NC Deep Dive
Diving in to local issues within Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina, building community, sharing perspectives, and keeping you better informed!
NC Deep Dive
William (Bill) Harris: 2025 Fuquay Varina Mayoral Candidate
We sit down with Commissioner and mayoral candidate William (Bill) Harris to discuss a bold vision for Fuquay Varina—one that prioritizes balanced growth, higher wages through clean industry, and meaningful quality-of-life investments that strengthen community, not just add rooftops. Harris brings a results-driven track record, unpacks key votes, and calls on residents to help shape the town’s next chapter.
- Defining The Mayor’s Role As Ambassador, Brand Protector, And Visionary
- Fifty–Fifty Growth Strategy To Balance Residential And Commercial Development
- Tax Base Expansion To Ease The Burden On Residents
- Housing Diversity, Workforce Wages, And Streamlined Permitting
- Quality Of Life Investments Including Parks, Greenways, And An Aquatic Center
- Infrastructure First: Mobility, Chokepoints, And Long-Term Planning
- Evidence-Based Stance On Social Districts And Public Health
- Preserving Farmland And Improving Local Food Access
- Proactive Engagement Via Let’s Talk Fuquay Varina And Public Forums
- Small Business Support And The Chamber’s Evolving Role
- Arts District Proposal To Foster Connection And Inclusion
- Objectivity In Leadership And A Commitment To Avoiding Conflicts Of Interest
- Endorsed By The Wake County Democratic Party
Bill Harris is one of two candidates vying to be the next Mayor of Fuquay Varina. With early voting starting October 16 and Election Day on November 4, now’s the time to prepare. Make a plan, bring your valid ID, and be part of shaping the future of Fuquay Varina—for the next two years and beyond.
BHarris30917@yahoo.com
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
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!
Hello, my friends. Welcome back to the NC Deep Dive Podcast. I am your host, Amanda Benbow Lunn, and today I am honored to be speaking with William Bill Harris as part of our 2025 Municipal Election Candidate Conversations. Bill is running for the two-year mayoral seat in Fuquay Varina for this race. He will be running against current Mayor Blake Massengill. These races are nonpartisan, so there will not be any party affiliation like an R or a D next to their name on your ballot. You will be eligible to vote for one of these candidates for the seat on your ballot in this election. 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. Just as a special note, Mayor Massengill chose to politely decline and so will not be participating in these candidate conversations. Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in. Welcome, Bill Harris. I appreciate you hopping on the NC Deep Dive podcast with me today. I'll allow you to take some time and introduce yourself, how long you've lived in the area, and what's inspired you to run for mayor.
William (Bill) Harris:Hello, Amanda. How are you doing? It's always good to have an opportunity to come and to be with you. I really appreciate all that you do. I think it's important that we have this forum where I can share who I am and why I'm running for mayor. And hopefully this will be a way where people can understand who I am. Of course, I'm Bill Harris, and a couple of things I just want to say is that my roots run deep here in Fuquay Varina. I've been here practically all of my life except for moving away and going to school and then getting married and working and then coming back to this area. This community has been one of the greatest opportunities for me as far as being able to elect me to public office over six terms. I've been elected over 30 years.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Wow.
William (Bill) Harris:Which speaks to my ability to work with diverse groups of people, to work across racial lines, and also to be able to experience what it means to collaborate and coordinate with others to get things done. One of the things that I've learned being in office is that in order to get things done, you have to be able to work with and through others. And I think that that ability qualifies me, number one, for the position of mayor. I come from humble beginnings. My mother was one of the first African-American barbers here in Fuquay Varina. Wow. My father was a caddy at Pinehurst Country Club until he went into the military, went into the war in World War II. He was a staff sergeant in World War II. And he transitioned here to Fuquay from Moore County. And he met my mother and they married, and he got a job in the textile meal here, and they raised my sister and myself. So, yes, for me, I look at the example that my parents left and I draw from both of them my ability to work in the public arena because by my mother being a barber, and she kept me in the barbershop with her on Saturdays, I guess to keep me out of trouble. By my mother being a barber, I saw how she interacted with others and how she talked about the importance of relationships and listening to people because she had a large customer base and she knew how to keep that customer base. And I used to watch her on Saturday mornings because my job in the barbershop was to shine the shoes. So I would be there, she would see me, I would see how she interacted with customers and her outgoing and friendly demeanor and how it kept her customer base. My mother. So I looked at both of those different personalities, and I drew from that. You know, there was a theme among caddies that my father used to share in regards to keeping that kind of job. He said there are three things you do when you're a caddy, and you show up, you keep up, and you shed up. Well, you see, so so from that regard, both of my parents taught me the importance of sustaining relationships and building relationships as well as understanding how to operate in a larger arena with people who might have differences in order to get things done. So I draw from my parents that kind of experience that I think qualifies me to be in public office. And when I think about it, I said, okay, yeah, I saw my parents, I saw how they were able to interact with other people, different kinds of people, sustain good working relationships. So that's part of my background that has sort of propelled me into public service. So that's the synopsis of who I am. After graduating from high school here Fuquay Varina, I went on to college and got an undergraduate degree in business administration and then got a master's degree in public administration. So that has allowed me over the years, with my experience on the board, to hone my master's level expertise in public administration, which enables me to, I call it, look at things from a broader systemic way, as well as to understand from my parents' experience the power of having those one-on-one relationships. So I bring both of those to the position as commissioner and now to the position of mayor. I think that those two people, my parents, their overall experience, my experience educationally, as well as having been on the board a number of years, qualifies me to become a good mayor.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:All right. Have you been an active voter, including in local elections?
