Shaun Pollenz, candidate for Wake County Commissioner, District 1
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Candidates for Wake County Commissioner, District 1
Who is running for Wake County commissioner? Get to know the primary election candidates in our 2022 Voter Guide.
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Two Democrats hope to secure their party’s nomination in their quest to join the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
Donald Mial and Shaun Pollenz are both seeking the nomination to move forward and face Republican Chanel Harris for the District 1 seat.
Incumbent Sig Hutchinson, who was first elected in 2014, announced he would not seek another term.
Early voting in the May 17 election runs from April 28 to May 14.
To find polling places and full details on early voting, visit wakevotesearly.com or contact the Board of Elections at 919-404-4040 or voter@wakegov.com.
Name: Shaun Pollenz
Age: 39
Political party: Democrat
Occupation and employer: Attorney, Pollenz Law Firm
Education: BA in Political Science and Economics from American University in Washington, D.C., and JD from Chapman University School of Law in Orange, California.
Political or civic experience: Candidate for Wake County Board of Education in 2018; Board Member, Capital City Clauses 2019-2021; Treasurer of Wake County Young Democrats 2016-2018; Democratic Party State Executive Committee 2021-Present
Campaign website: www.shaunpollenz.com
What is Wake County doing right, and wrong, on managing growth?
Wake County has a 10-year plan for growth called PLANWake that outlines strategies for land conservation and smart growth over a 10-year period. It is a collaborative effort between the county and all the municipalities completed in 2021. It is great that our county/municipal staff and elected officials can work together to create such a plan, and I applaud them for that effort. What worries me is what we’ll look like in the decades to come. We need a comprehensive transit system. Bus lines and bike lanes are important, but they won’t solve our current or future traffic issues. Nor will a proposed $2 billion rail line that only serves 12,000 people per day, won’t open until 2030, and doesn’t have stops at RDU Airport, in North Raleigh, Eastern Wake, or Southwestern Wake. If we want Wake County to remain a great place to live, we’ll need a comprehensive, county-wide transit system that makes rail service a convenient option for most of the county.
How should the county support K-12 schools, students and teachers?
Adjusted for inflation, the commissioners currently pay $326 less in local per-pupil expenditures for each senior in the class of 2022 than they did for those same students when they entered kindergarten. That money could be spent on raises for school staff, investments in textbooks, or to fund intervention programs for students who are struggling. The county should increase its funding at least to the levels we’ve previously enjoyed in Wake County.
Also, WCPSS has an estimated $1.1 billion in construction and renovation needs over the next five years. The cheapest way to pay for these capital improvement projects is through a bond package, and the county must make sure that the public understands the need for these expenditures, as well as the benefits of this funding mechanism (it is the cheapest way to borrow). Our schools are huge capital investments, representing tens of billions in investment for our community. If we maintain them properly, it will save us in the long run..
What do you think Wake County should do, if anything, to address racial injustice issues, and what kind of changes would you propose?
Wake County should elect Damon Chetson for Wake County district attorney. As a criminal defense attorney, I have worked with both the Durham and Wake County DA’s offices. There is a clear difference in leadership at the two offices. Durham has a progressive DA who is invested in creating a more just legal system. Wake County’s DA is decidedly less progressive, supports the death penalty, and believes people who smoke marijuana need the state’s help to recover from their drug addiction. Her insistence on prosecuting minor crimes disproportionately affects low-income and nonwhite communities. She also said she would “keep an eye on” WCPSS and the literature it chooses to put in its schools, which is beyond the scope of her employment and could have a chilling effect on the selections our librarians make. Replacing our district attorney with one who better matches our values is the best way we can achieve social justice reform at the county level.
What new steps should Wake County take to recruit businesses to the area?
This may be an unpopular opinion, but I think Wake County doesn’t need to do much else to recruit and retain businesses to the area. We are already doing a great job of that, and the proof is all around us. Our area is experiencing explosive growth. The top companies in the world want to be here. The NCGA is already lowering corporate taxes to 0%, which is a decidedly lower rate than you or I pay. We have ample incentives in place already. In particular, the partnerships being developed between Wake Tech and our business community are creating job pipelines for students, and that is attracting new businesses to our area. Rather than continue to dangle incentives to multibillion-dollar corporations, we should ask these corporations how they can help us out in exchange for all the wonderful things we can offer them and their employees. As your commissioner, I will feel comfortable asking corporations to chip in and contribute to our common good.
What’s the top issue facing the county? What specific legislation or changes would you propose to address this issue?
Housing affordability is the top issue facing Wake County. Wake County achieved its five-year affordable housing target in only three years using COVID relief money from the federal government. Moving forward, we cannot rely on that funding and will need to build community support for an affordable housing bond.
As part of this bond process, the county should reevaluate its 20-year housing plan, which was approved in 2017. Things have changed a great deal since this plan was created, and we must always remain flexible and amend our strategies when circumstances substantially change. The price increases and speculative investment driven by the global pandemic were unforeseen by our previous plan. We must account for these unexpected market forces and adapt accordingly.
If elected, what would your two or three priorities be during your first year in office?
- Work on an affordable housing bond.
- Fully fund WCPSS budget requests and increase supplemental pay for school staff.
- Expand pre-K programs, helping both children and working families.
What unique skills or life experience would you bring to local governance?
My mother was an English teacher in Wake County for more than two decades and raised me to be creative, to use my imagination, to read, to explore new ideas, and to think critically. I often find myself viewing the world through a different lens than my peers, and I think this skill set will be incredibly valuable to Wake County as we plan for our future.
Also, I grew up in Wake County, attending our K-12 public schools. I knew I was gay early on, but I hid that from the world until late in college. Growing up having to live life as an imposter in your own body is a painful experience. Visibility for our community is important and having even a single supportive adult in a child’s life can be the difference in whether that child lives or dies. According to the CDC, about 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ children attempted suicide in 2021. We must take steps to protect our children, and that starts by elevating the voices of LGBTQ+ community members.
