Amanda Benbow Lunn: 0:09

Hello friends, welcome back to the NC Deep Dive podcast. I'm your host, Amanda Benbow Lunn, and today I am honored to be speaking with Annie Drees as part of our 2025 Municipal Election Candidate Conversations. Annie is running for the four-year seat on the Holly Springs Town Council. For this race, Annie will be running against Josh Prizer, Sarah Larson, Joe Cuccurullo, Kara Foster and Tim Forrest. These races are non-partisan, so there will not be any party affiliation like an R or a D next to their name on your ballot. You will be eligible to vote for up to three of these candidates for this seat. On your ballot.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 0:51

In this election, the top three vote-getters will join Holly Springs Town Council members Danielle Hewetson and Chris DeShazor to make up its five-member body. In these candidate conversations, each candidate will be asked the same questions formulated by our constituent survey, observing community members in person and online, and fine-tuning with AI to keep them as fair, unbiased and as open-ended as possible. Without further ado, my friends, let's dive in. Welcome, Annie Drees. You're running for the Holly Springs Town Council. I'll give you a few moments to tell me a little bit about yourself, how long you've lived in the area and what has inspired you to run again.

Annie Drees: 1:35

Every time people ask how long I've lived in the area, I do a grade check. I'm like we moved here when my youngest was in third grade and now he's in 11th.

Annie Drees: 1:47

So what does that make that Seven years? Eight years? I think it's seven years that we've been in Holly Springs. I have been on town council now for two years. I was elected two years ago and I will tell you that is just so quick. It was gone in an eye and I threw myself into the role when I was first elected. But there's so much more that I still want to do so I'm not ready to hang up the towel. I love the opportunity to see some things through, to get farther in what I've been trying to achieve, now that I understand how things work, to be able to work with the system for the good of Holly Springs, I'm excited, I'm eager and I'm committed. You know the town council role is an intense role. It takes a lot of time it really does and I thought long and hard about knowing what goes into it. Am I willing to commit to that again? And I am. I can give this town four more years and I hope Holly Springs will give me that privilege.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 2:41

Have you been an active voter, including in local

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 2:44

elections?

Annie Drees: 2:45

Yes, I am a regular voter. I always vote in municipals and presidential. You know all the way up and down, I think ever since I turned 18,.

Annie Drees: 2:56

I voted.

Annie Drees: 2:57

And I believe that where you can really make a difference is at the local level. That's where your voice carries the most weight. It doesn't mean that your voice doesn't matter in these presidential races. It does, but it takes more. So I think municipals is where it's at. I encourage everybody to vote November 4th.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 3:16

What do you feel is the role of a town council member?

Annie Drees: 3:19

Well, the role of a town council member is twofold. I believe you are a representative of the community and you're also a steward of Holly Springs. So you're looking at the problems of today, the problems of your neighbors, of the folks on the other side of 55, as well as the folks on your side of 55. And you're also looking to where Holly Springs is growing, where it's going and what is in the long-term interest that will keep Holly Springs residents here and their kids to come back here.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 3:47

What is your involvement within the community and town government and what qualifications make you prepared for this role?

Annie Drees: 3:54

So I've been a long-time volunteer in Holly Springs and in Wake County. Now I'm serving on town council and in my role I've served on the legislative Action Committee and the intention of that committee is to bubble up local issues to the state and the national level. So I've been in meetings with both state and national legislators advocating for the needs of the residents of Holly Springs. I have been on the Tree Advisory Committee. That one is near and dear to my heart, the Tree Advisory Committee. You know they're responsible for the street trees in Holly Springs but I think there's a lot of potential for that advisory committee to do more in our community. So I would love to see that happen and evolve.

Annie Drees: 4:33

I've also been on the Nonprofit Grant Committee. So on the Nonprofit Grant Committee we accept applications from nonprofit organizations and we read through those and see how they serve the Holly Springs community and we grant those nonprofit organizations funds to continue their good work in our community. I am an engineer by training. That's my day job and I think we talked about this two years ago. I'm a problem solver. I am detail oriented and I think that's really important because my mindset is around how do we solve problems in our community and I think that's a really helpful perspective to bring into local government.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 5:09

What's your long-term vision for the future of Holly Springs?