William (Bill) Harris:Yes, I've voted every election. I think that that's important. I think the vote is one way that everybody can dissipate in government. I think the vote that's at the local, state, and federal level.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. What do you feel is the role of the Fuquay Varina mayor?
William (Bill) Harris:The role of the mayor is, first of all, an ambassador for the town. The mayor, in their interactions and what they do, they literally represent the brand of the town. And the mayor's primary role, number one, is to be an ambassador and to protect the brand. Number two, the mayor, of course, is to consider the chairman of the board. So that the mayor also chairs the town meetings, the local governmental meetings. The mayor also represents the town at ceremonial occasions where there's opportunity for the town to be represented at the state, local, and federal level, as well as within the business community. The mayor is key to promoting a healthy business environment, as well as being the liaison with the entire community when it comes to representing what local government means to the citizenry. So, of course, chairing the meetings, being an ambassador, protecting the brand. And then the last thing, of course, is to providing leadership. Think the mayor is that visionary out front that can set the course for the town. Even within our kind of government, we have the council manager form of government. I think a mayor can be that person who drives the vision for the town, which I believe is so important. So those are the general roles that I think are so important to the mayor. And one last thing is the mayor, of course, has to be able to develop and support those relationships, those what I call the intergovernmental relationships. That's with local officials, state officials, and federal officials when it comes to uh developing relationships and partnerships can in turn benefit the town.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. You've mentioned this a little bit already. What is your involvement within the community and town government and what qualifications make you prepared for this role?
William (Bill) Harris:I have a proven track record of getting results. And I can start with my very first suggestion to the town, and this is when I was commissioner earlier on, and I was, of course, in graduate school at the same time studying public administration. At that time, the town did not have a capital improvement plan. And we were a small municipality at that time, and I think maybe there was an idea that there was no need for that. So I brought that recommendation back to the board. And of course, now we have a capital improvement plan. And it's a five-year plan now that we use in order to sort of guide and direct some of the plans and projects that the town has. The next thing that I've done is I worked locally to establish the Martin Luther King Holiday, which Fuquay Varina became one of the few municipalities several years ago to officially recognize Martin Luther King Holiday. I also worked with a group of local citizens where we collaborated and developed partnerships, and I wrote a grant and brought over half a million dollars Fuquay Varina through the Department of Justice. And that half of a million dollars, a part of that was designed to support the community through developing prevention, intervention, and treatment services for individuals with substance abuse problems or drug abuse problems. So we gave $250,000 to the Fuquay Varina citizens against drugs, which I was the chair of that committee. And then the other $250,000 went to the police department where we gave $250,000 to the police department, where we used some of that money to help the police in regards to intervention and what we call weeding out the issues around substance abuse. So the police department used that $250,000 to purchase equipment to do crime prevention activities as well. So that was a big thing Fuquay Varina. I'm probably, in fact, I know I'm the only commissioner who's ever taken that direct effort to bring in money to the town, to Fuquay Varina. And one last thing I'll say is the most recent was my advocating for the Less Fuquay Varina community engagement platform. That tool has been an exceptional tool to allow citizens to have input into the projects and plans and ongoing activities of the town. That's a platform that I recommended during one of my campaigns. I advocated for it, and with the assistance of town management and staff, we got it done. So when you see the Let's Talk Fuquay Communication platform, that was my idea. That was something that I've done for the community for the town of Fuquay Varina.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Awesome. I just filled out one of the surveys on that platform.
William (Bill) Harris:Well, great.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Great. Great. What is your long-term vision for the future of Fuquay Varina?
William (Bill) Harris:Well, the long-term vision is this that we will, first of all, have a balanced growth strategy where 50% of our growth will be residential and 50% will be commercial.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay.
