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 Kris Vorren as part of our 2025 Municipal Election Candidate Conversations. Kris is running for the four-year seat on the Fuquay Varina

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 0:27

Board of Commissioners. For this race, Kris will be running against Nolan Perry, Bryan Haynes, and Gage Cook. These races are nonpartisan, 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 two of these candidates for this seat on your ballot in this election. The top two vote getters will join Fuquay Varina's Board of Commissioners, Charlie Adcock, William (Bill) Harris, and Marilyn Gardner 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. Kristopher, tell me a little bit about yourself, how long you've lived in the area, and what's inspired you to run.

Kris Vorren: 1:29

I grew up in North Carolina. I've lived in North Carolina all my life. I come from a small town in the mountains called Mills River. It's actually the way it's growing is very similar to how Fuquay Varina is growing at the moment. I've lived in Fuquay Varina for, let's see, we moved here in early 2022 to buy a house. And we wanted basically to be in Wake County, but still kind of have that small town feel. What Fuquay Varina has to offer, I think, still offers despite the rapid growth that it's experiencing. So why did I decide to run? I just wanted to help out. I'm really interested in policies and how the governance of town, how it's been growing. And I attend many of the town board meetings, as many as I can. It's been a little difficult in the past year because I have a one-year-old son now, but it's very interesting, and there's people from different political backgrounds, but they all work together. They're all interested in seeing the town run smoothly and helping out the town. And I like seeing that kind of politics at work, or policy, it may be even a better word than politics. So what happened was one of the commissioners decided not to run. And, you know, being one of the only people who shows up to the meetings and sits all the way through who isn't required to be there, I figured, you know, why not give it a shot and take a chance at helping out? And I hope I have some ideas for the town that could improve things.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 2:38

Have you been an active voter, including in municipal elections?

Kris Vorren: 2:42

Yes, I have voted in many municipal elections. I've been a voter since I turned 18, way back when. You can look up my voting record, it's quite a long list. I did vote in the last municipal election here in Fuquay Varina. That was in 2023. That was the first municipal election in town that I was able to vote in. And then, of course, other places throughout North Carolina that I've lived in, I've also voted in their municipal elections, such as in Orange County, in Iredell County, and back in the mountains in Henderson County. So I try to vote as often as I can because I believe in the importance of voting.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 3:11

Excellent. What do you feel is the role of a board commissioner?

Kris Vorren: 3:15

So the town commissioners, their role is to present a vision to the town. Maybe the analogy would be in the corporate world, they're kind of like the board on a corporate body who sets the direction and they evaluate how the town manager is doing. You know, they they provide a high-level vision for the town. And then of course the staff and the management do the day-to-day running of the town. And so that vision is important because it guides the future of our town's growth. So one of the problems I see that they face is that they're dealing with challenges they weren't able to foresee, maybe due to the rapid growth that we found in the past. And now there's a problem that they have to fix. So a lot of what they're doing is fixing issues that have come about because of maybe the rapid growth that weren't anticipated. And so the board has to be really focused on what is upcoming and that's in the short term and the long term. For example, at the last board meeting, they were discussing wastewater treatment in the area, and they're thinking up to 50 years out for that. And a board of commissioners' term is only four years long. So you really have to show that leadership and show the values that you want to guide your town moving forward. And of course, deal with the issues of today as best as you can, despite several constraints that are in place because of you know working with other governing bodies. The General Assembly has not been too friendly to municipalities and county governance. Ultimately, the board has to be creative to tackle the issues that we're facing today and will face tomorrow and provide guidance to the town management.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 4:33

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

Kris Vorren: 4:41

Sure. One of the ways I see giving back to the community is actually being involved in politics. I am a precinct chair for the Democratic Party in town, and I volunteer for things such as getting out the boat, getting candidates' messages out, and you know, a whole host of other community events that the Democratic Party partakes in. For example, last week we did a backpack drive for students at Lincoln Heights Elementary School. We had a full hatchback truckload full of backpacks and school supplies that we were able to drop off for the students. And so some people might be dissatisfied with this political answer, but the reason I'd focus on that is because you can pick your charity or organization of choice and they'll do great things. But the problem is you can get a politician in there or you know, someone who is antagonistic to the cause that you support, and they could just erode all the progress you've made on said issue, or even be against it or opposed to it. So that's why I chose politics because I think it's the best way to be able to ensure that whatever your focus is, it stays in place, it gets enacted, it becomes part of the plan for the community. And so what are my qualifications? My biggest qualification, I think, for this role is that I attend the meetings and I listen to what the challenges that the town is facing on a day-to-day basis and going in the future again, as I had mentioned. But attending these meetings and seeing how they're run and the issues that come up and what they're facing and dealing with, I think that already prepares me well for this role. But also I bring a different perspective than many quote unquote politicians or folks who are in government, especially on these local boards, commissioners and municipalities, it's often lawyers and business folk who are on the boards. And I have more of a technical background. You know, I have a degree in physics, for example, so kind of a scientific technical background. And that's, I think I don't want to say different, but I think it would complement well some of the modes of thought that maybe a lawyer or a business person brings to the board. So just to get a different perspective, something fresh, something new, I hope that can be beneficial for the town. And I hope voters would agree with that.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 6:33

Excellent. What would you say is your long-term vision for the future of Fuquay Varina?

