and what does our infrastructure look like right now? What's our water consumption look like? What does our sewer usage look like now and what are we going to need in 2035? What are we going to need in 2040? And being proactive in getting that accomplished before we're there, you can't just wait for it to come and then do the necessary remediations or the necessary fixes or the necessary plumbing, sewer, et cetera. You can't wait for that. You have to look into the future and it's not hard. You know, we know what is it 60, 66 people coming to Wake County every day. Think about that. We know Pauley Springs is an extremely attractive area to come. We are one of the hottest communities right now. Our taxes from a town perspective are the second lowest in the county, so we're a very attractive place to live and to move to. So we know that people are coming, we know what those numbers look like and we have to plan for that future.

Josh Prizer:

And it goes back to the development.

Josh Prizer:

We have to do those improvements now, and the way we do those improvements now are working with our developers to make sure that they are helping us to improve. The other way in which you can do this from a road perspective and they're doing this with Holly Springs Road right now we don't have control over the DOT, but we can take out loans to pay for certain infrastructure improvements, and roads being one of them. We can borrow from lenders and do those improvements and then, at such a time when that project that road improvement was slated by the DOT comes up, the DOT then reimburses us and so you kind of take this like laying the track in front of the train approach, sort of with the monetary funds, right. So like when you get reimbursed in the DOT, then you take that money that you have and then parlay that into another project that might take longer than we want to wait for, right. You got to just be very strategic in the way in which we're approving projects and where we're putting projects and prioritizing projects?

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What new initiatives or attractions would you champion to boost revenue and community pride?

Josh Prizer:

I think we have a really great opportunity with the downtown development. I think that we have an opportunity there to increase some small and local businesses and give them a place to exist and to create a thriving kind of carry-ish, if you will like, downtown for people to go morning, afternoon and night, and with that probably comes some more attractive housing for younger folks. A lot of the ideas are taxpayer commercial on the bottom and then apartments on top, but really giving folks a place and a hub, you know, a traditional downtown, to thrive in. You know, I think Eagles Landing Park. I think it's going to be a great addition to the community.

Josh Prizer:

I think we're very I've seen it personally with having young children in sports we're very stretched in terms of the space in which we have to have some of these sports activities. So I'd love to see another park in the future probably not, you know, the next five years, but probably is something that we need to plan for, because this area is just growing and most of the people we're attracting, quite honestly, are families. So we've done a lot of the greenway work that's already in the town and it's kind of being plugged up as we speak, you know, and connected. So I think we've done a pretty good job there.

Josh Prizer:

But from a sports field perspective and a parks perspective as we expand outside of the traditional Holly Springs. It's definitely something we need to think about as well.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Have you ever disagreed publicly with a current town decision or policy? If so, what was it and how would you handle a similar situation if you were elected into office?

Josh Prizer:

I can't think of any policy that I've disagreed with that the town has passed. I don't believe I've ever disagreed with anything that they've passed. To be honest with you, I'm just trying to run through my head on everything. The biggest thing about being in a council is that you have to work with your fellow council members, right?

Josh Prizer:

And so, regardless of what their opinion is, you have to really try to understand their opinion on the matter, whether you disagree with it or not. And I would take it a step further you also have to work with neighboring towns. That's a big thing to them, right? There's a lot of things in terms of infrastructure, water treatment, water coming into the town. You have to work with these towns, and some of them you might not agree with, but ultimately, your responsibility is to the taxpayer, right, and so you know whether you like this person on a personal level or you don't like their policies, or you don't like their decision on something, you still have to really take the time to understand what their position is. And then, if you're passionate about your position and they're passionate about their position, you have to figure out a way to either persuade them to come to your side or find some type of middle ground. Or, you know, in some cases you might be persuaded, and that's why it's important to really take the time to understand.

Josh Prizer:

If there's something that's contentious that's going on, I think it requires a lot of conversation and it probably needs to be done before the council meeting itself. Right, you wanna make sure that you take the time to thoroughly one understand the position of the person that is taking that opposing view and then try to figure out okay, where can we go with this? Okay, I'm not gonna change this person's opinion, so is there a middle ground there? Is there a way in which we can make this work together? And I think that's how you have to approach anything really in business, in life or on council is to really just try to understand the other person's view, and maybe it's as a set of people, maybe it's two other people, maybe it's four against one. You know, and you're the the only person, that you really have to take the time to understand it and then try to be persuasive. Should you believe firmly enough in your position.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

You answered this a little bit before, but when you hear smart growth, what does that mean for our town in practical terms?