Annie Drees: 5:12

So Holly Springs is growing very quickly. It reminds me of my hometown in some respects, which is Austin, texas. That's where I'm from and when I was growing up there it was very small, and sometime during my teenage years and into my early 20s it boomed. It's even grown more since then and I see some of that same momentum here in Wake County and in Holly Springs. I think the vision that I have for Holly Springs is a place where we stay true to the community of Holly Springs. We stay true to our spirit. We lean into what we're good at. We maintain the things that are an essential part of Holly Springs, like Mims Park. We capitalize on what Holly Springs has. We bring in more housing for different kinds of people.

Annie Drees: 5:58

I would love Holly Springs to be a place where my children could choose to live once they're ready to settle down, and I think we make Holly Springs easier to get around, easier to get to RDU, easier to get to Raleigh, durham, cary, fuquay. I see so much potential in Holly Springs and the reality is there are a lot of folks who want to keep it exactly like it is. But the problem with living in a beautiful place where people want to live is people will continue to want to live here, and finding that right balance of places to live but also preservation of our green spaces, of our trail system. It's a fine balance and that is the direction that I'd like to see Holly Springs get to. Okay.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 6:40

What are your top three priorities for our community if re-elected?

Annie Drees: 6:44

So my top three priorities, in no particular order. So I would like to create more opportunities for housing that's affordable here in Holly Springs. One of the things that I would like to see the town council do is create incentives for builders to include affordable housing in their developments so that would offset some unit within their development developments. So that would offset some unit within their development that would stay at a lower rate compared to the other buildings around them or the other units around them, and we would incentivize that by creating more streamlined process for that development. And I see that as an opportunity to bring in more of different kinds of housing and that would serve different parts of our community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 7:23

How

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 7:23

do you define affordable housing?

Annie Drees: 7:25

That is an excellent question. You know it has to do with how much people make, how large their family is and the rate of the rent. So basically, I want to see us offer diversity. So, whether that's 60% AMI, 80% AMI, 30% AMI, average median income, I think we need to find those sweet spots. What is missing? We did a housing affordability study before I was on council and we didn't really do anything with that information. And the problem with that kind of lack of follow-through is we're not carefully watching our housing stock. What are the different options we are offering? Because people have different housing needs, they have different housing price points. So if we continue to follow up on our housing stock and what we are missing, where our gaps are for people, then we can have a more strategic approach to development in.

Annie Drees: 8:19

Holly Springs. Okay, as part of that housing affordability study, you see, like in Apex, they have follow-ups and they look at that housing over. I'm not sure if it's yearly or every two years, but they go back and look at it, at that distribution and what the market is looking for, and I think that's something we should be doing here. Very pleased that the town council passed microtransit that will start in January in Holly Springs. It'll be essentially a minivan that you order via app that will take you corner to corner within Holly Springs. The next steps I see is how do we connect to adjacent communities? Right? How do we get from one corner of Holly Springs to Cary? How do we get from one corner of Holly Springs to Fuquay? Are there ways that we can use transit to get people around easier? Because the more people we have using transit, the fewer cars we have on the road.

Annie Drees: 9:12

And if you look, you know the pricing of highway construction has gone up 67% since 2021 to 2024. It's gone up even more now. Roads are extremely expensive to build and the more lanes you build, the more faster, the faster people will expect to go on them. There's a safety issue at risk there too, but transit is a much more affordable, effective way to address some of the aches and pains we're having with transportation. So I would like to see that continue within Holly Springs. So that's second. That continue within Holly Springs, so that's second. And thirdly, I would like to put a more concentrated effort on our open spaces. I mentioned the Tree Advisory Committee, which I've been serving on for the past two years, but what I see is the opportunity to expand upon the mission of the Tree Advisory Committee into an environmental advisory board that would look at developments and evaluate those developments from an environmental impact board that would look at developments and evaluate those developments from an environmental impact that would make recommendations to re-examine aspects of our UDO.

Annie Drees: 10:11

I think there's a great opportunity there for us to do more with our green spaces, to make them more accessible, and I think that point of view is missing in our development review process. There's a big difference between putting a development on cleared farmland versus putting a development in a forest right, and I don't think that perspective, that point of view, is being represented thoughtfully before council today. So I would like to make that happen.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 10:38

All right. What is working well within the town today and where do you see room for improvement?

