Megan Lambert is a candidate for the Town of Nags Head Commissioner. Her name will appear on the ballot on November 7, 2023.
She is running against Kevin Brinkley, T-Mike Morrison, and Keith Sawyer.
The first day of in-person early voting at your local registrar’s office for this election is Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. Click here to see who is on your ballot.
10 On Your Side reached out to all of the candidates running in this race with specific questions. The responses below came directly from the candidate and are unedited. If you do not see the candidate listed with a profile, we did not receive one.
Candidate Name: Megan Lambert
Age: 42
Race: Town of Nags Head Commissioner
Candidate Website: https://www.facebook.com/MeganLambertforCommissioner
Biography: I have lived on the Outer Banks for over 20 years and have called Nags Head my home for the past 12 years. My husband, Jason, and I own and operate an ice cream shop that we started called Booty Treats. We now have two locations on Beach Road in Nags Head. When I’m not slinging ice cream, you can find me hanging with my family. We have a four year old daughter and an eleven year old son. As a family, we love surfing, snowboarding and anything outdoors!
My involvement with the Town of Nags Head started back in 2017. Since then, I have served on the Stormwater Committee and the Dare County Hazard Mitigation Committee. In addition, I currently serve on the Septic Health Committee and was appointed to the Planning Board by the Board of Commissioners in 2018 where currently serve as Vice-Chair.
Why are you running for this office?
I have the passion and experience to make a positive impact on our community. I LOVE this gem we live in! I can’t imagine living anywhere else. I am not trying to fast-track to this Commissioner seat. I’ve been a steward for our Town for several years. It started when my business and home flooded during Hurricane Matthew. I decided then to become more involved and advocate for our fellow residents and business owners, contribute to the community, and partner with our Town staff to develop real solutions. It’s been a privilege to serve on several committees and the Planning Board for the past several years. The knowledge and experience I have gained through my service to the community has provided me with instrumental insight to the issues facing Nags Head and has prepared me to take this next step.
What is the most important issue facing the community, and what is your position on it?
It would be nearly impossible to limit this to one. The top three issues I have identified are:
- Big Development: We need to preserve Nags Head and be resistant to big development.
- Stormwater and septic infrastructure. We need to invest more resources to develop a sustainable septic and stormwater infrastructure that will support Nags Head now and 20 years from today.
- Overall engagement: We need to have more proactive engagement between the Town and the greater community including small business owners, residents, and other local community leaders. For example, in addressing one of the hottest issues right now, affordable and workforce housing, each Town and the greater Dare County would be much more effective if we worked together on it.
What is the top challenge facing your constituents, and how would you address it?
This question is very similar to the question prior. In addition to what I previously stated, I would say a hot issue that just recently came up is Section 24.8 in the 2023 NC Appropriation Bill. This Section allows for affordable housing funded by Dare County to be exempt from any zoning regulations. This includes density, height, size, setbacks and zoning districts. For example, we could have a 15 story high-density building put in in any neighborhood. Our infrastructure simply cannot handle this type of development and strips the ability from our local municipalities to make decisions that are best for our community. This legislation was put in the Appropriations Bill without any consultation to the municipalities in Dare County. People that do not live here are making decisions for us. To address this, I am requesting all of our constituents to write to their local state representatives: Senator Sanderson, Representative Goodwin and Representative Kidwell, and demand a repeal. I would also work closely with the other Dare County municipalities to band together and take any action necessary to repeal Section 24.8 and to take measures to ensure this does not happen again.
How will you still value constituents and politicians with whom you disagree?
I think it is absolutely necessary to consider all perspectives, including those that I disagree with, when making decisions. Actively listening to others that aren’t aligned with me, may expose some of the unforeseen impacts that I did not previously consider in my initial position. Disagreement is not always a bad thing and I think it leads to better decisions when done in a constructive manner. Many times, we see more involvement and motivation from individuals when they disagree with something going on in our community. I believe the result of this is more community engagement, which can be a huge resource for our leaders to come up with better solutions.