Josh Prizer:

So I think I did answer this pretty much, but it just means being strategic, being future orientated and minded. It's understanding you know where we're going to be, not just in four or five years, but in 10, 15, 20 years, and really making sure that what you're putting where makes sense, and that it makes sense where it is, but also does it make sense for the town.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

How would you ensure new development maintains our town's character while remaining affordable for residents?

Josh Prizer:

So I think I've kind of touched on this as well, but really just trying to make sure that we're getting as much as we can from the developers. Listen, they've got to make money too. There's no doubt about it, right? Nobody's going to build a project and not make money on it. Nobody's going to build something for free, but there are ways in which that we can work with them.

Josh Prizer:

Now, from a looks perspective, I think the town has that pretty well covered.

Josh Prizer:

I think it should be revisited every few years just to make sure that we don't have outdated codes and outdated aesthetic, outdated requirements.

Josh Prizer:

But I think the town's done a pretty good job of really making sure that things are on the up and up in terms of developing and their looks wise. But I think the ultimate pass down that we can give the taxpayers to make sure that we're getting as much from the developers and then holding them accountable to that cost savings right. So if we were to do the pre-zoning, that's a significant amount of money. I don't have a dollar value to tell you right now, but I can tell you a year to a year and a half of time from a developer perspective is a significant cost saving. So if you're doing a neighborhood and you don't have to rezone a parcel of land for said neighborhood. All you have to do is come in conceptually and get the plot approved. That's a significant cost saving and you have to hold the builders accountable that that cost saving should be passed along in the price of the house or the apartment unit or the rent of the unit, and I think that that's really where the rubber can meet the road in that regard.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Our town is growing rapidly, putting pressure on infrastructure like water and roads, public safety, parks and recreation and housing affordability. If you had to prioritize only one of these areas this year, due to limited funding, which would you choose and how would you communicate that decision to residents?

Josh Prizer:

So I think infrastructure is ultimately very, very important because it feeds the town, it feeds the residents, it feeds the businesses, and just not only for the residents, right, but the people coming into our town as well, right, they're coming in here for our services as well. So I think infrastructure, you know and infrastructure could be a number of things it could be the water, it could be the sewer, it could be the roads, it could be electric. You know, we have to keep a mindful eye on all four of those to make sure that we're basically operating not only for the now but for the future, and so I would prioritize those. So if it was a now question and we had only to do one, I would say your best bet is to put your money in infrastructure, because it's going to be a savings for the future ultimately, if you do it now.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Do you feel we already adequately meet the needs of any of these Infrastructure, public safety, parks and recreation or housing affordability?

Josh Prizer:

I think we do. I mean, I think we do a good job right now of deploying public safety for our police and fire. I think we're doing our best to proactively manage the roadways. I think we are getting some significant improvements from the developers in the infrastructure portion, at least in some of the hotter spots of need. When it comes to infrastructure like sewers and water, I think there's a great proactive plan to supply us with more water and that's already in place and in the works. So, yeah, I think that we've done a reasonably good job and, like I said, we can be better. There's no reason to not improve on these processes. You know, holly Springs is a great place I don't think anybody would argue with that right, and anybody that did probably plan to get out of here anyway. But we can do better and we got to really look towards the future and continue the hard work that's been done around it. To really look towards the future and continue the hard work that's been done around it.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Okay. As the population grows, what strategies would you prioritize to address roads, utilities and other infrastructure challenges?

Josh Prizer:

So again, I think I've addressed all of these in some of my answers before, so I'm not going to bore people with that Sure, like there's no doubt it needs to be addressed. But I do believe that we're doing a good job, but we can do a little better.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Okay, Holly Springs has focused on bringing in biomedical and science-based businesses. How would you balance supporting these businesses and garnering more with some public sentiment that may be skeptical of science or vaccines?

Josh Prizer:

So you know, I think the proof is in the pudding, essentially so. You know, I think the proof is in the pudding, essentially, right. So you have Seqirus, who's been here for a long time. Right, they were the OGs of biotech.

Josh Prizer:

You've got Amgen and Fuji, who are billion-dollar corporations. You know, if what they did wasn't adequate they wouldn't be billion-dollar companies right. And then you now have Genentech opening their East Coast production facility now here, and just broke ground right. And then you now have Genentech opening their own East Coast production facility now here, and just broke ground right. So we have significant science to pull from. So I'm excited about it personally and I don't think that there's anything to be skeptical on.