Annie Drees: 10:43

We've had a number of successes in the town of Holly Springs. We just opened fire station number three with the parks and rec bond. We have Eagles Landing Park coming online. We have some big road improvements underway with Holly Springs Road. There are a lot of wins in Holly Springs lately Our AAA bond rating. That means that we get a better deal when we borrow money for these big capital projects. So that's a win for the residents of Holly Springs. A lot of the issues we're dealing with are state limitations, are state complications. You know the funding of the DOT is an issue. Hurricane Helene did not do North Carolina any favors, and the issues getting federal reimbursement on those funds. Those issues are rippling outward even as far as Wake County. So I see we have a lot of work to do in partnering with our state representatives and senators on the needs of our community, especially one that's growing so quickly.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 11:38

Do you support the current town budget? Where would you advocate changes, including any adjustments to taxes or spending priorities, if needed for fiscal responsibility?

Annie Drees: 11:48

Yeah. So one of the things that I suggested in the town budget that was not approved was we have $600K reserved for the Festival Street planning in downtown Holly Springs. Now I'm excited about Festival Street. I do think that could bring some businesses to downtown and has the potential to bring more events. But because of our immediate traffic needs, I could see that $600,000 be better spent on our ITS, our Intelligent Transportation System. That's the light timing system that we've been working on.

Annie Drees: 12:22

Or there are a couple places in town that we know need traffic lights today, right, and the DOT is supposed to build them and they haven't. Now those traffic lights cost a million dollars, so that 600K wouldn't buy us a traffic light. But perhaps we could use it to incentivize DOT and say if we kick in 300K, can you get this traffic light up in three months. I see some opportunity there, whereas I think we could postpone Festival Street for a year. I do not think that we should be paying for a lobbyist. This is something I thought a lot about. Right now, we share a lobbyist with Wake County and he is advocating for Holly Springs and he's also advocating for Wake County, and I feel like we are not getting the advantage. I think the things that he is advocating for he would be advocating on behalf of Wake County anyway. And.

Annie Drees: 13:16

I think it would be more strategic to develop our relationships with state legislators and save that money from Holly Springs taxpayers.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 13:25

Oftentimes it feels like government waits until a specific need is critical before taking action. Do you support being more proactive and if so, how and in what ways specifically?

Annie Drees: 14:00

Yes, I do. I think town and this is something that I followed up with the police chief, with the town manager, and I'm asking questions like how often are we hearing about e-bikes? So I checked in a couple of weeks ago, actually, and it sounds like we're only getting two calls a month. So do we need to put an ordinance in place to make sure that kids are safe? Is this a real problem?

Annie Drees: 14:23

I don't want to create ordinances that don't serve any good but, it is something I'm watching and I've asked the town to keep an eye on as well. If this starts upticking, if it starts increasing, that we are ready to take action. So, yes, I would like to take action if there is a need and before something happens, right. So that's an example. Yes, I absolutely believe we want to be ahead, not behind, and we get that way by listening to people.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 14:51

What new initiatives or attractions would you champion to boost revenue and community pride?

Annie Drees: 14:57

I would love for Holly Springs to have more community events, more cultural events. I would like to see more representation of the people who live here and the town support. I think that would be good for businesses in the downtown area as well as for community and sense of pride. I think that's really important and gives Holly Springs a sense of self. And, yeah, I fully support the Holly Springs town being more engaged in that way.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 15:28

Have you ever disagreed publicly with a current town decision or policy and if so, what was it and how would you handle a similar situation if you were reelected?

Annie Drees: 15:38

It is not uncommon for me to be the odd man out when it comes to development approval decisions. Recently there was a 55 plus community across the street from the Holly Springs High School on Avent Ferry Road area and I did decide to vote against that development because I have concerns about the safety on Avent Ferry Road. Right there there are a lot of traffic issues and the timeline for that road improvement isn't till 2029, 2030. So it did not seem like the right time to make that development choice, so I did lose that vote, but that happens. I think it's important that different points of view are reflected in town council. I think that seeing dissenting votes is not a bad thing. It shows the robustness that's going into these decisions. When town council always agrees on everything, you kind of wonder if they're just rubber stamping things. I think voices of differing opinions are valuable and an opportunity for us to grow.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 16:41

When you hear smart growth, what does that mean for our town in practical terms?

Annie Drees: 16:46

Smart growth is about growing thoughtfully, the right development in the right places, looking at not just that unit alone but looking at the impact to neighboring communities, as well as giving thoughts to not just the road impact but also the ingress and egress to that community and to the adjacent communities.