Kris Vorren: 6:39

A lot of my campaign so far has been about how to maybe manage and take advantage of this explosive growth that we've seen in the last 10 years and are continuing to see. So, kind of at a higher level, the long-term vision is to make sure that the community, the town as a whole, everyone in town benefits equitably from this growth that we are experiencing. So that means the benefits don't only go to the developers or the newcomers or people who have been here a long time, people who've been here a short time. Like everyone takes advantage of this growth and is not left behind. And so there's a lot to unpack there, and maybe we will start to unpack some of that. But again, it goes back to the town needing to come up with creative solutions and work together as a board with our diversity of opinions and the way we think about these issues to ensure that we have sustainable, healthy growth into the future that is not detrimental to our community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 7:31

Perfect. What would you say your top three priorities are for Fuquay Varina?

Kris Vorren: 7:35

So I think two of my top three priorities are going to be, I think, common with anyone who's running for the board, and that's housing affordability, dealing with the traffic and kind of managing the growth in general. And then a third priority I have is a priority that we can tackle in one term as a commissioner, and that's making our parks and our downtown and focusing on how to keep those spaces cooler in the summer, especially. So I mentioned I'm from the mountains and the summer here in Fuquay Varina and in the sand hills and in the Piedmont, I find the temperature and the humidity to basically be miserable. But the summer is the time when we want to be out and about the most. We you know the kids are out of school and families have vacation, and I like to enjoy our parks and our downtown despite the blazing heat. So I want to make sure we focus on ways to keep these spaces cooler, and that could be through artificial shade, through installation of more fans downtown just to keep the sticky air moving around, and a whole host of other issues that we could think about. And I think people would agree this is an issue that we need to take care of. Heat is the deadliest form of weather that we experience, despite it not being so often talked about. Areas that have more heat generally also are correlated with areas that with higher crime, so crime rates rise in the summer, possibly because of the heat. And our parks, you know, I like to hang out in our parks. I've been taking my son to the splash pad, but there's not even not like really adequate shade there. Like when you come out of that splash pad and you step on concrete sidewalk, you're gonna burn your feet because it's so hot, and there's like one umbrella, and of course, there's the shelter, which helps. But other than that, there's not much shade around the area, and it it would be a way to get community out and about in town more if you could focus on this issue. And then, you know, having the community out and discussing the issues also I think provides a lot more benefits down the road. So that's my short-term goal, and it's gonna be a focus in the four years if I'm elected to the town board. And then, of course, I don't want to diminish the importance of the other two issues. Housing affordability is definitely a big challenge that we're facing all across North Carolina in the triangle. And everyone talks about traffic. I experience it too, so it's a it's another issue that we'll be focusing on and will need very creative solutions to deal with.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 9:37

How do you define housing affordability?

Kris Vorren: 9:40

Yeah, that's a that's a good question. So there are several ways you can define it, I think, and it depends on how complex you want to go into detail. And so the simplest way I would say to define it is looking at median household costs, looking at the medium income, like household income, and hoping that you find some measure, maybe oftentimes people say 30% of your income should be about what your housing cost is and no more than that. But that doesn't really take into account a whole host of other issues. Personally, housing affordability is a much more important issue when I have a child in daycare, and that's almost the cost of a mortgage payment per month right there. People are going through different things throughout their lives. There are people on fixed income, there are people who aren't on fixed income who rents are going up faster than their income goes up. But I think a better way to define it might be to say, how is the community as a whole, how is their cost of housing affecting other aspects of their life? Is it causing undue stress or people having to go in debt because of the housing costs? But again, then it gets very complex from there. And so unfortunately, it's kind of government and you're gonna have to go with that more quantitative definition of say 30%. I think 30% is too high. It should be maybe about 20% of your income. And that would give a people a lot more leeway and margin to improve their quality of life in other aspects if they're not spending so much on affordability. What I'll say is I do have some ideas on how we can at least encourage more housing affordability and not just through regulation, but through the way we plan to grow our community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 11:05

Okay. What do you feel is working well within the town and where do you see room for improvement? You've already mentioned a few things, but if you want to go further.