William (Bill) Harris:Right now we are off balance. We are more residential than commercial. So I think we got here mainly because of the rapid growth, that we responded to the request for residential living here in Fuquay Varina, which was okay. But I think now that there is a need to turn that to looking at more commercial development. And one of the things that I want to do is strategically work to balance that because I think that what has happened, given this environment that we're in now, you know, residential growth is good. But one of the things that has happened Fuquay Varina, we haven't had a lot of commercial growth or industries to come to Fuquay Varinaa within the last 10 years. Now, what that does is that because we don't have a lot of commercial growth, it does not allow our tax base to expand as it should. Thus, we get into a situation where in Fuquay Varina, the cost of living becomes so high because a lot of the burden for a lot of the infrastructure lies on your residents. So you have high water bills, and maybe rightly so because the town has to pay for building infrastructure. But the jewel of commercial development is that your large commercial developers and industries can come in and they can help relieve some of that tax burden on residents. The other thing is because of the residential growth, it's almost out of control. What you get now, you get traffic jams, you get higher cost of living, you get a burden on the infrastructure, which that cost has to be transferred somewhere. In some instances, services become higher because of the overburden of the town trying to provide for these large residential customers. I envision our returning back to or trying to balance that existing residential and commercial relationship. I think in the long run that it's going to benefit all the citizens. So I want to encourage and have the vision of our attracting clean, environmentally safe industries that can provide more jobs. It can provide an opportunity for an expanded tax base. Now, what does that do? That makes it so that a young family, a veteran, a working class family, they can come Fuquay Varina and they can live right now because of the cost of residential living. You know, it's hard for people to come to Fuquay Varina. Young families come Fuquay Varina and raise their children, you know, without being stressed. And then the other thing is it enables people who come here, maybe their children want to stay here, instead of having to leave and to go find a job somewhere else because they can't literally afford to stay here. So that's the vision there from the economic development standpoint and the housing standpoint. If you bring industry, industry is going to pay higher salaries. And then those higher salaries will allow people to afford to live here. Certainly, you have your retail jobs, that's okay, but it's hard to purchase a home if you're working at a retail job, making $12, $15 an hour. It's just hard to do that. So by shifting and focusing on commercial development, I'm thinking that we can add, of course, to the greater possibilities of families coming and living here in Fuquay Varina. And the last thing is making sure that we promote quality of life here Fuquay Varina. All of those other things, your commercial and your housing availability, they impact quality of life. And certainly we do have here in Fuquay Varina, we have parks, we have a greenways. I want to make sure we continue to promote those greenways and to do those kinds of things. And my biggest dream is that we have an aquatic center here. I'd like to work on trying to coordinate. I know it's going to be costly because I've been advocating and promoting this for the last five years, but sometimes people say it's not workable. It's not getting done. It's not, but I just want to investigate building those kinds of relationships at the county level that will help partner with us where we can get that done. I think it would be a great asset to Southern Wake County if we could get that done.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Perfect. What are your top three priorities for our community if elected as mayor?
William (Bill) Harris:Of those three that I just talked about, commercial development, a strong economic strategy that helps us level off this residential commercial issue. The next thing would be housing. I think by leveling off this residential commercial issue, it will blend over into making sure that people will be able to find jobs, have the wages that they will be able to that will enable them to purchase housing, that we have a diverse housing stock that's going to make sure that people can live. And the last one is quality of life.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. What is working well in the town today, and where do you see room for improvement?
William (Bill) Harris:I think overall we uh are working well. I think though that this is a time right now in our state and in our country. It's a moment in time that calls for a different strategy. That if we continue going in the direction that we're going, if we continue just to build houses, that we won't build community. I believe in building community rather than just building houses. So I see that as crucial to where we go within the next 10 years. That we have responded or we have reacted to the rapid growth, but at the same time, building community. And a lot of long-term residents have talked about preserving the character of Fuquay Varina, that these are the kinds of challenges that we have to face. Certainly, we've done a good job in providing parks, we've done a good job in doing those kinds of things, but it's a difference in providing leadership in crucial times and providing management in crucial times. I want to provide leadership, and leadership is an action, it's not a position. So, in order to get that done, we have to have at this time different leadership in order to sustain ourselves for the next 10 or 15 years because surely it's coming. It's just that we can say, well, Fuquay's running okay now, it's doing good. My opponent talks about it's an 89% approval rate for what's going on now in Fuquay Varina, but there's another 11% of people who's saying, okay, we can do better. There's some things that we need to do to try to turn this so that we can move into the future. We can be a community that's stronger than we are now. So I think we're doing some good things, but may as a leader, there's a difference in leadership and management. And right now we are at the point where we are managing what this time calls for leadership. And I think that my experience as past president of the North Carolina League of Municipalities, where I led and I represented mayors and city council men and women from all over North Carolina. And I know that there's an abundant amount of ideas that can take us to even higher levels of efficiency, effectiveness, quality, and planning if we would focus on new leadership.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Do you support the current town budget? And where would you advocate for changes, including any adjustments to taxes or spending priorities if needed for fiscal responsibility?
William (Bill) Harris:The current budget addresses a five-year plan, and I think that's good, but it does not necessarily address the direction that we need to go within this current environment. As stated during our budget deliberations, these are uncertain economic times. And these uncertain economic times, it calls for innovative thinking about how we approach things. Our budget now is $70 some million dollars annually. Our priorities, of course, are based on what we termed in our annual strategic planning process. That's good, but it doesn't acknowledge where we are in these uncertain economic times, that we just aren't able to continue just building residential development without affording to put effort towards securing industry. We have to look at that. We do have an economic development plan, but that plan expires in 2025. Our budget does not speak to how we would amend or rewrite that plan strategically.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. What new initiatives or attractions would you champion to boost revenue and community pride?