Annie Drees: 17:09

It means thinking about the impact as far as light pollution I mean.

Annie Drees: 17:14

There are a lot of aspects of development that can impact existing communities and that doesn't mean we don't develop.

Annie Drees: 17:23

You know, if we don't develop at all, right, if we stop development in Holly Springs which we could not do but if we did, that would mean that people would move to Fuquay or Apex and then they would drive through Holly Springs, congest our roads and not pay us taxes that we could then use to fix our road. So it is a very complicated issue but I think being thoughtful, being intentional in the developments we approve and really refining the UDO, the Unified Development Ordinance, so that it's clear to developers what our requirements are and what our expectations are. Because if developers come to us and they get turned down right, that's a loss of time and money that might get reinserted into the price of that development when it comes through again right, that money doesn't just disappear. It can increase that base cost of the homes in that development. So I do think it's important to be on the same page with development on what our expectations are and be clear what our priorities are.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 18:25

How would you ensure new development maintains our town's character while remaining affordable for residents?

Annie Drees: 18:31

So we talked about creating incentives for builders to include units at lower prices. Something that town council has done is we have found ways to accelerate the development approval process, which does help reduce the cost for developers, which is the cost that gets added on to those base prices of homes. The other thing I think we should look at is looking at the buffers in our UDO and being more thoughtful in those buffers. I think creating more green space between developments is a good thing for our community to feel our sense of Holly Springs, certainly when you're building in a very densely wooded area, being more aggressive in our tree preservation. I think that is strategic and thoughtful and something we should do to retain the vision of Holly Springs.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 19:22

Our town is growing rapidly, putting pressure on infrastructure like water and roads, public safety, parks and recreation and housing affordability. If you had to prioritize only one of these areas this year, due to limited funding, which would you choose and how would you communicate that decision to residents?

Annie Drees: 19:39

So one thing I've learned in my time on council is it helps to have momentum to be successful in an idea, in an agenda item. It's really helpful for there to be momentum from the community, from the state or federal level. That helps create opportunities for these items to be successful. Now, that's kind of a sidebar, but I wanna acknowledge that can impact what we prioritize. Let's take, for example, to be successful Now that's kind of a sidebar, but I want to acknowledge that can impact what we prioritize. Let's take, for example, the post office. Yes, the Holly Springs post office needs some work and it's very small and there's definitely opportunity to improve the post office or build a new post office, but there is no momentum for that right now right.

Annie Drees: 20:18

So that's a need that I know we have in Holly Springs, that I'm waiting for an opportunity to strike on. But there is no opportunity for that in today's climate, I would say. So I just want to kind of sidebar and say that looking for those opportunities of momentum can change prioritization because it can make an opportunity to do something even bigger if you act with that momentum. For public safety. Two years ago the town made a significant investment in public safety that staffed Fire Station 3, that staffed enough police officers to support community policing, which is keeping the same officers in the same neighborhood, allowing these officers to get to know the people who live there, understand where the hotspots are and develop a relationship with the community Utilities infrastructure. The town is currently making a large investment in water, both in drinking water and water reclamation. That is a capital investment that we are making now and have been making. So that is an investment that will come to fruition over the next several years. So that's the case for that one.

Annie Drees: 21:25

Parks and Recreation again, we just had a bond happen for Eagles Landing. So I would say for those three we have made steps, momentous steps, in the past two, three years to advance opportunities there. So that would bubble up the housing affordability to me and I would say that creating this incentives for builders is not something that would cost the town money but would create opportunity. We talked about utilities and infrastructure, but another piece of that is traffic and I advocated for reserving more money a quarter of a cent two years ago in the town budget and that was successful to help us get larger scale projects off of the ground to facilitate the town partnering with the DOT.

Annie Drees: 22:13

When the DOT funds a road, it is a very long process, it is a very slow process and when the cost of highway construction is increasing every year, a slow, long process means a bigger price tag and it takes longer for our community. I mean the needs we have as far as transportation, our needs we have now. So I would really like to get the ITS system off the ground, get that ownership in Holly Springs. That's that timed lighting system, coordinating the signal lighting, so that when you're going into work in the morning you're getting all greens. When you're coming home in the evening you're getting all greens shaving off that time. I think there's real opportunity there to make a significant difference without a giant price stack there to make a significant difference without a giant price stack.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 23:04

Do you feel we already adequately meet the needs of any of these infrastructure, public safety, parks and recreation or housing affordability?

