REBUTTAL TO MY “REFUSAL” TO ATTEND MEETINGS - 10/18/2025

On August 27, 2025, Lisa Anglin, Town Administrator, invited me and the other candidates to a “Roundtable Meet and Greet with the Sunset Beach Town Administrator and Department Heads” on September 10, 2025. The purpose of the event was to “learn about the Town” and be provided an overview of each department’s staffing needs and current operations.

I politely declined the invitation, as I already had a prior engagement. However, since that meeting, other candidates on the slate and the mayoral candidate specifically have made very false and defamatory statements about me and the other candidates publicly and via social media that the “Department Heads and others in attendance at the event were very upset and felt disrespected” at our “failure to attend.” That statement must be some candidates’ opinion, as NONE of the Department Heads mentioned below have conveyed their anger or feelings of disrespect toward me for not attending. I truly feel that message was a cheap shot at me and my character.

** As per a October 16, 2025, Facebook "Did You Kow" post, Katie Bordeaux, Candidate for Sunset Beach Town Council, eloquently stated HER reasons for not attending the "Meet and Greet." **

"#Candy Fowler is with Katie Bordeaux.

October 16 at 9:46 AM ·

From Katie Bordeaux:

Did you know that Sunset Beach taxpayer dollars were used for Town Council candidates to be entertained by town staff?

NOTE: I have been made aware of jabs made on Facebook, and most are posted by anonymous people, so it is impossible to know their identity. Additionally, many of the other Facebook pages include members who are not Sunset Beach Taxpayers. My pledge is to you, the Sunset Beach taxpayer. I never let the urgent get in the way of what is important. A leader is aware of most things and acts only on the important.

In case you question why I did not attend the event that the “Slate of Candidates” arranged, here are the answers in my Did You Know Series?

On September 10, 2025, the following Town Council candidates attended a Town-sponsored event to learn about the Town:

--current council member Mike Hargreaves,

--current council member Jerry Byrnes,

--current Planning Board Member Richard Dysinger, and

--Mayoral candidate Nick Peters

Why did I not attend? And why was this not a good use of Sunset Beach Taxpayer money?

1. As you will read in the email exchanges below, the invitation was to Town Council candidates and not an open meeting to the public. ALL taxpayers should have been the audience, and resources should have been used for ALL taxpayers, not just a select few. I will NOT exclude taxpayers from information.

2. As you will read in the email exchanges below, the meeting was for Council candidates, meaning three sitting Council members may be in a meeting together, which may violate the North Carolina General Statute governing Open Meeting Laws, depending on what and who discussed the information. Consequently, I declined the invitation to ensure compliance with the law.

3. Tasking Town staff with developing a presentation takes staff away from their normal duties. Staff duties do not include “educating” Town Council candidates. If you raised your hand signifying that you want to be a Town leader, you should be astute on the function of the Town Town staff duties, where taxpayer dollars are being expended, Town projects, et cetera. Town staff members are not responsible to teach candidates. Candidates should do their own homework rather than using taxpayer dollars to provide “Cliff Notes or the Reader’s Digest” versions. I do not support wasting town staff’s time and I do not support wasting Town resources.

4. The time frame was from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Staff would need to arrive before the commencement and depart after the conclusion of the event, necessitating a minimum of three hours. Consequently, a minimum of three hours was deducted from their regular working hours just to be in attendance not to mention the time I referenced in #3. I do not support wasting town staff’s time and I do not support wasting Town resources.

5. Town Employees are prohibited from attending political events while on duty. As you read below, this was a political event. North Carolina 160A‑169. City employee political activity. 160A‑169. City employee political activity. (a) Purpose. The purpose of this section is to ensure that city employees are not subjected to political or partisan coercion while performing their job duties and to ensure that public funds are not used for political or partisan activities.

6. There was a lunch provided. This is a gift that was not afforded to the other Sunset Beach taxpayers. This was a waste of taxpayer dollars. I will not support wasting taxpayer dollars.

Candidates should already be familiar with the staff’s responsibilities.

7. Candidates should have been attending ALL Town meetings well in advance of raising your hand for leadership roles. Throughout this process, candidates should have diligently researched and learned about the Town’s services. The staff should not be expected to provide instruction on these matters.

8. This event took place at the town-owned Community Center, not Town Hall. The audio equipment necessary for recording the event and making it accessible to U-Tube subscribers was not present for the public’s viewing. As an advocate for public information access, I believe it is crucial to provide everyone with the opportunity to receive and utilize relevant information.

Below are images of my email exchanges."