Josh Prizer:

I understand that there's going to be some hardships in the beginning, just in terms of the development of the plots of land themselves. Right. But with those developments will come road widenings, there will come more infrastructure. All of these projects are bringing services to the town that you know. I know some probably don't know about. It's also bringing good families to the community. Just the staff alone that are going to be working in these facilities are going to feed a lot of small businesses in Holly Springs. We're talking restaurants and services. It's good for our economy to have these companies here. I firmly believe it.

Josh Prizer:

I'm not sure how much room is left in Holly Springs for another biotech. I'd have to look at the land map to figure out where you could squeeze another big facility in. But I think we've got really great biotech companies and I'll just kind of add on to that. Some might call this a shameless plug, but you know Pine Springs has a high school that's going to be opening in 2026. And really the vision for a part of the curriculum of that or at least a student chooses to go into biotech and they're going to have a biotech track and that track will be designed to come out of high school with a certificate that will enable you to go work in one of these biotech companies.

Josh Prizer:

Right now, the estimated salary of that is $60,000. So if you have a student coming out of high school maybe they want to go to college, maybe they don't, maybe they're really interested in this track they can be making $60,000 right at high school. But even more importantly is that they can then do this job and then pursue education in tandem with this certificate. So, supporting the biotech, they're supporting us as well. So they're helping with Wake Tech, I believe. They're helping with a number of the local universities. They're giving back to the community, I think, as well I would point that out and providing us with education and also providing jobs for local residents.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

As our town grows, farmland faces pressure from development and some residents struggle to access fresh food. How would you support local farmers, protect farmland and help ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable food?

Josh Prizer:

Well, ultimately it's the decision of the landowner to do what they want with their property right. I'm 100% for property rights. So if a homeowner is feeling pressure from a developer, I want to know about that right. If they feel like they're being squeezed out, that's unacceptable. But if that's not happening at the same time, farmer Smith, whose land has been in his family for three, four, five generations he decides you know what, man, this is generational wealth I'm looking at to sell. I mean, as a US citizen, has the right to sell to whoever he wants, right. So I don't want to prohibit that, but I at the same time. If anybody's feeling squeezed or pressured, that needs to be addressed immediately and something that needs to be handled at a higher level than just town council.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Our police sometimes receive requests from outside agencies, while also addressing our local needs. How would you set priorities for public safety with limited resources?

Josh Prizer:

If it's a mass casualty incident, whether it's fire or police, or if it's high stakes, mutual aid is commonly run in departments. I ran it when I was in the fire department. You know there's things called staging. If a certain area is stressed, right. If a certain area is stressed let's say there's something that happens in Cary, I don't know let's say a warehouse blew up and you have significant damage to buildings, potential loss of life, you're going to call from your surrounding resources, right, and it's up to the chain of command to pull from those resources but also then restaff those. So essentially it's a staging.

Josh Prizer:

So Holly Springs moves to Apex, the Apex moves into Cary, right, and to help assist, Should they need the guys from Apex you know the Holly Springs that are stationed in Apex to move into Cary. Well then you got to draw up, you got to draw from outside communities and there's emergency plans in place for all of this to make sure that public safety in your particular municipality is not stressed by somebody having to move out of jurisdiction temporarily or some type of natural disaster or disaster. In that regard, Statewide disasters I fully support response teams, right. I don't know the exact fact, but I'm sure we have people on disaster relief in the Holly Springs Fire Department that are certified as such, that probably get called out to situations like Helene, and then we just have to restaff appropriately. But you know, helping our neighbors, that just comes with being a first responder. You're there to help, whether it's your town or not, and that's why you got into it in the first place.

Josh Prizer:

I support that.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

How can the town better support small businesses and connect with their needs?

Josh Prizer:

So I think we definitely need to listen to our small businesses and what they're looking for. I think one thing that we're seeing a lot of is growth with larger businesses, right, and not so much the small, and that probably has a lot to do with, you know, the economy cost, but we need to figure out a way and such to really listen to them, and I'd rely on some of the folks that I know that have small businesses that I've talked to, but also some of the council members currently that have small businesses and that understand them and really listen to those folks to find out, okay, where are your stressors, where are your hiccups? Are you getting dinged unnecessarily? What's cost prohibitive from being able to take that next step in your business and really understanding those?

Josh Prizer:

Because small business is the lifeblood and you want people in your community creating small businesses. It leads to a better community. There's no doubt about it. When you have somebody that has a business that lives in your community, they're vested in more ways than just having a family in your community. Right, they have their business there and they want to see good things happen to that community, so it's pinnacle that we continue to support them in any way, shape or form.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Okay, what approaches would you take to foster understanding and collaboration amongst residents with differing perspectives?