Annie Drees: 23:10

So we certainly made a lot of investments, but the tricky thing about a growing community is it's growing, which means those needs are growing. So meeting the needs today doesn't mean we're meeting the needs tomorrow. So it is a constant evolution and assessment of where we are and where we're going to be tomorrow and how we prepare ourselves for that next day.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 23:32

As the population grows. What strategies would you prioritize to address roads, utilities and other infrastructure challenges?

Annie Drees: 23:40

I believe that transit is a great way to make a difference. I do. That is much more affordable than building more highways, and the problem with more highways is more asphalt. I don't think anybody wants to live in an asphalt community. But in conjunction with that, I think the savings that we're doing today and the additional tax money we will get from these big corporations we have coming to Holly Springs allow us to continue to find opportunities to partner with the DOT to help move them forward, to help advance our projects. I also think we need to continue to advocate for better funding of the DOT, particularly in growing communities like ours. At the state level there is a limit on what we can do there, but I think we've got to be a strong advocate. Counties like Wake County that are growing rapidly. They need extra investment from the DOT to support that growth. I also think there's opportunity for more partnership. Holly Springs is not alone in this rapid growth right. We're surrounded by other communities going support that growth. I also think there's opportunity for more partnership. Holly Springs is not alone in this rapid growth right. We're surrounded by other communities going through similar things, something that bubbled up.

Annie Drees: 24:48

I was at a joint council meeting with Carrie and Holly Springs and they are advocating for more sidewalks in their community. They've been doing a lot of sidewalk connections and so I asked them. I said do you have a sidewalk crew, do you have that employment inside Cary? And they said no, we have to contract that out. And the same is true for Holly Springs. So that bubbled up to me is their opportunity to work with Cary and Apex and Fuquay and share a team. You know. Come up with some memorandum of understanding where we each get a set amount and put in enough to fund it together and reap benefits across our community. Excellent.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 25:28

Holly Springs has focused on bringing in biomedical and science-based businesses. How would you balance supporting these businesses and garnering more with some public sentiment that may be skeptical of science and vaccines?

Annie Drees: 25:42

So I think the really good thing about these large businesses is, when we land a large business like Genentech or Fujifilm, we are not just bringing those employees to our community, we are also supporting local small business right, because those employees are going to want to eat out at lunch, their facility is going to need to be cleaned, to be painted, to be repaired With management is visiting from another country, they're going to fly in, they're going to need a hotel to stay at. There's all kinds of local business growth that happens from these bigger businesses, so I don't want to lose sight of that. By creating these opportunities of these big businesses, we are also creating opportunities for smaller businesses. I do think we do have some vacant office manufacturing space in Holly Springs and I would like to see intentional effort put behind in filling those spaces as opposed to just building new.

Annie Drees: 26:40

I think that's an opportunity for Holly Springs and I think there is a lot of sense and once you lean into a certain type of business, like we have with biomedical, other businesses want to be nearby, other businesses want to be a part of that and I think it creates opportunity and it brings in new business and I think that's the win.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 27:02

As our town grows, farmland faces pressure from development and some residents struggle to access fresh food. How would you support local farmers? Farmland faces pressure from development and some residents struggle to access fresh food. How would you support local farmers, protect farmland and help ensure everyone has access to healthy, affordable food.

Annie Drees: 27:15

You know, I was just at the Raleigh Visitors Bureau, had their annual meeting and they had a panel of chefs come and talk about why this area in Wake County was a great place to open new and exciting restaurants, and there were two points that I thought were very present there. One was the proximity to farms and fresh food was one of the reasons that brought these chefs here, and the other was the diversity of the people of this area. You know we have folks coming from all over. People want to live here and that brings different tastes. You know different flavors, different fascination, maybe combining different kinds of food from different places together and that creates this great melting pot of fresh food and people who want to try different things.

Annie Drees: 28:06

So that is absolutely one of the things that is important for our community, because I don't know about you, but in my house we love a good restaurant. We're excited to see a new place open and we have the Michelin Guide coming soon to our area. They're evaluating restaurants in Wake County. They're going to publish Michelin recommendations for North Carolina, which will also bring more exciting opportunities as far as restaurants. So yeah, I think we absolutely need to support our farmers and farmland to preserve the farms we have and create opportunities to support their development and expansion. Absolutely.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 28:42

Our police sometimes receive requests from outside agencies, while also addressing local needs. How would you set priorities for public safety with limited resources?