Kris Vorren: 11:14

So I think what's working well in town, we do have a good sense of community for the most part. We have kind of two nice downtown districts where people can gather and get together. We have lots of good small businesses. Our parks are amazing. I keep finding new parks in town that I haven't been to, and it's always impressive to see what the town has done for our park system. That being said, the way I think we can best improve some of the town is how we organize the growth. We're growing outward from the center of the town. So in Fuquay Varina, there's these two central areas, Fuquay Springs part of downtown and the Varina part of downtown, and then kind of Main Street, where all the, I guess, quote unquote stuff to do is. So what happens is all the development that has occurred is outlying and surrounding where all the activity, commerce, and places people want to hang out in town are. And so what I would like to see is we develop more activities, more parts, more commercial areas, kind of outside of just that main central corridor in downtown Fuquay Varina, so that, you know, I don't necessarily have to get in the car and drive and add to the traffic and be a part of the traffic for 10 or 15 minutes just to go get a cup of coffee, just to go to the grocery store, to the library, or a restaurant, or anything. For example, I live in the South Lakes neighborhood, and there's probably like seven or eight hundred houses in this neighborhood, but there's nothing, you know, we have we do have a school nearby. But otherwise, if I want to be a part of town community, I have to get in my car and add to the traffic and drive. It would be nice if they had included grocery stores when they had developed this neighborhood or restaurants nearby, something in walking distance, or maybe even a mode of public transportation, so that I don't have to get into my car every time go do something. And so that's what I would like to see. I would like to see maybe more diversity of the way we build. There's been a big focus on residential in the areas that are growing outwards, and maybe not as much in terms of commercial or these so-called third spaces where you know people uh want to hang out and enjoy the community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 13:01

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

Kris Vorren: 13:13

Generally, I think I do support the town budget. I think the board and especially the management team, they work hard to balance all that, the revenue and uh spending, and put together a good presentation every year. I believe, I can't remember offhand, but I believe the town budget is about $73 million. And so, of course, that goes to a whole host of town infrastructure, parks, and and everything. I mean, and there's not too much politics that goes on. It's a management job. The politics kind of comes in where do we shift our priority, of course. But in general, I think the management team has done a good job with the budget and they've been able to keep the town taxes lower than the other municipalities in Wake County and still provide all these amazing services to the town. Where do I want to see some shift in priority? I would say in terms of the budget, I think they're doing all right, but I'm more focused on how we prioritize the way we grow in town.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 14:02

What does that look like for you?

Kris Vorren: 14:03

As I mentioned earlier, it's a lot about the diversity of growth. We had focused on residential a lot, but even let's just talk about residential for a minute. What the town has been building outward are these neighborhoods that all look alike, the houses all kind of look the same. And I think that we could tackle the issue of housing affordability somewhat by diversifying what the developments look like. So almost like a diversity of housing density. So instead of building a single-family home neighborhood over here and then a big bye-bye one over there, the so-called missing middle housing somewhere else. I think if we mix that in together, it would encourage growth of the community in such a way to encourage also businesses, to encourage walkability, to encourage also if we look towards public transit in the future. It's much easier for public transit to service higher density housing. So if we kind of have a mixture of density, then you know there would be more likely that your neighborhood would get serviced by public transit. That's one of the complaints that people have. And so I'd like to see that growth mixed a little bit instead of building the single-family home neighborhoods separately from other developments. Let's mix that in. And I think that would encourage kind of growth in the right direction.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 15:02

What are your thoughts on building up or the tiny homes?

Kris Vorren: 15:06

Sure. I mean, building up, especially we should kind of maybe do that in our downtown area a little bit with tiny homes. That's an idea that I think a lot of people who focus on housing affordability like to discuss. I forget the technical term for it, but you put a tiny home on your if you have excess uh property or land, the space for it, and that way you can kind of increase the density without too much cost and not very much change to regulation. So lower overhead there. If we're gonna have high rises, again, I would like to see kind of the diversity of the way we build, so we can have, I don't think we need excessive high rises. You know, there's that building in Durham that sticks out because they they put like a skyscraper on 15501 there. But five by ones, I think, are are the right height, maybe seven by ones. So seven floors of residential and one floor of like commercial development or commercial space. I'm not against single family homes. I personally live in a single family home. I got tired of apartment living, mixed seven, have single family homes, have smaller single-family homes, have bigger single-family homes, but put them together so that in in the same area, so that you kind of get this diversity of the way it looks. Again, diversity of density, so that it kind of starts to feel like a vibrant neighborhood, less like a development.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 16:10

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

Kris Vorren: 16:22

Generally, yes, I think government should be proactive, but you actually that goes back to your budget question. You know, you have to balance how proactive you can be versus how reactive. And that's a complicated question because, for example, I talked about technical background and I want to be data-driven. So it's hard to prepare for random events that might only occur every 10 years or 100 years, such as flooding. That's been a big issue that's come up recently. You had flooding in Chapel Hill that I think that even breached the 500-year, maybe even the thousand-year lines through Chantal. How do you prepare for that? It gets back to where the board needs to be creative, really do a deep dive into data, and it's gonna be a balancing act on how proactive and reactive the government should be. So, what are maybe some specific issues? Like we should be proactive about the growth in the area. I think we're gonna focus on that quite a bit in this interview. And it's not anyone's fault, but I think the town has been more reactive on how to deal with growth in that regard because it's happened so fast, but we know what to expect now, and going forward we should be proactive in dealing with it, and that involves better planning and how we want to structure our town. Same with traffic, we're being very reactive with traffic, and that's kind of problematic too. But because traffic projects can take four years, so that's a term of a board of commissioner. So I would like to be more proactive on those two issues, those are again said two of the three key issues, and we kind of know what to expect, and we're seeing the trends nationwide on where people are moving. North Carolina is one of, of course, the fastest growing states, so we have to be reactive to deal with the problems of the past and proactive to anticipate what to expect in the future.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 17:51

