Susan Evans—Wake County Board of Commissioners, District 4 (Democratic Primary)

Name as it appears on the ballot: Susan P. Evans
Campaign website: Evansforwake.com
Phone number: 919-387-1497
Email: evansforwake@gmail.com
Years lived in Wake County: 38

1. In your view, what are the three most pressing issues facing Wake County? If elected, what will you do to address these issues?

It is critical that Wake County maintain a strong commitment to public education, especially in the context of waning commitment at the state and federal levels. Our children’s future and our economic viability depend on it. I’ll be a strong advocate for well-funded public schools both at the county level and with our state legislature. Our growing population requires planning for efficient and sustainable growth especially in the area of transit infrastructure. As we want everyone in Wake to share in our economic prosperity, we must address the growing deficiency of affordable housing and deliver effective health and human services. I’m interested in working with municipal and other community partners in coordinating the expansion of transit options and implementing affordable housing solutions and am willing to commit resources to these important areas.

2. If you are challenging an incumbent, what decisions has the incumbent made that you most disagree with? If you are an incumbent, what in your voting record and experience do you believe entitles you to another term?

During initial budget negotiations last spring, the Wake Board of Education requested additional funding from the county for a number of program enhancements, including a request for increasing the number of school counselors and psychologists to more effectively support our students. This request was not funded in the current year’s budget. Recently, my opponent stated in the news that our school system had the resources they need to fund these positions if they choose, but that it is just a matter of priorities. Having served on the school board recently, I can tell you that assertion is grossly inaccurate. Although the responsibility for our funding shortfalls lies largely with the state legislature, one need look no further than our neighbors in Orange and Durham Counties to see we can do better with county funding on a per pupil basis.

There is a difference in understanding a need and making a realistic data-based decision on the capacity to fund that need, versus pretending the need does not exist or, worse yet, insinuating that the school system has not properly prioritized their spending. Too often, my opponent has sounded like the GOP leadership of the legislature in taking the later approach. I will take the former.

3. The county is by most accounts prospering and growing. What do you think Wake County has done effectively? What policies would you like to see put in place to ensure growth going forward?

We have had an award-winning public schools system, but continued pressure placed by growth, and cuts on the state and federal level are putting that at risk. Our schools have been a prime economic driver for us in attracting and cultivating jobs. It’s imperative that we continue appropriately investing in our schools.

Cooperation with our municipalities and regional partners has been important. It is critical for us to work together on expanding transit options and addressing affordable housing needs, as well as, encouraging a living wage for all our residents. Being proactive in dealing with these challenges will keep Wake one of the best places to live, work and learn in America.


4. With that rapid growth, of course, comes challenges related to suburban sprawl, transportation, and affordable housing, among other things. In your opinion, what have been the county’s successes in managing this growth in recent years? What about its failures? What would you do differently?

Under previous GOP leadership, the County virtually eliminated it’s planning capabilities, relying solely on municipalities to plan for growth and we are years behind in advancing transit infrastructure as a result of their unwillingness to take any steps in that direction. Since the Democrats have controlled the Board of Commissioners, the planning capacity has been expanded and the County is working closer with our municipalities. Under the GOP controlled Board we were constrained from addressing transit issues. The successful transit tax referendum and the adoption of the Wake Transit Plan now has us moving forward and the affordable housing task force has started us on the right path for addressing those needs.

One of the biggest challenges in recent decades has been keeping up with school capacity needs as the Wake school district was adding thousands of students a year to its rolls. While the school district planning department was working with the municipal planning departments to identify the highest growth areas in anticipation of additional schools, the funding was never able to keep pace with the need. The taxpayers overall have been supportive of Wake’s school construction bonds, but one failed bond in 1999, the recession and bond referendum totals that were insufficient to meet the full needs have kept us playing catch up for years. Too many students are still taking classes in modular buildings and families have experienced the frustrations of having their base schools under enrollment “caps”. The crisis to bond approach has not been efficient. In 2016 the school district leaders collaborated with the County leaders in approving a rolling 7-year plan for school construction. I was pleased to be part of this process and appreciate that having an ongoing snapshot of short-term and long-term needs will enable the County to plan beyond a 2-year or 4-year bond cycle for school capital funding.


5. What should be the county’s role in addressing issues of economic inequality, such as gentrification and affordable housing? Do you believe the current board is doing enough to help its municipalities manage Wake County’s growth in order to prevent current residents from being priced out?