Annie Drees: 29:09

People who live in Holly Springs think that should be the top priority for our community, as opposed to going outside. You know, if there are needs here, those should be tantamount, I think, to our community officers. So I would say that should be the priority.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 29:19

How can the town better support small businesses and connect with their needs?

Annie Drees: 29:23

We recently just hired a new small business staffer at the town to help connect with local small businesses. I think that's really important. Last year, we revisited the downtown business investment grant that we offer for folks. We expanded what that covers and we have gotten more applicants because of it. So that is good, but is there opportunity to do more? Absolutely, I think it's appropriate and the right thing to do for the town to engage and connect with local businesses. We also support Launch Holly Springs as a town which brings new innovation and small businesses to the community, which is a win.

Annie Drees: 30:02

But is there opportunity to do more? Yes, and how do we do that? By connecting and talking with these local businesses and identifying those common needs. One of the needs I've heard a lot of is space, and that is the good thing about these mixed-use developments that you see, is that they create more space for businesses to be successful. But is it the right kind of space? Does it meet the needs of the businesses that are already here? These are the conversations we should be having at a town level.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 30:30

What approaches would you take to foster understanding and collaboration amongst residents with differing perspectives?

Annie Drees: 30:37

A few months back I attended a community council meeting in Apex and I really think this is a great idea. I think creating more opportunities for council members to engage with the community and to be available, I think that is a win. I would love to see the town of Holly Springs have community meetings where council members are accessible. I think there is a feeling that council members don't care that we're not there and I think we need to create more opportunities for contact.

Annie Drees: 31:09

There's a town information day at the farmer's market every year where the town has different departments come out and man booths, and last year I asked that we have a town council booth and myself and Council Member DeShazer we were out there all morning, you know, telling people about the different committees, about the Citizens Academy, about how to apply, and you know people had questions, people had concerns, but just being there to feel those Some of them we said I got to get back to you on that one, you know. But I think being accessible and having people understand that we care, that we want that feedback, I mean the reality is what makes a good council member is being in touch with our community and finding these opportunities to engage, because my experience is my experience, but the more I know about other people's experience, the richer, more robust my decisions can be. So I think there is a good opportunity in Holly Springs for more touch points, and I think those will make us better leaders.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 32:07

How will you ensure diverse voices and those most impacted are not only included, but truly embraced in decision making?

Annie Drees: 32:20

One of the ways in which we can bring more diversity to our community is through our board appointments. You know, I've sat on council and cast my vote for board appointments for two years and it is a difficult thing and I eventually ended up creating a matrix, a spreadsheet, because I'm an engineer with different factors that I would weigh people on. One of the things I always look at is what part of town do they live in, right? Unfortunately, right now we have three board of adjustment members who live close enough to borrow a cup of milk and I say a cup of milk, not sugar, because the milk would still be cold and I think that is a myth. We don't want everyone on planning board living on one side of 55, making decisions about the other side of 55.

Annie Drees: 33:01

I have, in fact, when considering a rezoning decision and I'm looking at the planning board vote and it's a close vote I have pulled up where those planning board members live and looked at how they voted, because I didn't want, when it was practically a tied decision, I didn't want everyone voting against it to live near it, you know. So these are considerations to take into account. So I certainly see that through our appointment process. So I have my spreadsheet, I look at these different factors experience where they live, how long they've lived in town and their enthusiasm level. But the other aspect of that that I didn't really capture when talking about this before is I'm also looking for a unique point of view. What is this person bringing to the table that is new and different? I was at a Parks and Rec meeting the other day and one of the Parks and Rec members is an avid runner. He brings a lot of experience on trails right on parks because he's running them.

Annie Drees: 33:58

That's a different experience than someone who's taking their kids to play on the playground. Additionally, there's a hunter on the Parks and Rec Advisory Committee. That's a different point of view and it's a valuable one to have in the room when you're talking about different aspects of this decision. So I really think being strategic about getting those differing points of view in the same room to have these conversations is really important, and I think council can do a better job of that.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 34:24

Do you support a non-discrimination ordinance or policy? Why or why not?

