By Peter Vankevich
Tom Pahl announced last night (Dec. 18) that he would run as Ocracoke’s representative on the Hyde County Board of Commissioners.
John Fletcher is the current commissioner and has filed to seek re-election. According to the Hyde County Election Office, as of this morning, only these two candidates have filed for this office. The deadline for filing is noon, Monday, Dec. 21.
Both Fletcher and Pahl are Democrats. So they will face-off in the March 15 primary election.
Pahl moved full-time to Ocracoke 11 years ago. He has a general contractor’s license and is owner of Landmark Building and Design, a company that specializes in remodeling and historic restoration.
He has served on the Ocracoke Planning Advisory Board and the Ocracoke Community Center Board, both of which he chaired. He is currently on the Ocracoke Alive board of directors.
“Hyde County operates under a $16 million dollar budget and it needs to be managed in a business-like manner, with attention and seriousness, the way those of us in the private sector manage our own business,” he wrote in his announcement.
This being a county-wide election, he said he plans on campaigning both on the island and the mainland.
“There are a lot of important issues to Ocracoke and Hyde County that will be upcoming between now and the primary, and I look forward to discussing them,” he said.
