Wednesday, August 19, 2026
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on February 9, 2026
The 2026 contest to elect the next Dare County Commissioner representing District 1 will be decided by the March 3 Republican primary. The three candidates in the race are incumbent Commissioner Mike Burrus, Board of Education Chair David Twiddy and retired District Court Judge Edgar Barnes.
The candidates responded to the same five questions posed by the Voice and their answers are below. They have not been edited and we hope they will be helpful in informing voters who are planning to cast a ballot in the Republican primary. Early voting begins this week on Thursday, Feb. 12, at three locations: The County Administration Building in Manteo; Kill Devil Hills Town Hall; and the Fessenden Center Annex in Buxton.
With this story, the Voice launches a series of articles that include answers to questions sent to the GOP primary candidates in the District 1 U.S. Congressional race; the NC Senate District 1 race; and the NC House races for the District 1 and District 79 seats. In addition, we will publish the responses from candidates for the District 1 and District 2 seats on the Dare County Board of Commissioners, the District 1 seat on the Dare County Board of Education and the Dare County Sheriff’s position.
Edgar Barnes
Married to Michele Barnes for 40 years; Son, Graham; Daughter, Hannah; Grandson, Ezekiel Simonsen; granddaughter Nellie Sue Barnes.
General Practice of Law 1986 – 1995; District Court Judge 1995 – 2025; Chief District Court Judge 2015 – 2025; Member of the Board of Governors for the NC District Court Judges Assn.; Christian; Attends Manteo Baptist Church; Past Master of Manteo Masonic Lodge; Past President of Manteo Lions Club; Taught Sunday School Lessons at Nags Head Nursing Home for the Past 25 years.
David Twiddy
I am a lifelong resident of Dare County, deeply rooted in the community I call home. My professional background is built on a foundation of service and leadership. In the public sector, I have had the honor of serving as a member and Chairman of the Dare County Board of Education, where I focused on ensuring our schools are strong and our children have the character and education needed for life and career success. In the private sector, I have spent my career working in the local business environment, which has given me a direct understanding of the economic pressures and unique challenges our small business owners and working families face every day.
Mike Burrus
My name is Mike Burrus. I’m a local resident whose family line dates back to the 1600’s here in Dare. I’ve attended school, lived, and worked here all my life. I love my home and want to continue to have it be a great place to live. I have a Master’s in Business Administration from Mount Olive University here in North Carolina. I’m self employed and work in construction. In my free time I enjoy coaching youth sports. I try do a few pro-bono jobs for the elderly every year. I believe in giving back and enjoy being a public servant representing my home county.
Edgar Barnes
Drug Abuse and Prevention We see the consequences all around us. Families are broken. Talented young people lose their futures. Crime increases. Emergency rooms are overwhelmed. And most tragically, lives are lost – far too many lives.
David Twiddy
There are several critical issues facing the County and one is managing responsible growth while protecting our unique quality of life. We must ensure that infrastructure—particularly water, roads, and emergency services—keeps pace with development without placing an undue tax burden on our hardworking families. Preserving the character of Dare County requires a proactive approach to land use and a commitment to long-term planning. We cannot simply react to changes; we must guide them to ensure that our children and grandchildren can afford to live, work, and raise their own families here in the place we all call home.
Mike Burrus
The biggest challenges facing Dare right now are erosion, highway 12, housing, and facilities in that order. The first two listed require cooperation from the state and federal levels and we are working hard to get these issues resolved in the near future. Housing will take a public/private partnership to be successful. Our housing task force has transitioned to a nonprofit recently and is working to address this problem. Facilities will take time as we can only do so many projects at once and not raise taxes (which I am committed to no raised taxes). We have a plan for which facility will be built and when and are following through with it.
Edgar Barnes
The Dare County Government should work to form a coalition in the Legislature to allow us to rebuild our three jetties and use hardened structures to curtail erosion. The county should lobby the Department of Transportation for funding to build elevated highways in the over washed prone areas.
David Twiddy
This is a complex issue that requires a multi-faceted approach involving local, state, and federal partners. Beach nourishment has proven to be an effective, albeit temporary, tool for protecting our infrastructure and economy. However, we must also be realistic about the forces of nature. A viable long-term solution involves proactive planning and collaboration with the National Park Service to ensure that as we protect our shoreline, we are also protecting the taxpayers from the liabilities of collapsing structures. We need to pursue every available grant and partnership to fund these efforts without placing the entire burden on local residents.
Mike Burrus
There is a viable solution to erosion control. I have been working hard and speaking in favor of jetties and other structures to mitigate erosion and lead to less need for beach nourishment. We are working hard with our representatives at the state level to repeal the ban on hardened structures so that we can then place what is needed where it’s needed to mitigate erosion. We will continue to work to improve our beaches as we are heavily impacted by the tourism industry that visits because of them.