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

Kris Vorren: 17:57

There are several ways that a town raises revenue, and most of that is through property taxes. So the best way to do that, of course, is to bring in businesses into the town. And of course, I'm a big fan of small business. I think many folks running for these town boards are. They're kind of the engine of economic growth in America. And so if we had incentives, and again, part of it as we're building out, we should focus on developing neighborhoods where we could attract small businesses and mixed in with the residential, with that kind of planning that could increase the property tax base there. With our parks, I think we can use that resource and we can hold more events that would, of course, attract people from within our community and from outside the community bring in their revenue. We have the Art Center, that's been a great resource that's relatively new. But what I don't see very often is we don't seem to have very many street festivals or parades. I mean, we have the Christmas parade, of course, but in the summer, especially, I'm not aware of like weekend festivals, especially that could maybe bring in some more revenue from both inside and outside the town. We do have the Follow Me to Fuquay, that's usually on Thursdays, and I think that's great. And local vendors set up food trucks and beer trucks and we attract a lot of people. But during the weekends, especially when people have more time and are more available, I think the town could improve there. For example, Knoxville, Tennessee has probably a parade like once a month for just different things, and it brings communities together. They have like a dog on a parade. So there are definitely ideas, I think, what people might be into. Like February, of course, has the Black History Month and there's a parade there, and then June, there's Pride Month, and there are parades and activities associated with that. But in general, more events that could bring the community out, get them downtown and building these so-called third spaces where people can hang out think would help generate economic activity and bring in revenue for the community.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 19:37

Excellent. 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 elected?

Kris Vorren: 19:47

Sure. A lot of what comes before the board hasn't been very controversial. The most recent controversial issue that I've seen is in regards to these social districts. And I believe Commissioner Harris brought up a good argument. Part of what I think about government is that it's a bit responsible for public health, and that's a broad thing. So Commissioner Harris brought up that the town shouldn't be kind of encouraging excessive alcohol consumption through the use of social districts. And I thought that was a very good point. And he also kind of brought it home with saying that businesses don't need alcohol necessarily to drive their business. And so, of course, the board passed that by four to one. I'm not saying I necessarily disagree with the social district aspect, but I think that's a good point that the town maybe should have considered a little bit better and you know took more time to think about. And as Commissioner Harris has said, maybe look at the data more. We have our social district now. How since we first started doing the social district, have there been any increases in drunk driving and things like that or problems associated with drinking? I don't think the town thought that through as well as they should have. So I would say I disagree with that. I mean, I haven't really taken a public stand on that yet. There's a lot of issues facing the town, but the public health impact could be significant there. So I want to make sure that the town gets it right. But it passed 4-1, and so it is the ordinance. That's the one that comes to mind because it just happened in the last meeting. They're going to have a new social district right where kind of the new Thai restaurant is Kao Sen and the My Way Tavern. So they just passed that. I think. Yeah, I'm not even saying I fully disagree with it. I'm just saying maybe I would agree with Commissioner Harris that we should have thought about it a little bit more.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 21:16

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

Kris Vorren: 21:21

So when I think of smart growth, it comes out to what I kind of basing my whole campaign on growth in such a way that benefits the town and everyone, new and old, equitably. And so that means as we grow, it should provide more revenue to the town, it should provide more opportunities for the people in the town who are living here and who will be moving here. And it's about making sure that all that benefit is spread out equitably or equally and not just going to developers, the investors, and the people who are trying to make their living through development because growth can have negative impacts on residents. Growth is not a bad problem to have, but it still causes challenges. And so we want to make sure that we're not sacrificing certain segments of our community in order for someone to cash in. I don't think of growth as a way for people to make money. I think of it as a way to expand our community and to expand maybe our culture and to expand our quality of life. And I want to make sure that, you know, especially when it comes to quality of life, that growth is increasing our quality of life for everyone at town and not becoming a burden.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 22:19

As our town is growing rapidly, it's putting pressure on infrastructure like water and roads, public safety, parks and rec 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?

