Full name: Nick Sliwinski
Party affiliation: Republican
Campaign website: www.nickforwakeforest.com
1) In 300 words or less, please give our readers your elevator pitch: Why are you running? Why should voters entrust you with this position? What prior experience will make you an effective member of the board of commissioners?
I am eager to continue the remarkable work that has been crafted over the last 4 years. Our citizens have spoken and expressed their wishes for Wake Forest’s future growth. I am committed to making sure those ideas are carried out. I have demonstrated my willingness to prioritize the town’s interests over partisan politics and I am committed to serving the town’s needs first and foremost. Over the past four years, I have diligently worked to build relationships that will allow me to be even more effective for the next four years.
2) What would your priorities be as a member of the board of commissioners? Please identify three of the most pressing issues Wake Forest currently faces and how you believe the town should address them.
Housing Affordability – We must continue to push forward with the implementation of the Housing Affordability Plan and maintain our commitment to funding that initiative and being a leader to ensure housing is available and attainable.
Transportation Infrastructure – Focus on improving the roads that we are responsible for while being mindful of taxpayer dollars. We must advocate appropriately, and effectively, with our State legislators and NCDOT to expedite long overdue projects like Capital Boulevard and Rodgers Road.
Development Regulation – It is essential that we adopt the Unified Development Ordinance update and fight against state legislation that limits a municipality’s ability to manage growth. We need tools at the local level to prevent unmitigated development that constrains our infrastructure and affects our citizens’ quality of life.
3) What’s the best or most important thing the board of commissioners has done in the past year? Additionally, name a decision you believe the town should have handled differently. Please explain your answers.
Our biggest accomplishments have been updating several of our comprehensive plans to better reflect what residents want for the future of Wake Forest.
4) President Trump is working to ramp up deportations and curtail visas. At the same time, the state legislature has passed laws requiring agencies to cooperate with ICE. What do you think the board of commissioners can or should do to ensure safe, welcoming communities for immigrants in light of these policies?
Wake Forest has a policy in our Strategic Plan to foster a safe, diverse, and welcoming community. We should continue to live those values on a daily basis and follow that guidance when making decisions.
5) As climate change leads to more intense rainfall, communities are at greater risk of inland flooding, such as the historic floods in parts of the Triangle this summer. How would you like the board of commissioners to address climate resilience, particularly flooding?
Advocating for green infrastructure such as permeable pavement, and other eco-friendly options, as well as incentivizing resource conservation, is the best way to mitigate storm water issues and tackling climate issues.
6) Federal funding cuts this year have hit the Triangle particularly hard, from cancelled grants to layoffs, and local government officials are having to make difficult decisions about what to fund and how. What are your ideas for how the city council can prioritize competing funding needs, close funding gaps, and balance the financial burden on residents?
Quite simply, we put it in the hands of our citizens to tell us what is important to them. Our Capital Improvement Plan is updated every year with citizen input. We can offer Bond Referendums to let the voters decide if debt should be incurred so that a project can be completed. We need to expand our search for alternative funding solutions as well.
7) Describe what sustainable growth and development mean to you. Additionally, what is another municipality you believe has made smart decisions related to growth and development that could be similarly implemented in Wake Forest? How can Wake Forest manage its rapid population growth while ensuring affordability and quality of life?
Wake Forest is unique and we need to grow in our own way. We must balance residential and commercial development. Affordable housing and quality of life mean different things to different people, and we need to understand what citizens want so that we can implement their wishes along with our resolve to be a leader for affordable housing. Being a leader means making decisions WITH your constituents, not just FOR them. The best way to manage growth is through comprehensive planning which we have been working on for the last 5 years.
8) How would you like to see Wake Forest address issues of traffic congestion and transportation access as the town grows and adds density?
Our microtransit system has been a massive success and we need to find ways to manage the program responsibly and to expand if necessary. Unfortunately, most of the roadway infrastructure is not under the jurisdiction of the Town or the Board of Commissioners. Therefore we need to be steadfast advocates to our state level elected officials and NCDOT to push for the infrastructure we need and has been promised for decades.
9) Downtown Wake Forest was selected as a future site for the S-Line passenger rail system, connecting to Raleigh, Richmond, and Washington, D.C. A mobility hub is planned for downtown Wake Forest; what amenities do you think should be included?
The mobility hub can serve many types of transportation and is planned to do so. It can also be a opportunity for small business partners, a cafe, office and/or meeting spaces, and flexible enough to serve changing needs.
10) How do you feel about the rollout of Wake Forest’s social district? What is your overall vision for downtown development in Wake Forest?
We are fortunate to have such an historic and vibrant downtown; I feel the Social District has drawn people to experience this area for the first time and to continue coming back. In what I have experienced, there have been little to no issues and overall the Social District has been well received by business owners and residents alike. The option to opt out has allowed those businesses who did not want to participate the ability to have their wishes respected.
11) If there are other issues you want to discuss, please do so here.
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