American Aquarium frontman BJ Barham runs for local office in Wendell
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- Musician B.J. Barham joins one of several candidates in race for Wendell board seats
- Town of Wendell faces rapid growth, with a significant population increase
- Barham emphasizes infrastructure concerns and advocates for responsible growth
BJ Barham, frontman and founder of the alt-country band American Aquarium, decided to run for local election while on a national tour.
“I am currently on tour in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and I was in Omaha, Nebraska, last night and tomorrow I’m going to be in Bozeman, Montana,” Barham said. “So scooting across the West currently, and I flew back home for one day to file for a local election.”
Barham, 41, is one of eight candidates seeking three seats on the Wendell Board of Commissioners.
The eastern Wake County town and suburb of Raleigh has grown from 9,793 people in the 2020 Census to an estimated 17,300 people in 2025, according to World Population Review. One of its largest developments, Wendell Falls, is in the last phase of adding a total of 4,000 new homes and retail to 1,100 acres near U.S. 264.
That rapid growth is the reason Barham wanted to enter the race.
“I never thought I’d want to get into local politics,” he said. “I moved to Wendell, North Carolina, to kind of get away from a lot of the hustle and bustle that comes with living in Raleigh for 15 years. ... For the last year, I’ve been showing up to town council meetings and having my voice heard and having my voice ignored, speaking up for a lot of the town folk in Wendell who don’t feel like they have a voice.”
The current board consistently approves new buildings and rezoning requests, but the town’s infrastructure has not kept up, he said.
“This is where me and my family plan to live for the rest of our lives,” he said. “And I’m not going to sit by and idly watch them turn it into some strip of development and Walmarts and Targets. ... I’m not the old man yelling at the sky. I know progress is coming. I know we live on the outskirts. I just want responsible growth. That’s really the core of my platform.”
The band’s tour continues through most of the fall, but Barham said he’s serious about serving the town. He’s able to book shows months in advance, so he’ll make sure he has time for meetings in the community, he said.
“Maybe Wendell is not ready for a rock and roll town commissioner,” Barham said. “But I am going to give it my best and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure the town of Wendell knows that I’m serious about this and know we have a lot in common. Especially when it comes to watching these developers come in and kind of sell off our town pennies on the dollar.”
There are three open, at-large seats on the Wendell Board of Commissioners in the Nov. 4 election.
Filing ended at noon Friday, with these candidates having filed:
- B.J. Barham
- Kate Benson
- Jorge Cordova
- Christopher Critzer
- Deans Eatman, incumbent
- Dustin Ingalls
- Wes Jones
- Philip Tarnaski
This story was originally published July 18, 2025 at 11:40 AM.