Kris Vorren: 22:36

If we had to choose only one. That's a tough question. But I think what is on everyone's mind is kind of transportation and the roads and everything. And part of that is because the way we've grown focusing on residential has really strained our traffic system. Our parks are good. There's definitely funding issues there that need to be dealt with. The wastewater treatment, there is a plan, and it's that's a very long-term plan. But the transportation infrastructure is probably in dire need of attention. And so I would probably focus on that because even so there's gonna be short-term and long-term projects and goals that we need to work on to deal with that. But we need some way to alleviate the traffic, probably now, and we're still growing, we're not gonna stop growing as we tackle this issue, and it's only gonna make it worse and it's gonna decrease the quality of life for our residents. So I would focus on that. And there are, of course, ideas on how to do that, both short and long term. The longer term ones are again more about how we grow and how we organize our communities, as I mentioned, building residential and commercial, so places to live next to areas to do stuff, quote unquote. In the medium term, we can look at public transit. I really just like bus systems, and sometimes that's a hard sell for people, but we have an example in North Carolina of a bus system that works, and that's Chapel Hill. Everyone rides the bus in Chapel Hill. That town is laid out similar to how Vic Way Verena is. There's one central location, the university, where everyone conducts their business. The housing's all surrounding the university. So we can look to that example to see what they've done right. And I think the bus system in Chapel Hill is a great success. Everyone rides it. We can expand that. We can look to those ideas and implement them here in Fuquay. It's really hard to come up with short-term solutions to traffic. There's no magic wand that says we can want the traffic to be better all we want, but it's gonna take time. Like I said, as a simple intersection rework could take four years when you think about the planning. That's part of why I say of the three uh issues you mentioned, that's why I said we need to focus on that one because it's a tough problem and it really affects the quality of life. And I think we have more margin on the other two issues. We have more time on those.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 24:29

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

Kris Vorren: 24:38

I think in terms of public safety, we definitely meet the needs in terms of parks. I think we meet those needs right now. I had mentioned for the parks more shade, artificial, or natural. In terms of public safety, Fuquay Varina is been ranked, I think, two years in a row now as like one of the safest towns in America. So I think we've got that one covered. I think you mentioned wastewater was another the other issue.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 24:58

As part of infrastructure.

Kris Vorren: 24:59

So right now, I think Fuquay Varina is doing a good job on it. They had actually recently just done a study, as they mentioned in the last town board meeting, funded by the bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden. So they had just completed that study and there is work to be done, yes, and there's even some short-term work that needs to be done. As I mentioned, there's there's some margin, there's some time to work on it. They have identified inefficiencies that can be improved, I think, relatively cheaply, but there will be an issue in the long term. Part of that's based on, of course, the expenditure growth, and part of that is where the town will grow, dealing with the environmental regulations, just the lay of the lands, it turns out with wastewater, gravity is your friend to get to get that wastewater out of there at low cost. So there's some planning, and as I mentioned earlier, they went 50 years out on that. So it's gonna cost a lot of money. So what we need to think about in that time frame, you know, 50 years, I would say is a long time. We need to think about basically how we fund that and address that. And part of that can be the way we grow because the town funds these things again through property taxes, mainly. I mean, there are other fees associated with developments and the like, but mainly property taxes. So how we grow and at the same time not overburdening people with taxes, and we can do that by again diversity of density.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 26:06

Okay. Now you've kind of already answered this question, but if you want to go any further, as the population grows, what strategies would you prioritize to address the roads, utilities, and other infrastructure challenges?

Kris Vorren: 26:18

Yeah. So part of that is, of course, how we grow. Because the the short-term infrastructure issues, especially traffic, as I mentioned, there's no magic wand. So you have to kind of think longer term. That's why having diversity of commercial or residential or even slight industrial would help with traffic, but that's in the future. With wastewater, I think there's room in the budget for these kind of infrastructure projects. And the town is working on them, and whoever gets elected will work on these issues. But at some point, we're gonna even have to ask a little bit for the patience of the people. And people understand, people understand there's no magic wand, but it's gonna require better planning. And as we grow, we can relieve the stress on the infrastructure we have now by growing sustainably. And I think that will help and planning for it, explaining to the town what needs to be done. I think the management does a good job at communicating both to the town board and to the town their priorities. So let's just make sure that as we grow into the future, we anticipate what's coming.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 27:10

Sure. And as our town grows, 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?