William (Bill) Harris:Again, I think I put that out. I would have championed an aquatic center. I think that I think that that for me would be a highlight. I think we also need to expand what we're doing with our current recreational facilities. I think that that's important. I think we've done a good job with the Hilltop Need more Recreational Community Center. I think we're doing well with that. I think that those are the kinds of things that I would continue to support as far as quality of life is concerned.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Have you ever disagreed publicly with a current town decision or policy? And if so, what was it? And how would you handle a similar situation if re-elected or as elected as mayor?
William (Bill) Harris:The most recent disagreement has been around my supporting the social district, which I did not support. And I haven't supported it. There are a couple of reasons why I haven't supported it. The first time around, as I alluded to earlier, I was chairman of the Fuquay Varina Citizens Against Drugs. I also, for 25 years, worked with the Department of Health and Human Services within the substance abuse arena. I was a substance abuse crisis specialist. I was a substance abuse criminal justice mental health specialist. And one of the things that I consistently saw in that profession was the impact that addiction has on individuals and their families. I felt and believed that as a professional, having that knowledge base, having worked the crisis line, and having had calls from individuals from Fuquay Varina, that I did not want to vote to support anything that further enhanced the use of possible abuse of alcohol as an elected official. So I voted no for that reason. I voted no and it did not pass at first. That was in the prior administration. This current mayor brought it back up again, and I voted no again. And this time, my question was: is there any quantitative data to show that social districts enhance business activity? And there's no data available to show that. I was quoted that well, 63 municipalities have approved social districts. But Amanda, there are over 450 municipalities in North Carolina. So because 63 have supported it, you have more than 70 or 80% who have not. So coupled with no quantitative data to support the fact that social districts enhance business activity, and then coupled with my own professional experience in regards to the devastating impact of substance abuse, I could not support it. Nobody starts out after first drink thinking they're going to be an alcoholic. Nobody starts out. They don't believe that. But it's, you know, unless it's unchecked, unless it's really guarded in regards to the consumption of alcohol, it can happen down that road. And as an elected public official who was committed to the health and safety of the community, I just could not support it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. When you hear smart growth, what does that mean for Fuquay Varina in practical terms?
William (Bill) Harris:In practical terms, I think people are talking about trying to do what I'm saying. I'm recommending that we look at our residential development that I think is having a significant impact on our community. That's the first thing. The second thing I think smart growth means is that we're going to redirect our path to where we can have the ability to choose the kind of development that we want to come to. Fuquay Varina, that we can also have plans where we can identify preferred growth areas where we want particular housing. We can also identify areas where we want to promote future commercial development. We can do those kinds of things. And we can also in the process streamline our permitting process for those developers who want to partnership with the town to make sure we have a diverse kind of housing stock where we have duplex, triplexes, those kinds of things. We can help in that area as well. But I think that that's going to take a conversation with the development community about how we want to grow. And I think where we want to grow, those are the kinds of things that I think incorporate the concept and the idea of smart growth. We have to have partnerships and we also have to have a plan and a vision as to how we want to grow. And yet, still we have to bring the development community along to help support them through our expedited permitting process. Because that's been one of the things that developers talk about, the challenge of working with local government and the permitting process. And then, too, one last thing if we want to encourage smart growth, we can provide incentives for developers to develop kind of housing that we need, which is a lot of workforce housing here Fuquay Varina, but it has to be done through a combination of different kinds of strategies. And I think that incentives can help us get to that point if we can work with developers in that capacity.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. How would you ensure new development maintains our town's character while remaining affordable for residents?
William (Bill) Harris:Exactly as what I was just talking about. I think it's important for us to have conversations with developers, have relationships with developers, let them know what we need as a community, and then what we are willing to do to help facilitate that growth. I know developers, they're in the business to make a profit. We're in business to ensure a quality product for our town as far as housing is concerned, and also commercial of development. We have to be able to have those kinds of partnerships and conversations. And if it takes our providing incentives in some capacity, I think that that's something we have to look at, especially if it's going to bring us what we want, which is affordable housing, workforce housing, diverse housing, while at the same time not just destroying, or for lack of a better term, all the trees. I think we can get there. It just takes a conversation and really working with the development community to make sure they know what we want here in Fuquay Varina. And the last thing is and how important it is to preserve the quality of life that we're talking about.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. 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?
William (Bill) Harris:To answer your question, the decision would be communicated to residents through Let's Talk Fuquay Varina, through our course website, through our we have a focus newsletter, and then of course the town hall meetings, which are live streamed. So the community will know what the conversation would be. I think one of the things, the most important thing now is I wish I had a crystal ball where we could go back 10 or 15, 20 years and lay out infrastructure for the growth that we did not see coming, but we sort of are in a position where we're trying to catch up with the growth to provide the infrastructure, which is causing a lot of problems because we're building so fast. The infrastructure is just about there. So my idea would first be to go back and look at those deferred growth areas as much as we can and make sure we have in place the infrastructure that can help us to be able to move people around the city a lot better to be able to help people who commute, who take that 30, 35-minute commute to Research Triangle, to Raleigh or Durham, whatever, to help them get there more efficiently. I think 540 has helped out a lot, but the internal infrastructure, just riding around Fuquay, has been a challenge. That's certain times of the day where I don't try to travel from one part of town to the other because of the traffic jam and the way the infrastructure has developed over time. I think that that would be the primary thing that I would look at as far as trying to be able to identify that as a challenge and then communicate that to the citizen as well as the cost of what all that would entail.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Do you feel we already adequately meet the needs of any of these, the infrastructure, public safety, parks and recreation, or housing affordability?