Edgar Barnes
Yes, our county governments have balanced tourism attraction and quality of life for our citizens through strict zoning policies and by using tax dollars to improve county infrastructures and youth programs for our children.
David Twiddy
While tourism is the lifeblood of our economy, the balance has become increasingly strained. Our residents deserve to enjoy the same quality of life that brings visitors here in the first place. This means ensuring that our infrastructure—roads, water, and emergency services—can handle the seasonal influx without degrading the daily lives of year-round families. We must prioritize “listening first” to the concerns of locals and ensure that development serves the community’s needs, not just the tourism industry’s demands.
Mike Burrus
There are a multitude of jobs and careers to be had in Dare County. Some have higher wages and lead to a better work/life balance than others. If you work in a low skilled position that historically doesn’t make high wages then it may be hard for you to enjoy the same balance as those who work in high skill/education positions that tend to pay better. We as commissioners can’t force high pay on private employers nor do we control the price of goods and services. Ultimately we are mostly tourism based and that drives the local economy and if you live and work in Dare it will probably not be the same as other areas. Locals here have had to find that balance between tourism and their quality of life. Myself included.
Edgar Barnes
I believe that serving the citizens of our county as your District Court Judge for the past 29 years has given me a broad and unique perspective of the needs and potential solutions of our county. In that vein, I simply desire to continue serving my community.
David Twiddy
I believe in leadership you can trust—the kind that shows up, listens, and does the work every day. My track record on the Board of Education demonstrates that I lead with integrity, responsibility, and conservative values. I am not interested in politics; I am interested in service. I am a neighbor who is ready to lend a hand, and I bring a deep understanding of our county’s history and its potential. I will always put taxpayers and families ahead of political agendas, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that Dare County remains a place where our children can afford to live, work, and raise their own families.
Mike Burrus
Why me? I’m the only lifelong Republican running for my seat. My opponents are Dems or Unaffiliated that switched just to get elected. I have held conservative Christian values my entire life. I ran for this seat in 2024 because I wanted to serve my community. My opponents ran for a Judge position in 2024 and quit so a Democrat could have it and the other ran for school board in 2024 and we have all seen the problems they have had since then. Neither one is committed to following through on promises they made you a little over a year ago. I am. I want to be here and stay here. I won’t quit or move on like those two just because the good ol’ boys want me too. I’m committed to serving you not special interests. I work for you, the people, and it has been one of my greatest honors. I hope to continue to serve you moving forward. Thank you!
Comments
Mark A Williamson
I wonder what his “viable solution to erosion control” is, and why nobody has employed it yet?
Maureen
Are any candidates going to address the huge homes being built, mini hotels on the beach road. 1 lot should not have a home that sleep 25+, for example.. These hones are too large. There should be a height limit. Are the beach towns to look like Ocean City MD, or Virginia Beach? These homes also impact the ability of single families to vacation here. Overbuilding, oversized homes are an issue. Affordable housing for residents is an issue. 2nd issue. Green space, every lot is being built on. What is the long term plan and vision for the towns regarding housing and Greenspan.
Kathy
We are lucky to have three civic minded candidates running for County Commissioner all of whom shared their views. Also thanks to the Voice for making these candidate’s ideas available to the public. Voting is critical to our democracy.
Craig
Thanks for the article.
Already Overbuilt
Maureen makes some good points. Dare County is already overbuilt, stressing our fragile environment and stretching our infrastructure to the breaking point.
We can’t build our way out of the problems caused by already being overbuilt by even more building. Unfortunately this is always the plan proposed by the current Dare County Commissioners, the Chamber, the Realtor Assoc, the Builders Assoc, etc. We all know, almost all new housing gets used for short term rentals, non-local vacation homes, and more non-locals moving here to retire.
The constant push for more building also limits our ability to preserve green space. The commissioners were planning to spend $4 million to buy the 4.7 acre woodlot across the street from Jockeys Ridge. Then they planned to spend many millions more of our tax dollars to cut down the woodlot and build a 54 unit subsidized low income housing project one block from the beach that would have been open to anyone from anywhere. Thank goodness the citizens of Nags Head were able to stop this boondoggle.
The county commissioners would have been better benefiting the citizens of Dare County by acquiring the property and preserving the woodlot as public green space. Like Forrest always said, “Stupid is as stupid does”.
Just saying
Maureen and Overbuilt, I was hoping someone would point out, from Duck to South Nags Head, county commissioners have no jurisdiction. It’s the town’s jurisdiction.
Waterman
One of those three candidates has been fired from nearly every job they have ever had, including twice by the county! Is that someone you think is good at making decisions for us? Being a native is not always a great qualification.