Kris Vorren: 27:23

You know, if we're trying to grow and surrounding Fuquay Varina is quite a bit of farmland, that's going to be an issue. So I think you identified kind of two separate issues, though. How do we protect kind of the farmland, especially here in southern Wake County, is probably the last part of Wake County that really has much agricultural land. And then how do we ensure that people receive fresh or local food? With protecting farmland, that's part of our plan to grow. What I will say is that we cannot control what people do with their land. You know, that's pretty explicitly something that the board does not have power over. And that comes into in terms of like annexing new land for the town, it has to all be done voluntary. If a farmer decides they want to sell their land to someone else who has an idea for it, then that's between the farmer and whoever buys the land. That being said, as the board, what we can do is we can encourage our local farmers to produce local foods. We have our farmers market every Saturday. We can grow that, encourage people to purchase local. And it's good that people are able to use like SNAP benefits for those things. But the board is going to set the vision of how we want to grow. And so if we want to preserve some land, then that's gonna adjust what kind of density we grow. We grow up vertically and how we include farmers in our community. So through the farmers market, encourage that. And that would be a way to protect the surrounding farmland and encourage community to interact with and do business with them. Now, food insecurity, I think, is another issue you mentioned, and this is gonna be a big problem, I think, pretty soon. I learned that Wake County is facing several cuts to SNAP. So the supplemental, nutritional, I guess what is colloquially known as food stamps. And so, you know, I've been thinking about this a little bit. We're gonna have to work with our partners in the community, and actually that goes back to the farmers, but other charitable organizations in the short term. We do have Commissioner Haynes, uh, just held an event last Saturday and he provided a list of resources in our community for people who may be food insecure to get some food, and that's been you know through a combination of I think businesses and churches who have been helping with that. Whoever's on the board has to think about right now. I did actually have one other idea because I had been thinking about this a little bit. So when you think about how you feed a large group of people, usually the most efficient way you do that is like a cafeteria style, save the economies of scale by producing food in bulk for folks. So almost even like we build a new cafeteria with very low cost food or even free food for people who need it, and that would be a way for people who are food insecure to have access to food, and it would also bring community, I think, together, having a place where they can come and interact. You know, that might not be so popular with the restaurants in town, right? So again, it's it's about getting creative and how do you balance those um maybe conflicting interests.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 29:56

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

Kris Vorren: 30:06

The Fuquay Town Police, I think, should prioritize the town, right? It's our taxes who pay for their services, right? That being said, I think in general, if outside agencies need assistance, as far as I'm aware, there's some compensation for that from that outside agency. So an issue I can think of is like in Chapel Hill, when there's a big basketball game such as Duke UNC, they solicit services from agencies all throughout the triangle, really, to come and help deal with the massive crowds that are going to go rush Franklin Street. And I think that Chapel Hill pays for that, and probably the university helps pay for that as well. So there is always limited resources for any service that the town provides. And so therefore the town should focus on itself when using our own funding. But if the police chief and if others who are overseeing the police feel that they have the resources and are able to, and if they can receive some sort of compensation for assisting with other agencies, then great, that would be fine. And I'm thinking more pretty further outside. If you look at Fuquay Varina on Google Maps and look at the map, you know, there's a lot of areas where it's sometimes hard to tell whether it's the county jurisdiction or the town jurisdiction. So, like if Wake County needs assistance nearby, then sure, that makes sense. I don't think we need to think too much about that. But again, I would say prioritize the town because the town's paying for it ultimately.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 31:19

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

Kris Vorren: 31:25

The town board should really be encouraging people to visit our small businesses and do business with them. And we can do that in a number of ways. A lot of that goes back to the street festivals, just getting people downtown where the businesses are. And the town has that like Follow Me to Fuquay series. Another thing I've thought of to encourage small businesses, and this already happens a little bit, is just the town leaders, such as the mayor and the town board, need to be visiting these businesses, kind of advertising. Let's say if I were elected, I would be interested in holding office hours, for example, at one of the local coffee shops. Or any kind of celebration or achievement by locals within the community, we could celebrate at a bar, restaurant, or have town events. Just anything that gets people downtown would support the local businesses. Another thing, and I think some of the local magazines help with this, but spotlighting businesses from time to time, and you can do that by uh issuing awards for best pizza, best best place to get a haircut. I think the Suburban Living Magazine does some of that. Members of the town board again can get out and about and partake in these, do business with our small businesses, kind of set an example, because as town leaders, that's part of our job, right? To set an example for the town and just identify our businesses and encourage them to come to our meetings too and work with us. And part of the point of the meetings is for us to listen to their challenges and their concerns so that we may address them.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 32:38

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

Kris Vorren: 32:45

I definitely thought about this because we do have a pretty diverse community here in Fuquay Varina. It is kind of disappointing sometimes when I'm at the town board meetings and there's not much participation from the community. So the best way I think is to meet people where they're at. And again, it goes back to hosting community events. I think so. There's like a barbecue that I missed it this year, every July. That's a fun one. But bringing food, I think, is an excellent way to bring people together. As our community is growing, we are getting more diversity of cultures and everything. And so, food festivals, cultural festivals, getting people downtown. Part of my initiative for increased shading and cooling in town, just so that people are more likely to get downtown, I think, would help with that. And for the board, is just come up with creative ways to bring the community together so that we can talk. And you know, part of that is we need to be not so afraid to discuss politics. Sometimes that's talking politics or talking policy is like a taboo thing because it can be controversial. But you know, we may need to, it's this is a political campaign to some extent. We may need to be politicians and discuss politics and policy when we are at these events, just to educate the community and bring people together.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 33:43

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

Kris Vorren: 33:50

Again, it goes back to meeting people where they're at. It can be tough. As we do have a diverse communities here in Fuquay Varina again, and we need to reach out to community leaders of different people who may be impacted in different ways and encourage them to either attend our meetings or let us discuss with them, visit with them, hold office hours so that everyone feels included. It can sometimes be tough reaching out if there's communities that feel marginalized or whatnot. It can be tough reaching out because they may not want to. There may be a lack of trust, right? And so we have to build that trust. There are plenty of ways, I think, to do that. But again, I think it really just comes down to meeting people where they're at, right? Keeping the door open figuratively so that everyone feels comfortable and welcome and encouraged to discuss. We need to be good listeners as leaders in the community to address any issue because especially as we are a growing town, right?

