As a Valentine’s gift to Wake County, Sig Hutchinson filed for re-election to be the District 1 Wake County Commissioner this morning.
Sig Hutchinson Seeks Second Term with Wake County Board of Commissioner
“We Are Getting It Done, But There Is Still More To Do”
RALEIGH, N.C. (February 14, 2018) – District 1 Wake County Commissioner Sig Hutchinson has filed with the North Carolina Board of Elections today seeking a second term. A longtime technology and communication entrepreneur, Hutchinson is the business community’s go-to person advocating for economic growth while supporting a high quality of life in Wake County.
“We live in one of the most beautiful places in North Carolina and yet our past successes provide no assurance of future success,” said Hutchinson. “If we don’t protect the quality of life in Wake County, it will slowly start slipping away. During this season of local prosperity, it is time for action to ensure that no one is left behind.”
A Democrat, Hutchinson was elected as part of the “More With Four” movement in 2014. During his first term in office, Hutchinson was quickly chosen to serve as Vice-Chair of Wake County Board of Commissioners in December 2015. He then spent a year as Chair in 2017.
While maintaining a tax rate that is lower than 2/3 of the counties in North Carolina, The Wake County Board of Commissioners has improved the quality of life for all Wake County residents over the past four years. A partial list of accomplishments includes:
Economic Growth:
- Hired new Wake County economic development personnel focused exclusively on increasing business investment in areas
- Welcomed new employers and expansion by existing businesses – bringing in more than 4,700 new jobs in 2017 alone
- Restructured the Wake County incentive policy to provide additional focus on small and midsized local businesses
Education:
- Increased the Wake County school budget by 27% and local teacher pay by 37%
- Became the first county in North Carolina to fund Smart Start early childhood development and implemented a matching program driving $100,000 in private sector investment in the Smart Start program
- Established dedicated food resources at 157 Wake County Public Schools, providing access to food for students and their families through pantries, backpack buddies and universal breakfast programs
Transportation:
- Developed a landmark Wake County transit plan that will quadruple bus services in five years, add commuter trains, establish 24 miles of state-of-the-art rapid-transit bus corridors, and significantly expand countywide paratransit for the elderly and disabled
- Completed a greenway master plan, providing a blueprint for future buildout of pedestrian and bicycle transportation system countywide
Public Safety:
- Funded two new narcotics officers for Wake County Sheriff’s Department
- Restructured Wake County Fire Services – resulting in higher pay, higher standard of cover, and lower fire insurance rates for those in the fire district
- Funded additional correctional officer positions to staff the Wake County Jail
Environmental Protection:
- Top-to-bottom review of Wake County Solid Waste Services Department resulting in more convenient hours at convenience centers, prevention of illegal dumping and out of county drop-offs, extension of the life of the landfill, as well as innovative programs such as mattress recycling, food waste composting, and production of electricity from landfill gas
- Developed new programs to address well contamination and infrastructure repair in “donut hole” communities
- Developed a cutting-edge energy performance standards for all Wake County buildings where all new Wake County construction will be highly efficient and solar-ready
- Purchased 2000 acres of additional open space in Wake and Franklin Counties for the protection of Wake County water supplies, funded the Robertson’s Millpond Preserve – a historically and environmentally significant blackwater swamp in Eastern Wake County; and purchased over 200 acres of future parkland in Southeastern Wake County
Civil Rights and Quality of Life:
- Passed Wake County Anti-discrimination Ordinance
- Passed Wake County Living Wage Ordinance
- Adopted 30 Year Affordable Housing Plan to provide funding and coordination with all municipalities to ensure housing affordability in the face of growth
- Purchased and rehabilitated the Oak City Center on Wilmington Street to provide a one-stop location for those experiencing homelessness to receive immediate assistance
“We are getting it done, but there is still more to do,” says Hutchinson. He believes Wake County must work more closely with municipal partners toward comprehensive regional planning, combining efforts to improve efficiency and ensure a fair and equal distribution of resources and services across Wake County communities.
About Sig Hutchinson:
After more than 20 years working with Wake County on numerous agendas, Hutchinson has been the driving force behind the creation of what will soon be more than 125 miles of interconnected greenways throughout the Triangle. As president of Sig Hutchinson Communications, LLC, Hutchinson travels nationally speaking about the transformational nature of communities and organizations. In addition, his company offers sales consulting, presentation skills training and speaker training. Hutchinson is an avid volunteer and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Volunteer of the Year (Wake County), Green Advocate of the Year (Triangle Business Journal), and the A.E. Finley Distinguished Service Award (Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce).
Website — Sig4Wake.com Twitter — @Sig4Wake Facebook — Sig4Wake
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