Candidate Questionnaire: Harold Weinbrecht
Cary, NC — This is the first installment of our Candidate 2015 series, in which candidates get to respond in their own words to the same three questions.
As usual, we publish the responses in the order we receive them. First up is Harold Weinbrecht, running unopposed for his third four-year term as Cary’s Mayor.
Candidate Questionnaire
As we have done in previous election cycles, we sent a list of three short questions to all the candidates for office in Cary. We do not edit the answers but provide a forum for the candidates to speak to our readers in their own words.
We encourage all citizens to go to the polls in Cary on Tuesday, October 6, 2015.
Harold Weinbrecht
Q1 – Why are you running?
It has been an honor and a privilege to serve Cary’s citizens as Mayor for the past 8 years. I am seeking a third term to continue to lead our town in a positive direction. I have delivered on my promises to advocate for balanced growth, be disciplined with town finances, protect our environment and bring unprecedented levels of openness to Cary’s government.
Cary is a great place to live, work, play, do business, raise a family and retire. Together with our citizens, I offer steady, proven leadership to keep Cary moving in the right direction.
Q2 – What are your top three priorities and how will you accomplish them?
Above all, I will work to ensure that Cary continues to be a great place to live, work, play, do business, raise a family and retire. Among my top priorities are:
- Putting citizens first. Cary citizens always are my top priority. I listen to them and I have brought unprecedented levels of openness to Cary’s government. I am the first Cary mayor to write a weekly blog. In addition, I opened several citizen communication channels, including the Cary Matters television program.
- Ensure safety and prosperity. Cary is among the safest towns in the country and our citizens deserve no less. I will continue a disciplined approach with town finances while protecting taxpayers’ investments and attracting new businesses and their employees, such as MetLife and many other businesses that I helped bring to Cary. I will work hard to keep our taxes among the lowest in Wake County while offering the highest quality of life in the region.
- Protect our environment. I will continue to advocate for clean air and water and sustainable practices that protect our environmental resources. The Environmental Advisory board and the position of Town Sustainability Manager were instituted under my administration to ensure that Cary is a leader in this area. We are leaders in the state with innovative ideas that not only keep us green but also save money, including LED streetlights, hybrid town vehicles such as trash trucks, a solar farm and others. I want to continue and expand that leadership.
Q3 – Give us a brief bio and tell us about your relevant experience.
Harold Weinbrecht was born in Augusta, Georgia in 1956. He has lived in Cary for 39 years and has served as Mayor since 2007, following 4 years as an At-Large representative on the Cary Town Council. As mayor, Harold previously served as president of the Wake County Mayors Association and he is the current vice-chairman of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Executive Board (CAMPO represents 29 governing entities in central North Carolina).
Harold is employed as a software engineer and holds degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from Augusta College and NC State University. Mayor Weinbrecht has been married to Belinda Weinbrecht for 28 years and has two grown daughters.
Candidate Information
Email: augustanat@mindspring.com
Website: HaroldWeinbrecht.com
Facebook: HaroldWeinbrecht
Twitter: @MayorWeinbrecht
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Read more in the Candidate 2015 series.