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 34:34

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

Kris Vorren: 34:39

Yes. So Wake County has a pretty strong non-discrimination ordinance, and that affects countywide. And so I think this is a very important issue, especially today, that you know, we passed this ordinance. I don't see a reason why not to. So yes, let's do that. The why is because we have in this day of politics, say in the last 10 years, we have to really write down policies that we want. There's no more kind of agreements. The best way to say it is that certain political factions have kind of been trying to take advantage of softer, unwritten rules and almost overturn them to acquire power and disadvantage folks and enrich themselves. And so just even down to basic fundamental constitutional rights or perceived rights, if they're not written down, then they're being taken away. You can see that by opening a news article. There are national guards in DC right now. Like what happened to, I think this is the Third Amendment where no soldiers in peacetime, right? So that's a long way of saying why do we need the non-discrimination ordinance? Because we need it explicitly spelled out that we support these things so that they may not be eroded and forced. Because yeah, we're in a time now where I think we're going backwards in terms of, well, just for an example, DEI or diversity, equity, inclusion is kind of like a bad word in certain media landscapes, and that's crazy to me. So it is important that these things get written down and the town defends it and encourages it and strongly supports it. So that's kind of the why.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 36:10

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

Kris Vorren: 36:16

So I have been endorsed by the W ake County Democratic Party that just came through. I'm looking into other endorsements, but the folks who have reached out to endorse me, I haven't really researched who they are. So to put it plainly, these endorsement processes I think are nice and it gives people kind of an idea of what you stand for. But there's a catch too. The endorsements are not unconditional, right? Maybe nor should they be. So there's been several organizations who have reached out, such as like Home Builders Association and NCE Association of Realtors. I've had Habitat for Humanity reach out to me, and they all have different visions of what they want to see, how they want to see the town grow. And so I haven't really had a chance to read over their endorsement process or what they stand for. And honestly, part of it is I don't want to be beholden to too many organizations because really this election is about Fuquay Varina and the town and the people living here, and to some extent the people who come and visit and work here. So I've been kind of selecting carefully who I go through the process of endorsement for, where to find those endorsements. I do have a website, but I haven't listed them yet. So far, I think the Democratic Party is the only group that's endorsed me. And again, part of that is just because they're the only people I ask.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 37:20

Su re. Where can listeners connect with you and learn more about your platform, upcoming events, and ways to get involved?

Kris Vorren: 37:26

I do have my website, uh KrisVoren.com. This is a municipal campaign. In that regard, the advantage there is it's a small campaign. So I try to be out and about now. I have my contact info on my website.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 37:38

And just to clarify, it's Kris with a K-R-I-S Vorren-v-o-r-r-en.com.

Kris Vorren: 37:45

That's right. Thank you. Yes. So I have my contact info on my website. I encourage people to reach out to me. I have received emails from several people in town already. I asked a simple question. I try to get back to them as quickly as I can. I'll just say is as soon as I fell for candidacy, the phone started ringing and the emails started coming in and the mailbox started getting built up. So it is hard to keep up with that. I do try and prioritize questions from individuals in the community. I try to get out in the community myself a lot. I even carry around a little sign that says, hi, I'm K ris Vorren running for Board of Commissioners. The simple question of like what improvements would you like to see in the town? So I would encourage people just to come up and talk to me. I try to get out and about as much as possible. Like I said, my contact info is available. We are going to have some campaign-related events coming up, and I didn't really want to start with that until later September or October. And the reason actually is because I don't like the heat. I'm not going to ask volunteers to go out and knock on doors for me if I'm not going to do it in the 90 degree, 95 degree. So once it cools off, we're going to be doing those kind of activities and we'll be encouraging people to reach out. The Democratic Party is going to be helping out with that. This is a non-partisan campaign. Running the town isn't a partisan thing. Which party associate with, yeah, will shape your ideas a little bit, but ultimately everyone's trying to increase your quality of life. So I've been a Democrat all my life. We're going to be working with them to help, you know, organize volunteering events for the campaign. So be on the lookout. I should also mention I do have a Facebook group, Kristopher Vorren for Fuquay Varin a Board of Commissioners. And so that's going to be a way to keep up with the campaign as well.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:07

All right, perfect. Do you have any final thoughts you'd like to share with those voting in the upcoming election?