William (Bill) Harris:To answer that question, do we already meet those needs? I think we do. I think we meet the minimum requirements of those needs. However, I think the goal is to go beyond just the minimum. I think that our goal should be more than the minimum. I think we should do an outstanding job in meeting those kinds of goals. So it takes a little bit of rethinking about government. You know, it's almost like this idea of government is when there is a project or there's something to be invested in, we take the least bidded amount. And that's supposed to show we are responsible for uh making good decisions in government. But our citizens demand more. Instead of thinking minimum, I think we should think maximum quality and excellence. So that's a different way of looking at what we do. Certainly from the minimum, we might be meeting those requirements, but uh, does it reach the mark of excellence? And that's what I want to use as a mark or standard for how we do things.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. As the population grows, what strategies would you prioritize to address roads, utilities, and other infrastructure challenges?
William (Bill) Harris:I think, first of all, again, with the commercial focus, I would support higher wages, trying to encourage that with our industries. I would support clean industries. I would also support economic stability. I think that those are important. And within our own town, we have great staff. I think we need to continue to build career ladders within our town. And of course, the last thing I think is would be important is to continue to promote a strong tax base.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. 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?
William (Bill) Harris:I support being more proactive. I support being innovative. I do support better planning and in regards to better planning, more input in how we grow. From that standpoint, I think it's important for us to really continue to try to feel the pulse of the public as to what they want, what the public wants. That can be done not only through the Let's Talk Fuquay Varina. Platform. But I think it can be done through a lot of stakeholder groups, focus groups, and forums where we can actually hear from the public as to what their vision is for the future. I think that that's important. I think community engagement as we move forward, it can be our strength. We just have to have different ways of making sure we can garner the kind of feedback that will help us to understand and sort of do a check-in as to where we are in our plans and our growth and our services.
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?
William (Bill) Harris:I think that one of the challenges for us is how we can grow and we can preserve those farmlands. That is one of the biggest challenges, I think. Now I've had some discussions within the board as to how we can grow and can we identify designated farmlands that are close to Fuquay Varina and have a commitment to preserve those lands, and we can actually do a combination of things. We can continue to grow. We can continue to identify those key rural areas that are farming areas and still address the needs for residential living. We just have to make that decision that that's what we're going to do. Growth can drive the train, but through effective planning, collaboration, and coordination, we can lay the tracks to determine where the train goes. So I believe that that's a conversation that we have to have. And I think the challenge has been, it goes back to the foundational thing, Amanda, how we have addressed and responded to the rapid growth. Have we reacted or have we responded? And I think by putting that issue on the table, what are we going to do with the farmland? That causes for a response. We need to have, again, conversation about how we're going to grow. We need to have a conversation with designating those agricultural areas that we want to preserve and sustain. And from that, we can sustain that rural character that has been such a part of Fuquay Varina history as I know it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Our police sometimes receive requests from outside agencies while also addressing local needs. How would you set priorities for public safety with limited resources?
William (Bill) Harris:Well, one of the things we've been fortunate enough to have here in Fuquay Varina, we have the last heard we had full staff, which is great. Our resources aren't limited here Fuquay Varina. It's just a matter of how we manage what we have. And I think that the approach and effort from the police department has been to support other departments and to collaborate with other departments around the area. I don't see that as a challenge right now. I think because the police department has had tremendous support from town government. I think that that's been one of the things that has occurred over the last five to ten years. So I don't necessarily see limited resources for the police department. I don't see I don't see that as a challenge for them supporting other law enforcement agencies because that's part of what the law enforcement community does. They back up each other. And I see that as continuing as we move forward.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. How can the town better support small businesses and connect with their needs?
William (Bill) Harris:Well, I think that the town does a good job in supporting small businesses because number one, we fund the chamber. We encourage the chamber to continue to reclaim and to retain businesses and to recruit businesses. And the chamber has done an excellent job in that arena. If there's anything else that we can do, I think it would be for us to continue to support the chamber. The mayor normally serves as the chamber liaison. So we already have that in place. One of the other things that I thought about, we might need more than just the mayor being the liaison because that oftentimes speaks to the fact that the local board supports what the chamber is doing and has done in regards to the retail business community. You know, I advocate and I think because of my position on wanting to expand commercial development, that we encourage the chamber, it can be sort of the contact that we need be for the initial identification of possibly commercial development. I think sometimes when people call and want to inquire about the community as far as business is concerned, not knowing how we are structured as a town, that first call is to the chamber. And if that's working for us, I think that that even solidifies the role of the chamber even more. That the chamber is not only helping retain, recruit, and reclaim businesses, but it's also serving sometimes as the first contact for someone who might have a commercial interest here in Fuquay. You know, I think we can expand that role somewhat if we could have conversations with the chamber about that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. What approaches would you take to foster understanding and collaboration amongst residents with differing perspectives?
