Blog

APRIL 7, 2024

Recap of the last two weeks from the campaign trail:

·      Attended a game night at the Hatteras Library (a girl’s gotta have a little fun!)

·      Spoke up at a Chamber of Commerce board meeting to urge immediate action on the Buxton Beach disaster and the President and Board Chair (after the board voted) put out a letter supporting immediate remedial action

·      Attended an NPS public meeting that evening on the same issue (with ~90 people in attendance)

·      Attended a retirement party for a friend

·      Sat in on a Working Watermen’s Commission meeting

·      Hosted NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall at our house for a couple of days and threw together an impromptu group of 12 or 13 people to join us for dinner at Lone Cedar (see pic above!)

·      Took Elaine to church on Easter Sunday

·      Attended and spoke up at a Dare County Board of Commissioners’ meeting about Buxton Beach, thanking them for the actions they’ve taken already, and urging them to keep working on ways to get this problem solved

·      Introduced myself to the Duck Town Council and asked them not to forget about Buxton Beach

·      Participated in my first First Friday in Manteo and met a few voters who were knowledgeable and engaged on the issues facing Dare County….really good conversations!

And of course, I had some client work to do here and there, as well as turning a couple of our Airbnb rooms (we have three rooms for rent; we rent one to a long-time local friend, and the other two are short-term rentals) and getting ready for the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society’s annual Keepers’ Weekend at Cape Lookout next weekend (I plan to sleep on the ferry!)

March 22, 2024

Happy weekend….it’s time for my bi-weekly update from the campaign trail!

In the past two weeks, I’ve:

·      Attended a school board meeting (Dare County students are winning on and off the field!)

·      Heard about the great initiatives the Outer Banks Community Foundation is supporting through their philanthropy

·      Participated in the State of the Child Conference and learned about the pressing needs for infant/child care and teen mental health services

·      Attended the Dare Dems County Convention one day, and then marched in the largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in NC (in Nags Head) the next day

·      Heard a presentation by NC’s Insurance Commissioner and asked him a few questions about why he settles rate hike requests rather than take them to court

·      Met a lovely group of voters in Frisco and listened to their concerns while also educating them about some of the issues Dare County faces

·      Attended the annual economic summit and heard about trends for the Outer Banks in new business acquisition, retail, and hospitality.

I continue to hear about the needs that Hatteras Island has relative to the rest of Dare County, and I’m more determined than ever to be a voice and a presence for representation and inclusion in this beautiful county. Thanks for reading!

March 9, 2024

Whoops! I thought it had only been two weeks since my last update, but it’s been three…time flies! Here’s what I’ve been up to in the last 21 days:

Went live with my campaign website, havelfordare.com

Attended my Chicamacomico Precinct meeting

Had a slight hair makeover

Attended Treasurer Training in Manteo with my awesome Treasurer, Shelley Tidd

With hubby John, represented the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society at the Hatteras Waterfowl Festival

Attended the annual International Women’s Day Lunch at Basnight’s Lone Cedar, where the speaker was our beloved Tess Judge, who spoke about all the projects and non-profits women have started in Dare County

And did I mention I went live with my website, havelfordare.com?

Next update will be in either two or three weeks…..not tying myself down!

February 14, 2024

 I’m a day late on my bi-weekly update, but what I have to report is fun and really interesting. First, I won $50 playing bingo at the Cape Hatteras Anglers Club, and got a quick shout out during a break from the bingo caller who said, “This isn’t political, but Aida is a good person running for Dare County Commissioner from Hatteras Island, and I encourage you to vote for her!” Totally unexpected, and sooo appreciated.

Last Saturday, I spent three days in Washington, DC attending the National Conference of County Commissioners at the invitation of a dear friend of mine, Vickie Adamson, who is in her third term as a Wake County Commissioner. I learned so much about what resources are available to county commissioners, what issues they can really make a difference on, and the best practices that they can use on everything from veterans’ services to wastewater management to broadband access to housing affordability and so much more. I picked up fifty or more position papers (yes, really!) that I haven’t had time to look at yet, but I’ve hole-punched them and put them in a binder for later. And before you ask, no, none of our county commissioners were there.

This week, I was a sponsor for a fundraiser for Rachel Hunt, the daughter of former Governor Jim Hunt, who served 16 years (two separate eight year terms) and who was a champion of and for public education in NC. Rachel is running for Lieutenant Governor on many of the issues that were so important to her father.

Immediately following Rachel’s fundraiser, I attended the monthly meeting of Democratic Women of Dare County, and was honored to receive their support both generally and financially. Today, I attended my precinct meeting and was the featured speaker, and after that meeting, met with some folks in Avon who are quickly trying to bring me up to speed on the over-regulation of mullet fishing off our coast. It’s an issue that could have long-term impacts on our businesses, our guests, and the future of both commercial and recreational fishing all over Dare County. I’ll have more to say on this issue in my next post.

I’m also working on the finishing touches on my campaign website, and it will be live by the end of February, God willin’ and the crick don’t rise!

February 2, 2024

Here’s my second bi-weekly (every other week, not two per week!) report on how my campaign’s going. In the last two weeks, I’ve:

• Attended an all hands on deck party candidate meeting

• Joined in celebrating Stuart Parks’ new job as the Theater teacher at First Flight High School (he’s leaving the Outer Banks History Center in Manteo after 15 years there as an archivist and will be sorely missed)

• Learned about the “Community Resiliency Model” from Susan Lee, an excellent facilitator, at the RWS Community Center

• Attended the State of the County breakfast at Captain George’s

• Participated in the Chamber of Commerce’s annual board retreat at Jockey’s Ridge

• Met island neighbors at the Hatteras Village annual dinner

• Met the dynamic chair of the NC Democratic Party, Anderson Clayton, at Waveriders

• Attended the Chamber of Commerce’s annual meeting and awards presentation at Captain George’s, where one of my fellow candidates, @Katie Morgan, was honored with the Chamber’s “Community Business Partner of the Year 2023” award

• Enjoyed a presentation at the Salvo Day Use Area by Hatteras Island CERT regarding the Starlink communications system that can be used if internet and cell service are down

• Celebrated with Steve Nelson on the 20th anniversary of the Inn at Pamlico Sound in Buxton

• Continued to work on my campaign website (ugh!) and detailed campaign strategizing

Whew! Just wanted y’all to know I’m not sitting on my hands, and this is an example of the type of hands-on, community-involved Commissioner I’ll be when I’m elected. Thanks for reading!

January 19, 2024

People keep asking me how my campaign is going, and my answer is, “We’re still ramping up.” There’s a lot that goes into a county-wide campaign: getting set up with a treasurer and the right forms, creating a new Facebook page and getting a dedicated email address, developing both a strategy and a message, and speaking to people and groups who are eager to hear from you NOW!

So here’s what I’ve been up to in the last two weeks: joining other candidates at precinct meetings in Manteo and Nags Head, attending a “Feast of Three Kings” party where I listened to people tell me what Dare County needs besides housing (public transportation and daycare were two items mentioned), attending a “Saving Lives Task Force” meeting in Avon which detailed all the many resources available to people who are actively addicted or who are in recovery, and attending an all-hands on board candidate Zoom meeting.

I’ve also been trying to figure out what kind of print media I will need, and am trying to determine what colors and design my logo should be (having a graphic designer hubby sure does help!)

It’s a mix of public and private work, and I’m enjoying the heck out of it. Thanks for your support, and I’ll give you another update in a couple of weeks.