Kris Vorren: 39:13

For those who are already planning to vote, thank you. I thank you for being involved in the community. And for everyone else, I definitely encourage a research all the candidates, research the issues and go vote. And this is 2025, it's an odd year, so it oftentimes people aren't you know thinking about politics. But as the cliche is all politics is local, the town board, its local politics and policies will probably have more of an impact on your life than national politics, and even though that's covered more in the media. But come be a part of the community, come listen to the ideas. There's also a candidate form, I believe, at the Arts Center on September 25th, 6:30. There's four Board of Commissioners candidates and two mayoral candidates. So we'll have a lot of ideas to discuss there. So I would encourage everyone to participate in that uh and come see what we have to say.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 39:56

Perfect. So now we've finished all the hard questions.

Kris Vorren: 40:00

Okay.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 40:01

I like to have a little bit of like a lightning round, something to be a little fun, bring some humanity in. So these can be things that you just think of off the top of your head. You don't have to be serious about it. What's something you do that helps you recharge?

Kris Vorren: 40:16

Oh, I go out to the forest. I'm from the mountains. I go out just to get away into that peace and solace and everything. Oh, and that's how I recharge. And other than that, just a cup of coffee, a cup of tea.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 40:28

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

Kris Vorren: 40:32

I don't know. I just enjoy being out about, friendly and easygoing. Like I said, I'm not a homebody, so I'm not gonna be interested in sitting and watching Netflix all day. So I just I like to be out in the community and try and meet people and talk with people. That's even relaxing for me in a way.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 40:47

What's something that's difficult for you? You may have just answered that as well.

Kris Vorren: 40:51

Yeah, well, in terms of this campaign, it's a little difficult, I think, because I have a one-year-old and I am prioritizing my family, of course. And so there's some difficulty there, like you know, balancing the family life and and everything. And so I have to be very thankful to my wife, Lindsay, for supporting me in this. Because it, you know, having a one-year-old is hard. It's fun, it's great, it's amazing.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:12

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

Kris Vorren: 41:16

Oh, right now. Yeah, that's it. That's actually an interesting question. I'm reading an old book, it's a biography on Peter the Great, actually. I do prefer like kind of nonfiction history when I'm reading. I had picked that up, found it at a used bookstore. I read the first page, and I was like, oh, this looks pretty good. Just kept going with it.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:33

Excellent. Who's your favorite superhero?

Kris Vorren: 41:36

Ooh, my favorite superhero. You know what? He's not a superhero, but I've always been a big fan of Barack Obama.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:42

There you go.

Kris Vorren: 41:44

He's good at being chill, down to earth, and explaining things very well. Like that about him.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 41:49

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

Kris Vorren: 41:52

Probably just go for it. You know? Life is short, so go for it. I guess everyone has a little bit of fear of missing out or FOMO, as they say. So if you have the means and whatever you're trying to do in life, take a chance.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 42:03

What's one guilty pleasure you secretly enjoy?

Kris Vorren: 42:06

Oh gosh. I eat out way too much, sometimes three times a day, four times a day. Because here in Fuquay we have so many good little shops, and I just want to try everything, and so I have to hold myself back from that. But yeah, that's probably definitely it.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 42:21

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

Kris Vorren: 42:24

I got my son, of course, my wife and my family. They never fails, even in the tough moments. But honestly, just getting outside in the fresh air, that does it for me. Even if I'm about to like go on a run or something, and I'm dreading taking that first few steps on the run. The fresh air being out being outside really does it for me.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 42:41

Awesome. So this is a this or that. Are you coffee or tea?

Kris Vorren: 42:45

Oh, that's a controversial question. But I'm actually I'm actually tea is the answer. I guess anyone at the coffee shops in town will tell you that, because I always order the chai latte.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 42:55

Oh, that's one of my favorites. Morning person or night owl?

Kris Vorren: 42:58

Morning person, for sure. Uh, not by choice necessarily, but I can't stay up late, I'll fall asleep. Once once I put the kid to bed and sit on the couch, then I'm passed out.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:07

Mountains or beach?

Kris Vorren: 43:08

Mountains. Easy. I'm from the mountains, so I don't like the heat, as we discussed. Mountains all the way.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:16

Book or podcast?

Kris Vorren: 43:17

Book. I've never really gotten into the podcast thing. I don't know. Even though I do technical stuff for work and everything. I think book is more relaxing. I like it better.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:25

Perfect. Dogs or cats.

Kris Vorren: 43:27

Oh, can I say both? So we have a cat, and this cat has the most personality I've ever seen. He's a great cat, but I've had some great dogs too. It really depends on the personality of them. I can't just pick one.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:39

All right, fair enough. Well, that brings this episode and candidate conversation to a close. I really thank you, Chris, for trusting me to have this conversation and taking the time. May you have the best of luck in your election.

Kris Vorren: 43:51

Appreciate it. Yeah. Thank you so much. It was a pleasure.

Amanda Benbow Lunn: 43:53

Anytime. 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 ballot ID to vote. That wraps up another NC Deep Dive candidate conversation. You can find all of our 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 at gmail.com. 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.