Traditionally, the County has been less proactive on the affordable housing issue than our municipalities, primarily Raleigh. Fortunately, under Commissioner Holmes leadership, the County has now undertaken first steps towards thoughtful participation in finding solutions. The County now needs to work collaboratively with our municipalities and the Wake County Housing Authority to implement the recommendations of this Affordable Housing task force.

Gentrification is largely a municipal issue, but we should partner with our municipalities to push the legislature to specifically allow more local government authority over implementing inclusionary zoning ordinances. Local solutions will be needed now more than ever due to recent reductions in Federal affordable housing tax credits, which had been one of our best tools for encouraging the development of such housing.

To lessen income inequality, the County should participate in recruiting more manufacturing and other blue collar type jobs. Currently our area is more heavily weighted with higher paying technical jobs, and lesser skill labor jobs, with a gap of middle-income economic opportunities.

It is also imperative that we push for equal pay for equal work. We should start by ensuring this for County employees and then also work to encourage employers around the county to implement policies that do the same.

6. How would your experience―in politics or otherwise in your career―make you an asset to the county’s decision-making process? Be specific about how this experience would relate to your prospective office.

My experience as an elected Wake County School Board member provides me with relevant knowledge of the structure and scope of the issues the school system is managing. Having been the Finance Chair of the Board through five budgeting cycles, I will bring a detailed understanding of the complexities of public school finances that will allow for better informed decisions by the Board of Commissioners. This is extremely valuable as the funding for the school district comprises approximately 60 % of the County’s budget. As an accounting professional whose career has been focused in business management and as a former small business owner in the residential building and development industry, my background allows me a fundamental understanding of many of the areas the County Commissioners are charged with overseeing.

Also, while on the school board, I was Co-chair of the Facilities committee charged with working with the school system staff to prioritize the needs for new school construction and school renovations and the review and approval of school designs and budgets. I helped develop a seven year rolling plan for the school system’s capital needs that the County Commissioners have accepted and are now implementing a plan to fund.

7. Last year saw some tension between the county commission and the school board over school system funding. Ultimately, the county gave the school system less than half of the new funding it asked for. But from the county’s perspective, it has raised property several times in recent years to benefit the school system. Do you believe Wake County needs to commit more funds to its schools? If so, would you be willing to ask taxpayers for more money?

Wake County Public School System is growing by over 2000 students a year. Federal and State governments continue to squeeze its budget. The requests for increased county funding each year must cover the cost of the additional students and the additional operating costs for opening approximately 3 new schools per year. Additionally, the school board and the Superintendent typically request additionally funding for some of their very highest priority needs for program expansion and/or personnel support. In recent years these expansion requests have included funds to improve bus driver pay; to increase extra duty pay for coaches and club advisors, etc.; to expand the number of school counselors in our schools; to provide extra funding for more teaching resources and support personnel in several of our highest needs schools. These are not glamorous requests and many other needs that are worthy do not make the “ask” list each year.

With a school district whose enrollment is hovering around 160,000 students and 19,000 employees, any expansions result in a large amount of money when viewed in gross dollars due to the scale. During the three most recent budget cycles since the Democrats re-took control of the County Commission, beginning with 2015/2016, the County appropriation to the school district increased by an aggregated total of approximately $90 million. While these increases are significant it is important to put the figures into perspective. From the pre-recession budget of 2008/2009 through 2014/2015, the year preceding these increases, county appropriations dropped 4.2% on a per pupil basis, while enrollment increased 12.7% (17,478 additional students) over the same period. So, while the recent increases are generous by most accounts, the school district was digging itself out of a very deep hole and Wake’s schools per pupil spending, adjusted for inflation, still lags pre-recession levels. If we wish to maintain the quality of excellence in our public schools that we have come to expect in Wake County, difficult choices will need to be made in balancing competing priorities and maximizing revenue streams.


8. Wake County has raised property taxes four times in the last four years. Currently the county is considering three potential bond referenda in November: one for school construction, another for parks and greenways, and a third for Wake Tech. Together, these, too, would likely require a property tax increase. Do you believe the citizens of Wake County are paying too much in taxes?

Of course all of these potential bond referenda have significant merit and will contribute to keeping Wake a great place to live, work and learn. However, we do need to be strategic with the timing of each request in light of the County’s projected capacity to expand debt over the next several years. Too much debt at any one time would cause issues with our County’s credit ratings and the resulting cost of the money that is borrowed.

By state statute, the County has a legal responsibility to provide the necessary public school facilities. The School Board and County Commissioners have already collaborated and approved a seven-year plan for needed new construction and renovations. The County has several options for how to finance this plan, but General Obligation Bonds are the least expensive options. If such a Bond were not offered this year or rejected by the voters, the capital investments would still take place, but other funding mechanisms would be used that would cost the taxpayers more.