Annie Drees: 34:29

I advocated to council. I suggested that we bring Lake County in to get an update on the non-discrimination ordinance. I had heard concerns that there was a negative impact to businesses, and so my request was let's find out how it's going. And, with the exception of Council Member DeShazer, the rest of the council voted no. They didn't want the data. Now, as an engineer, that drives me crazy, because how can you make data-driven decisions if you won't look at the data right? So that meeting did not happen. I would like it to happen to make a decision on the weight non-discrimination ordinance. I believe, based on what I have seen, is that it is the right thing for Holly Springs to sign the Wake County non-discrimination ordinance. However, because I am someone who believes in making data-driven decisions, I do think we should get an update. I think we should understand if it is working or if it isn't, but if it is working, yes, I see no reason why we shouldn't join the rest of Wake County and sign it yeah.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 35:30

Okay. Have you gained any endorsements thus far and if you gain more, where might voters find that information?

Annie Drees: 35:37

I have been endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party and the Democratic Municipal Organization, dmo, and those endorsements are on my webpage and future endorsements will be there All right.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 35:49

Where can listeners connect with you and learn more about your platform? Upcoming events and ways to get involved?

Annie Drees: 35:55

That is a great question. So my website is www. anniedrees D-R-E-E-S, or number four, hollysprings. com. My Facebook page is Annie4HollySprings Again, the number four, and my Instagram is Annie4HollySprings number four. So those are all great ways to reach me. You can also email me. I care about what you have to say. Like I said before, connecting with people who live here, hearing their concerns, I mean I relish Tell me a different point of view, because that's helpful to me. I cannot solve problems I don't know about right and I welcome that dialogue. Sometimes, to represent, I need to know who I'm representing. So please don't hesitate to reach out.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 36:44

Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to share with those voting in the upcoming election? You know?

Annie Drees: 36:49

I put in the work I do. I read every page of our hundreds of pages of prep work. I visit sites, I talk to people, I meet with people. That's part of the job, I believe, and I am someone who will put in the work, so I hope you will consider me and please vote. You make a difference at the local level. That's where it happens If I get elected. You have my cell phone number on the town's website. You can call me. I'm going to answer or I'm going to call you right back. This is where you can solve problems. This is where you can make a difference. So, please, please, this shouldn't be a tiny fraction of folks voting. This should be where the most people vote, because this is where you live. We're making decisions about where you live and you should care about that. I do. Perfect.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 37:36

All right, now we're going to go into our lightning round.

Annie Drees: 37:39

Oh no, I remembered this from two years ago and I had no answer. Oh gosh, okay, I'm terrified. Oh, I don't do lightning, I'm a critical thinker. I got to think a thing through. Okay, all right, sorry, no you're good.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 37:57

What's something you do that helps you recharge?

Annie Drees: 38:00

So two things I run and I meditate. I'm a big believer in meditating, especially when you're doing something as wacky and insane as running for public office. It's really important to take those moments. And kind of recenter, there's this whole campaign bubble mind that happens. It makes you impossible to live with Just ask my husband. And it's hard to think about anything else and you know that reset, recharge is so critical.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 38:27

What's a hobby, talent or fun fact about you that most people don't know?

Annie Drees: 38:32

I used to skate roller derby. I was a co-captain of the Carolina Roller Girls a number of years ago. I don't know if people know that or not, but if you've seen me skate then maybe you know that, and I speak Spanish. What's something that is difficult for you? I am someone who can't sit still. I like to be busy, I like to do things, so I would rather be on the move. I would I have a hard time sitting down and just being still. That can be a real challenge for me.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:00

What book, podcast or TV show are you enjoying right now?

Annie Drees: 39:04

I have a hard time reading, except when I'm on vacation. When I'm on vacation, I will read three, four books straight and I love it. And then I get back home and I don't. I'm reading Strong Towns right now, very slowly and Toddcast. I can't say yours, that would be cheating. But I am constantly listening to news podcasts. There's a great one on public education in North Carolina that I like. The North Carolina League of Municipalities has a podcast. They were just talking about EVs. So yeah, I've listened to podcasts constantly and I can't think of any of their names. So don't hold that against me.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:43

That's right, because you just click the button.

Annie Drees: 39:45

Right, right. Next, it just starts autoplaying.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:48

Who is your favorite superhero?

