Duryea our pick for District 7 seat
Forrest "Dan" Duryea will bring a practical, no-nonsense approach to Beaufort County Council, and we support his bid for the newly created District 7 seat in southern Beaufort County.
Duryea has demonstrated he wants this job. He collected voter signatures to get on the ballot after he became one of about 200 candidates statewide to get knocked out of the primaries. Voters in the district will see him listed as a petition candidate on the ballot and need to be sure not to vote a straight-party ticket if they want to choose him to represent them on County Council.
Duryea brings an important perspective to county business. He has been director of facilities and community management for the Belfair Property Owners Association since 1999. A substantial portion of the county population lives in gated communities, and his experience in the operations of such a community will provide valuable insight. One example is his work to establish an agreement between the county and communities with private roads over storm debris removal after a major storm, an expensive and daunting task should one hit us.
He puts at the top of his list of important issues facing the county the coming property reassessment and the resulting hit on the county's tax base. Duryea recognizes the potential negative impact on property owners and wants to do what he can to minimize that impact. He also recognizes the important role County Council plays in education spending oversight.
Other key issues he lists:
Duryea supports the county's land conservation program and the referendum to authorize the county to borrow up to $25 million to pay for it. And he supports a referendum on changing the county form of government to allow the hiring of county treasurer and auditor, rather than electing people to those positions. The positions require specific skills that aren't always properly vetted through the electoral process, he said.
Duryea promises forthright, honest representation to the people in his district. We're confident he will deliver it.
This story was originally published October 27, 2012 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Duryea our pick for District 7 seat."