It would be my recommendation that we not put more than one or at most two bond referenda on the ballot in any given year. Based on the optimum cycle, there would have been a school construction bond on the 2016 ballot. The school board, of which I was a member at that time, agreed to delay until 2018, so that the Transit Tax referendum would be alone on the 2016 ballot and have the best chance at success. As a result, the school construction bond is the highest priority for this year and would have the best chance of being approved if it were not combined with other referenda.

9. The embezzlement scandal at the Register of Deeds office highlighted the fact that the county does not scrutinize the offices of elected officials, such as the Register of Deeds and the Sheriff’s Office, in the way it does other county agencies. Do you believe there are steps the county could have taken—or could implement now—that could catch theft or fraud earlier?

As a former CPA and auditor, I was absolutely appalled when the story broke regarding this embezzlement. I was especially concerned to learn that the Register of Deeds office, which handles a high volume of cash currency, had no system of internal controls in place to document the amount of cash received during the day by the clerks and that no one was independently reconciling this to the amounts that were deposited in the bank. It was equally concerning that no audit of this department took place for many years. While the total budget for this department may not be one of the largest of those the County oversees, any department that handles a large volume of cash should have its internal control procedures reviewed by the County’s internal auditor and all departments should be audited on a rotating basis.

From what I’ve read, interim Register of Deeds, Charles Gilliam, has now put in place the appropriate procedures that would have made such fraud much more difficult had they existed before and the County should be more judicious with its audits of all departments in the future.

10. North Carolina is a “Dillon Rule” state, meaning that the only powers municipal and county governments have are the ones granted to them by the legislature. Would you like to see this changed? How would you work with state legislators from Wake County, as well as mayors and council members from the city’s municipalities, to ensure that Wake County, its municipalities, and the state are on the same page regarding policies that affect residents of Wake?

In the 1971 revision and modernization of the state’s municipal government statutes, the legislature determined that grants of state power to local government should be broadly rather than strictly construed, however, local governments must still have a basic authorization to act in a given area. As previously mentioned, local governments do not have express authority to enact inclusionary zoning regulations which can impede our progress with expanding affordable housing. While the grant of subdivision review authority allows local governments to require that developers provide adequate water, sewer, transportation, and recreation facilities for their developments, this does not cover requirements for other infrastructure impacted such as school facilities. I’m interested in exploring and discussing options for more local control as a County Commissioner.

11. The replacement bill for HB 2 that passed last year prohibits local governments from passing living-wage or nondiscrimination ordinances until 2020. If you are in office in 2020 when the moratorium expires, what sort of nondiscrimination and/or living-wage policies will you push the county to adopt, if any? Do you favor, for instance, a nondiscrimination ordinance that would apply to public accommodations, like the one Charlotte passed in 2016 that led the legislature to pass HB 2? Would you consider raising the county’s minimum wage?

I was concerned that the compromise legislation, HB 142, constrained the local governments’ authority around these issues and do not favor discrimination of any kind. I will be eager to explore non-discrimination ordinances when the County is free to do so and hope that we will be able to establish policies that encourage dignity for all our citizens.

It is commendable that the County Commission has enacted a policy that will raise wages for employees directly paid by the county to $15.05. However, there are many Wake County School District employees who have not been granted the same minimum wage, including school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and clerical workers. We must pursue paying these folks a living wage and encourage employers in our County to do the same for their employees.

12. Give an example of a time, during your political career, when you have changed your position as a result of a discussion with someone who held an opposing view.

While on the school board, there were several times that I was leaning towards a particular decision and changed my position after being presented with data and staff recommendations and or discussing with other board members. There were also times that members of the public raised my awareness of considerations I hadn’t thought of that influenced my final decisions on certain issues.

13. Identify and explain one principled stand you would be willing to take if elected that you suspect might cost you some points with voters.

At this time I cannot anticipate a stand that I would make that would be inconsistent with my positions that I have put forward. However, I am not afraid to make tough decisions that I feel are warranted once I’ve weighed the data and input received around an issue. For example, while on the school board in 2012, we had to make the decision to fire a Superintendent who was not a good match for our Wake County School district for a number of reasons. Some in the community disagreed with us and we took heat from news outlets and some community organizations at the time. I was confident that it was the best decision based on my experience with this Superintendent over a 10-month period and I believe most in the community came to agree it was a positive move for stabilizing the school district.