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ENptuvCp/

Kudos to Katie for posting this message!! Her extensive knowledge of the North Carolina Statute and concern for fiduciary responsibility is an invaluable asset to Sunset Beach. I am grateful for her permission to share such important information.

As you can see below, the September 10, 2025, meeting raised quite a few concerns about abuse of taxpayer dollars, lack of transparency, and potential legal ramifications...

Precedent

This type of “Dept Head Round Table Meet and Greet” gathering has NEVER been held in well over a dozen years. And when invited, I specifically asked Ms. Anglin if the meeting was premature; suggesting that it be held after Election Day where all elected candidates would attend. The audience would be smaller, and the section heads could speak and listen to the new council. Additionally, the smaller group would have kept the costs down for the meals provided. 

Staff Members

Since moving here almost 6 years ago I have taken a very active interest in the functionality of Town government. I meet and communicate frequently with staff members in various departments, and they have provided me with excellent information over the years. I've referenced some of our communications on my social media pages.  

Fire Chief Richard Childres and his staff are as wonderful as the Police Chief and his team. They are approachable, attentive, caring, and responsive to your questions to further educate the public about their operations.

I have spent a significant amount of time communicating with the Fire Chief on different topics from incident responses to handling scenarios during emergency situations. Additionally, we have spoken at length about the Town’s current fire truck on order, and the fire truck that will need to be ordered in 2027. The Town must budget for significant expenditures in the coming years; to include the purchase of fire trucks, police vehicles, and advancements in technology.

Further, I would like to remind everyone that I was a Firefighter myself and rose to the rank of Deputy Chief in one of the departments I served. Besides being a fire fighter and a fire officer, I’ve also sat on the board of directors and served as a deputy treasurer.

During my 30-year career with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), I’ve worked directly with the state, county, and local sheriff's offices along with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). 

I’ve gathered a tremendous amount of knowledge from my work experiences and know processes and procedures on various topics and situations. That is the reason I became so vested in our Public Safety group and continually ask questions. I come from a very urban area (3+ million residents); living here is most definitely a rural setting. I endeavor to learn the differences between the two and responses to situations and events/incidents.

Public Works is a unique group as they do it all and should have the motto of “We Do What Others Don't.”  Vicky Todd and Matt Sorrells are as approachable as the Public Safety Groups, and their staff members are wonderful, as well. Matt and Vicki have been extremely helpful in answering any questions I’ve had over the years. If I approach them at a park event, or at Town Hall, they graciously engage me in conversation. Sometimes they ask me a question (based on my previous work experience); sometimes I ask them.

To reiterate, I worked for 30 years for VDOT, starting my career as an equipment operator and climbed the ladder over time to be Operations Manager for a major interstate in Northern Virginia; Inspector; and Superintendent of Safety Service Patrol Program. Any question I may ask is answered quickly and efficiently.  

My interactions with Mr. Cary White, Chief Building Inspector, have been limited, but if I’ve ever asked him a question, he’s promptly answered it. I was routinely involved in inspection work for decades. Inspections consist of compliance with a specific code, or spec, or a written standard that requires mandatory adherence when building or planning. An inspector must be certified regularly in various fields and must inspect jobsites to ensure compliance with code. For example: Inspection work could consist of a field test during a build process; all data must be logged in a diary or record of your tasks along with the test results. The end product results in a pass/fail scenario. Upon completion of a build, you are required to perform a final inspection of the finished product and complete a punch list before final approval.

I have done this type of inspection work in the past and have extensive knowledge about inspection practices in general. As a side note: the Town is lucky in that Mr. White’s section surpluses their vehicles to the Fire Department when receiving replacements. That action results in savings to taxpayers and the Town’s budget. Thank you, Mr. White!  

I have spoken with Dustin Graham on several occasions, inquiring about Town processes and procedures and describing how my work experience is related to his daily job duties. We’ve discussed how the Town addresses situations like utility cuts in our roadways and the requirement (or not) of the issuance of permits. For example: when FOCUS bored conduit for the cable upgrade while working in the Town’s right-of-way, who was responsible for inspection of that work? At what standard must they return the right-of-way after disturbance? These are some of the items I would review when heading Project Management. Dustin has even invited me to stop by and see him anytime, which I appreciate greatly.

Conclusion

Throughout my time in Sunset Beach, I have fostered very friendly and respectable relationships with Department Heads. At no time would I EVER disrespect them, their employees, or the work they do.

Sunset Beach is so very lucky to have such caring, attentive and all-around fantastic employees.

Sean