Josh Prizer:

I think there's a way in which to do this and you're talking about bridging the gap. So I think you can have open conversations about this. I think you can have town halls, so to speak, right, and, if there's a hot button issue, to have a common sense, calm, rational discussion about things and make sure that there's representatives of both opinions. That's a possibility. In terms of hearing from the public, obviously, as a city council member, obviously there's public commentary during every meeting, but the other thing that I would like to do is to have monthly or bimonthly, depending on demand, office hours and just have a standing day or two every single month, at the same time at the same location that people just know okay, you've got an issue with this, come, let's talk about it. Or you've got a question about this, come on, let's talk about it.

Josh Prizer:

And being able to really openly discuss things that people may be concerned about or may be happy about or may be misinformed about, and being able to really bridge that gap. You can do that in a newsletter as well. But that human connection and I think that's a lot of the times that we're missing, especially in this day and age, right is that it's easy to point a finger and yell behind a keyboard. But if you sit down with somebody, whether it's public to public or whether it's council person to public, having that human connection and taking the time and that calm demeanor to just understand where that person is coming from, and you may walk away from that disagreeing still, or you may walk into that better educated, but having that openness, that transparency, that works from a citizen's perspective and I think that works from a council to citizen perspective as well.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

How will you ensure diverse voices and those most impacted are not only included but truly embraced in decision making?

Josh Prizer:

I think everybody has a voice right Currently. Everybody has a voice. I don't know that there's anybody that's been stopped from speaking their mind at a council meeting. I don't know that anybody's been stopped from holding an event. I don't know that anybody's been stopped from participating in whatever they want. I think that we have a very, very open community.

Josh Prizer:

I think we have a safe community. I think that generally people feel very safe here. So, like from a diversity standpoint, I have not heard otherwise that there was a problem with that. I mean, there's laws in place too that would speak to that, that prohibit people from discrimination, right Both at the state level and the federal level. So you know, I would just continue to encourage people. Okay, if you feel not heard, come talk. Come talk about it. Come to a council meeting and talk in public commentary, make an appointment with a council member or a mayor, and if you have concerns or you're not, feeling heard.

Josh Prizer:

use your voice, because that door's open in my opinion, and you may have answered a little bit of this one as well.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Do you support a non-discrimination ordinance or policy? Why or why not?

Josh Prizer:

So I don't. And I don't for probably three main reasons. So one, I've already touched on there's state and federal law that prohibits discrimination already. Two, the NDO program in itself, the Wake County. You know I've looked at the numbers. It hasn't really proven really anything. The wasn't a business, etc. Etc. And the program in and of itself isn't really designed from a long-term funding perspective.

Josh Prizer:

You know, I think it's funded for like the first year or two and then the town has to take over the burden of this arbitration. But I think the biggest reason is because these rules already exist. You know there's zero complaints in Holly Springs in terms of zero to the police department or the town. And then also the third I think that this is a larger one too, and we talked about small business before. But the legal strain and cost to have to have everything reviewed. I just don't support putting another burden on small business to have them have to deal with the legal review of their policies and procedures, etc, etc. When there, when there's already, you know, laws in place to address this. That's just my position on that.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Okay. Have you gained any endorsements thus far and if you gain more, where might voters find that information?

Josh Prizer:

So I don't have any endorsements as of right now, so but you would be able to find everything on my website.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

And where can listeners connect with you and learn more about your platform?

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

upcoming events and ways to get involved.

Josh Prizer:

Again, wwwjoshforhollyspringscom, you can find all the information. My policy positions are listed. Those came out yesterday the full gamut. I had it sketched out earlier but I've got a deeper dive in that, so please go to the website. You can reach out to me via email, joshforhollysprings at gmailcom, If you have any questions, if you'd like to get involved, we would love to have you on the team. We're outdoor knocking. Stop me in the street if you see me. We'd love to talk to you. We'd love to hear your opinions.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to share with those voting in the upcoming election?

Josh Prizer:

No, I think you're doing that service to everybody by sitting down and talking with all the candidates. I'd tell everybody research your candidate, research their views, their thoughts, make sure there's substance there, make sure that there's careful thinking involved and that it's the right decision for the long term of Holly Springs. And I appreciate your time and again it's wwwjoshforhollyspringscom. I'd love to hear from you.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

All right, perfect. So I always close with a bit of a lightning round just to get to know more about you as a person, less about Holly Springs and politics, so you can just answer whatever comes to mind. What's something you do that helps you recharge?