William (Bill) Harris:I believe the way we do that is I call it creating opportunities for positive collision. And I like that because what it does is it says that we as a community, we can make sure that through our efforts, via through the arts, through our parks, provide opportunities for people of differences to meet and interact. We can have our, of course, I mentioned earlier, our stakeholder groups. We can have our forums, we can have different kinds of opportunities for people to interact. I propose, this is sort of thinking out of the box, but I propose that in my vision, we have an art district here in Fuquay Varina. Can you imagine an art district where we as a as a town we dedicate and our focus on building a portion of this Fuquay Varina where we concentrate on the art district, where we support artists, we support the Fuquay Varina Art Center and the areas around it and designate this as an art district and we put funds in place to attract artists, to attract different kinds of art forms and have that as a district. That's going to create an atmosphere where people who have diverse challenges, diverse cultures to come together and to communicate. I mean, that's on the surface communication, but it's the beginning sometimes of relationships. And then when you have our recreation department, which is outstanding when it comes to providing opportunities for parents and children to come together, you also have an opportunity to support what I would call uh the dynamic of differences among people where they can sit down and they can talk. So we have to set that environment through our parks and recreation where we can have what I call those positive collisions.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. How will you ensure diverse voices and those most impacted are not only included but truly embraced in decision making?
William (Bill) Harris:I think the opportunity, and this is where I think, again, the Let's Talk Fuquay Varina is so important to us and has been such a positive tool for community engagement. That's one for those people who may not want to come to the town board meeting and stand before the board to express their concerns. But they do have that opportunity to come and be heard. At every board meeting, there's an opportunity for public comment. And if there's something that's so pressing for a person that they can come and they can express their concern to the town board, then they can express their concern through Let's Talk Fuquay Varina, or either they can express their concerns individually to me as a mayor, or either to the city council men and women about a particular issue. We're pressing on them. And then once they do that, you know, they can follow up and ask or either see if there are results for whatever their request may be. You know, I think we have a commitment to be able to respond to our ever-growing community that's forever changing because of the direction and the vision that I have. I term it let's deal with the dynamics of differences among our residency and let's make sure we hear them and not ignore them.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Excellent. Do you support a non-discrimination ordinance or policy? Why or why not?
William (Bill) Harris:I don't know if there's a need for a non-discriminatory policy because that's currently in our ordinances already. I don't think that we need that, but I will listen to citizens who request that. You know, if some citizens feel as if they aren't protected and they really feel that that's necessary, then I think that there can be some dialogue about that. But my position would be those kinds of things are already in place. Those protections, we just have to make sure they happen and make sure they are enforced.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Have you gained any endorsements thus far? And if you gain more, where might voters find that information?
William (Bill) Harris:I haven't intentionally sought endorsements. And the reason for that is as mayor, I want to be as objective as possible. I want to be not necessarily committed to one group or another based on their endorsement of me. I want to be as objective and as fair and equitable as possible. I have no conflict of interest when I do this job. I don't want to be looked at as having a conflict of interest in any decision that I make. So I have not sought any endorsement. I just want to be service and I want to make sure we have an equitable, fair, and open government. So I haven't sought any endorsements.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Where can listeners connect with you and learn more about your platform, upcoming events, and ways to get involved?
William (Bill) Harris:Well, I have a website, and they can go on my website, and the website has an opportunity for them to email me and also to make a donation if they choose to. And on my website, it has a brief bio of my experiences, and then it has the three sort of prongs I've talked about, right? About growth and development, about housing as well as quality of life, those three things. And I also have an email address as well on that website. But if they can go to my website, they can see immediate bio, and then from there, if they have questions, they can email me and I will respond as best I can.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Okay. Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to share with those voting in the upcoming election?
William (Bill) Harris:Yes, I guess the question people ask is why would I why would I vote for Bill Harris? Why now? Because Fuquay Varina's going along well and everything is okay. Well, the first thing I want to say is I said just recently, I have no conflict of interest. I'm authentic in my leadership. I have deep roots in this community. My leadership is based on a promise that that I made when I first was asked or appointed to the board over three decades ago, that a former teacher who encouraged me to apply to be to get on the board due to a vacant seat, he made me promise that I would represent the people well. Of course, I had no idea what I was getting into, but but he made me promise. He said, if you become a commissioner, I want you to promise me that you would represent a people well. And I said, I will. And it's based on that promise that I've been here over three decades. It's sort of an organic process that I got into leadership. I didn't necessarily seek it, but once I got into it, I really began to understand the opportunity to have an impact. A friend of mine made this comment. He said that if the life you live doesn't have an impact, then your death won't make a difference.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Wow, that's powerful.