Annie Drees: 39:51

Oh, danger Mouse, he's British, I don't know. It must be the accent, I don't know.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:59

What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Annie Drees: 40:02

So someone once said to me that we're all works in progress and I love that concept that we're not fully baked yet. We still have work to do, we still have growth. And the other piece that I read in a book it's from Anne of Green Gables, where she says tomorrow is a day with no mistakes in it. Yet. And I love that feeling. Not that mistakes are a bad thing I mean that's how we learn but that kind of optimism of continued learning and growth, I like that a lot Awesome.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 40:29

What's one guilty pleasure you secretly enjoy?

Annie Drees: 40:32

staying up too late. I am the worst at that. But you know my husband, he'll be like, well, I'm going to bed, I'm like I'm just gonna do a few more things and then three hours later I'm writing a post online about you know what happened at the town council meeting, or you know, watching Netflix or anything, but not going to bed because I'm just trying to stretch every last drop out of the day.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 40:57

There you go. What's a simple thing that always makes you laugh or smile?

Annie Drees: 41:02

I don't know. I I like to laugh and I find humor in funny places. Something I see will just make me laugh. But I think we all need to laugh more at ourselves, sometimes, as well as what we see. Maybe a good Holly Springs roundabout meme. You got to laugh at those, yeah.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:21

Coffee or tea?

Annie Drees: 41:22

coffee

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:23

Morning person or night owl?

Annie Drees: 41:25

I want to say both. I usually go for a run in the morning. Coffee Morning person or night owl I want to say both. I usually go for a run in the morning, so that feels like a morning thing to do, but these days I'm afraid I'm more of a night owl.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:35

Mountains or beach?

Annie Drees: 41:36

Mountains.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:38

Book or podcast?

Annie Drees: 41:39

If I'm on vacation it's book, but if I'm at home it's a podcast, because I can walk or go for a run and listen to it.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:47

Dogs or cats?

Annie Drees: 41:49

dogs

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:50

Alright. Thank you so much, Annie, for participating in the Candidate Conversations. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule and your trust in me to do this, and I wish you the best of luck in your election.

Annie Drees: 42:01

Thank you so much. I really appreciate you doing this.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 42:04

Absolutely Local. Elections are where democracy lives closest to home. The decisions and actions of our mayors, the Holly Springs Town Council and the Fuquay Varina Board of Commissioners influence the services we rely on each day, the safety of our streets, the character of our neighborhoods and even the future direction of our communities. Democracy is at the heart of all we hold dear. Our local governments set priorities that touch everyday life. They pass ordinances, fund our fire and police departments, set property tax structures and shape the look and feel of our towns. Because turnout is often lower in municipal elections, every ballot cast carries even greater weight. Here's what you need to know for 2025. The voter registration deadline is October 10th, unless you register at an early voting site. Early voting begins October 16th at the Wake County Board of Elections office in Raleigh. Additional sites open on October 25th, including the John M Brown Community Center in Apex and the Avery Street Recreation Center in Garner. Those two will be the closest to us in Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina. Early voting concludes on Saturday, November 1st. Please note that this year only includes two Saturdays, October 25th and November 1st, and one, Sunday, October 26th. The last day to request a mail-in absentee ballot is October 21st and Election Day itself is Tuesday, November 4th, where you'll need to cast your vote at your assigned precinct. Please remember you will need a valid ID to vote.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:42

2025 municipal election interviews at www. ncdeepdive. com, as well as on Spotify, apple Podcasts, audible or wherever you currently listen to podcasts. Show notes will include links to candidates, voter resources and election information. If you find these conversations helpful, please subscribe, share them with friends or family and consider leaving a rating or review. Spreading the word in your local spaces helps strengthen informed participation across our communities. If you have thoughts or topics you'd like us to explore, reach out on social media or email us anytime at ncdeepdive@ gmail. com.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 44:22

I'm grateful you spent this time with me today. Staying informed is how we shape communities worth calling home. Your choices matter, your perspective matters and you matter. Your ballot is your voice, and both carry more power than you might imagine. Democracy isn't passive. It only works when we each show up. Thank you for helping me to make it thrive. May we continue to work together to build stronger, more vibrant communities, to live, work and play in Ones we can all be proud to call home. Until next time, my friends namaste, the love and light in me sees and honors the love and light in you.