Josh Prizer:

Great question. I don't know the last time I recharged. I always say that nobody likes to work for free more than me. You know I like to play with my kids. I do love coaching, even though that's kind of a job. I love to coach. I love to work with the kids and watch them improve over time and then watching it, kind of like you know, you practice, you practice, you practice and then watch them in the game and watch them improve over time and then watching it, kind of like you know, you practice, you practice, you practice and then watch them in the game and they do well. So you love to see that. It's kind of a recharging in a way. But if I'm really really not recharging, I like to sit by the pool and just kind of have a drink and chill out.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about you that most people don't know?

Josh Prizer:

I'm a big fan of Guns N' Roses and I went one year to Coachella even though I was way too old to be there and just to see them, because I was so worried that Axl Rose was going to blow them. Blow them up and disband the the band before they even got out of the chance to get on the road. So I think their third show was Coachella. So I found a way to get there and saw them live and they were phenomenal.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's something that is difficult for you.

Josh Prizer:

Sitting still Clearly from my resume. I have a really hard time of chilling out. When I can get to the beach and chill out, I can get there, but if I'm around the house with three kids and a job and doing the volunteer, work.

Josh Prizer:

it's really hard to sit still, but it's kind of boring. I really like to just be busy.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What book, podcast or TV show are you enjoying right now?

Josh Prizer:

For some odd reason, every night I fall asleep to Ancient Aliens. I just find it so out there, but at the same time very interesting and for some reason it puts me right to that. I'll watch 15, 20 minutes of it and be enjoying it, but something about the monotone. Mike Rowe had the same effect on me when he did the universe.

Josh Prizer:

The narrator has this voice that just puts me out, so it's a huge failure.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Who is your favorite superhero?

Josh Prizer:

Batman

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Josh Prizer:

Work hard, play hard.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's one guilty pleasure that you secretly enjoy?

Josh Prizer:

I enjoy a Zyn, a nicotine pouch.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

What's a simple thing that always makes you laugh or smile.

Josh Prizer:

Potty humor Gets me every time, especially with a little boy in the house, gets me every time.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Coffee or tea?

Josh Prizer:

coffee

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Morning, person or night owl?

Josh Prizer:

both

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Mountains or beach?

Josh Prizer:

beach

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

Book or podcast?

Josh Prizer:

podcast

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

dogs or cats?

Josh Prizer:

dogs

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

awesome. Well, thank you so much, Josh. I appreciate you joining me for this candidate conversation on the NC Deep Dive and I wish you the best of luck with the election.

Josh Prizer:

Amanda, it's been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

You're welcome. Local elections are where democracy lives closest to home. The decisions and actions of our mayors, the Holly Springs Town Council and the Fuquay-Varina Board of Commissioners influence the services we rely on each day, the safety of our streets, the character of our neighborhoods and even the future direction of our communities. Democracy is at the heart of all we hold dear. Our local governments set priorities that touch everyday life. They pass ordinances, fund our fire and police departments, set property tax structures and shape the look and feel of our towns. Because turnout is often lower in municipal elections, every ballot cast carries even greater weight. Here's what you need to know for 2025. The voter registration deadline is October 10th, unless you register at an early voting site. Early voting begins October 16th at the Wake County Board of Elections office in Raleigh. Additional sites open on October 25th, including the John M Brown Community Center in Apex and the Avery Street Recreation Center in Garner. Those two will be the closest to us in Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina. Early voting concludes on Saturday, November 1st. Please note that this year only includes two Saturdays, October 25th and November 1st, and one, Sunday, October 26th. The last day to request a mail-in absentee ballot is October 21st and election day itself is Tuesday, November 4th, where you'll need to cast your vote at your assigned precinct. Please remember you will need a valid ID to vote. That wraps up another NC Deep Dive candidate conversation.

Amanda Benbow Lunn:

You can find all of our 2025 municipal election interviews at www. ncdeepdive. com, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you currently listen to podcasts. Show notes will include links to candidates, voter resources, and election information. If you find these conversations helpful, please subscribe, share them with friends or family and consider leaving a rating or review. Spreading the word in your local spaces helps strengthen informed participation across our communities. If you have thoughts or topics you'd like us to explore, reach out on social media or email us anytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail. com. I'm grateful you spent this time with me today. Staying informed is how we shape communities worth calling home. Your choices matter, your perspective matters and you matter. Your ballot is your voice, and both carry more power than you might imagine. Democracy isn't passive. It only works when we each show up. Thank you for helping me to make it thrive. May we continue to work together to build stronger, more vibrant communities, to live, work and play in, Ones we can all be proud to call home. Until next time, my friends namaste. The love and light in me sees and honors the love and light in you.

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