William (Bill) Harris:That drives me. That drives me because I want my life to have an impact. And I believe because of my experience here, you know, I've prepared myself for leadership. I have mastered level professional knowledge of how a city should run. I've been here over 30 years. I have the capability to work with a diverse group of people across racial lines and across the aisle. I'm a big thinker. If you listen to me, you know, I think strategically, I think that's important for this time we are in our country, in our government. We have to look at things a little bit differently. And so I'm committed to that part. And then the vision that I have for Fuquay Varina, having been here, having been able to work, I'd like to bring my professional training and expertise and my experience, my lived experience to the position of mayor. I believe that I can articulate the vision that Fuquay Varina needs, that we no longer just need to manage. We need to lead. We need to take the lead. There are other municipalities in our area who are doing exactly that. They are attracting industry, they are growing, they are able to provide services for their citizens, and I want to be part of that history. So that's why I'm running. I'm running on a promise that I made that I would represent the people well. I'm running from the standpoint that I have gotten results during the time I've been on the board. I've done things that have helped to enhance the brand Fuquay Varina, and I want to continue that. As a commissioner, certainly I could continue as a commissioner, but as a mayor, I will be out front carrying the banner and protecting the brand for Fuquay Varina and being able to have an opportunity to even further carry that banner through having the ability to hear from our citizens. I think that's important, important to me. So that's why I'm running. It was so easy, Amanda, for me for the next two years just to ride off into the sunset and say, okay, you know, this is it. But there's a calling on me that this may be for me what what the assignment is. And that's how I I approached it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:All right.
William (Bill) Harris:That's why I'm running.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Excellent. Well, we've made it through all of the tough questions. We're gonna move on to our lightning rounds. So these are more lighthearted questions, nothing really to do with politics or Fuquay Varina, no right or wrong answers. So whatever comes to your mind, feel free to shout out.
William (Bill) Harris:Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:What's something you do that helps you recharge?
William (Bill) Harris:Okay, I'm a musician. I play trumpet. My goal is to master the trumpet. So I practice and I play music whenever I can. I perform in church or, you know, for different occasions individually whenever I can. I recharge that way. That's from a social point of view. Every morning, my fraternity, we have a 6:30 prayer call that I try not to miss. It sort of sets the stage for my day. I have experience teaching Sunday school. I taught a Sunday school class for 25 years at my local church. So, coupled with you know, starting the foundation of my day with prayer, coupled with my talent and cultivating that talent. And whenever I can, I try to play golf to get out and get some sunshine and walk during the day. So those are the primary things that I do individually that sort of that keep me balanced. And those are the things that I work on that I enjoy doing.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Awesome. What's a hobby, talent, or fun fact about you that most people don't know?
William (Bill) Harris:I guess playing the music and playing trumpet, and that's basically it. I did play trumpet and perform semi-professionally for about 15 years.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Oh wow.
William (Bill) Harris:Traveled up and down the East Coast and played with a band, and the same band that I was playing with, we opened up one night for Earth, Wind and Fire, which was a highlight for my professional career. So I performed a lot all over the East Coast. I guess one thing that helps in that arena is that people may not know that I'm the past president of the Cary's Toastmasters. Years ago, I'm considered a competent toastmaster. No, I'm a bronze. I got my advanced degree as a toastmaster. So I've done that too. But I don't know if the public knows about that. And I don't talk about it a lot, but that was fun doing that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Mm-hmm. What's something that is difficult for you?
William (Bill) Harris:Even though I'm outgoing, I'm kind of reserved and kind of shy when it comes to interaction. Once I get started, I'm all right. But I don't want to use the word shy, but I guess I am to a certain extent. There's a part of me that likes quiet, there's a part of me that is somewhat an introvert that sometimes I have to work real hard to overcome that. And I do. I work real hard to try to overcome that. You wouldn't know it by being in public life, but sometimes I struggle with that.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:What book, podcast, or TV show are you enjoying right now?
William (Bill) Harris:Your podcast.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Remember when I said there were no right answers? Maybe there really is a right answer.
William (Bill) Harris:Yes, yes, yes. Well, you know, I do audio books. I like audiobooks. And I think the last audiobook I'm reading, hold on a second, I'll tell you real quick. Because I put audio books on my phone, and when I go out walking, that's what I do. I listen to my audio books. And I've done pretty good. I've probably gone through at least, let's see how many. I've gone through at least in my walking. Oh, the last book, and I do this also because it helps my golf game. Uh-huh. But what I'm reading right now is Performing Under Pressure. That's the book I'm reading right now. And the other books that I've read have been, oh, I can't remember all, but I I read audiobooks. I like, I like that. So when I'm out walking, I go through and I listen to audiobooks.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Excellent. Who is your favorite superhero?
William (Bill) Harris:You mean now or when I was coming up?
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Whichever you would like.
William (Bill) Harris:Of course. When I was coming up young, it was Superman. That was the that was the guy. Oh, that was the guy. One year my cousin, he got a Superman's outfit. And I just said, Oh my gosh, boy, he has got it made. He is Superman. So it would be Superman.
William (Bill) Harris:Okay. Perfect.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
William (Bill) Harris:The best piece of advice I've received recently is what I said earlier. A gentleman told me that leadership is an action, not a position. And that resonated with me because I really had to search myself as to why I'm running for mayor. Am I ego tripping off the position? Or is it that I really, really want to do something in regards to taking action to lead this city? And that has resonated with me. It's helped me to hone in my motivation for being in a leadership position. So that I think that recently would that's more than likely been the most powerful statement that I've heard recently.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:What's one guilty pleasure you secretly enjoy?
William (Bill) Harris:Oh boy, chocolate.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Milk chocolate or dark chocolate?
William (Bill) Harris:Oh, milk chocolate. Milk chocolate, and I like a good cup of coffee and chocolate. To me, that goes together. So I like that. I just yeah, I have these protein bars that I buy, and it's sort of a variety of bars. I get them from Costco's, and it has the chocolate ones that I love. So in my morning, you know, this morning I'll make a smoothie and I'll take a cup of coffee and eat one of those little chocolate protein bars. Because I think, you know, I'm not I'm eating chocolate, but it's not real sweet. I call myself eating healthy.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:So you're just making it fun and delicious while getting other nutrients in.
William (Bill) Harris:Yes. Yes. That's a good way to put it. Yeah, so that's it. Okay.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:What's a simple thing that always makes you laugh or smile?
William (Bill) Harris:Being with fun people. I love that. It's just I get a lot of energy from that. Just being with fun people, it just helps me out so much. When I make that connection and that energy, it's just great. It makes me smile.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Excellent. Coffee or tea?
William (Bill) Harris:Coffee.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Morning person or night owl?
William (Bill) Harris:Morning. I'm up 5, 5:30. And sometimes I'll get going and I might not go to bed until 12, 12:30. But I'll always come back and try to get to bed early. Because I like getting up early. Because I don't know if you've ever done it or not, but you probably have. That time between 4 o'clock and 5 o'clock, it is so rich because it's quiet. It's almost like it's spiritual. Because it's almost like the transition between night and day. And right in that period of time between 4 and 5, it is, it is so quiet. It is just nothing is moving. It's just, you can just, ah, I don't know. Whenever I can get up like that, I enjoy. So I normally get up about no later than six. So I can have the morning prayer call that I mentioned earlier. But sometimes if I go to bed early and I get up at four or five, I just enjoy that quiet time. It is like it's wonderful.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:See, mine is between 1 and 3 a.m. So sometimes I'll go to sleep and have a quote unquote nap. And then I wake up at that time when everybody else is asleep, and like I can be productive and clean or work or do whatever, or just simply enjoy me time. And then I go back to sleep for a little bit and then wake up and start the day. Okay, okay. We'll see.
William (Bill) Harris:You understand what I'm talking about then!
Amanda Benbow Lunn:But that quiet that nobody else needs me in that moment, so I can focus on me and just kind of part of that spiritual place. Just do whatever I need to do for my personal soul so that I can continue to pour out to other people.
William (Bill) Harris:That's exactly what I do as well. That's just a it's a powerful time. It really is. Yeah. So that's what I do.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Mountains or beach?
William (Bill) Harris:I like the beach. I like the water. I like the whole the freshness of the air. I like the sound of the waves on the ocean. I like the seagulls. I like the sand. And I mean, I enjoy the open air. I love it. And then whenever I go to the mountains, I'm in awe. The mountains speak to me that there is a creator. There is a divine providence in the universe that sets all this order. And the ocean is like the voice of that divine providence. I just love it.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:I love it. Books or podcasts?
William (Bill) Harris:Audiobooks, more so than anything else. I mean, I think am I reading the book? The books that I read, a lot of books that I read are about my sport, golf. There's always I can try to read the stories about golf. I read something about the golf swing or about different courses. Those are my books. The hard books that I read. I mean, covered books and the audios, mainly about those kinds of things. Performing Under Pressure. One book I read is called Let Them. And it's more along the, I guess, the personal development kind of area. And books like that when I'm out walking, the audiobooks, but the hardcover books, primarily nonfiction and the audiobooks. Read those.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Dogs or cats?
William (Bill) Harris:Dogs.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:Perfect. Well, that concludes this Candidate Conversation. Thank you so much, Bill, for taking the time to come chat with me and to share your views and your thoughts on what would happen if you were mayor and your just outlook on it. So I appreciate you taking the time and trusting me to put this conversation together so that listeners and voters can have a chance to get to know you better.
William (Bill) Harris:Well, Amanda, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity to be heard. I really appreciate all that you do. You do such an excellent job. And this opportunity for me, I really appreciate it. And I hope that uh during the course of our conversation, that there has been something that I can convey through this podcast to the public that will help them to understand, first of all, the kind of person that I am, and that they will understand my motivation and that they would would recognize that I can do this job and I would appreciate their support. Thank you so much.
Amanda Benbow Lunn:You are quite welcome. I wish you the best of luck on the election.
William (Bill) Harris:Thank you, Amanda. Thank you so much. You have a good evening, okay?
Amanda Benbow Lunn:You too. 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 ballot ID to vote. That wraps up another NC Deep Dive candidate conversation. 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 at 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.
