Sen. Tillett: Oct. 9 meeting is not ‘intended for campaign purposes’

By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on October 2, 2026

The updated flyer for the Oct. 9 NC 12 Town Hall meeting.

By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice

Amid some confusion, NC Senate candidate Jerry Tillett said an Oct. 9 NC 12 Town Hall meeting promoted on his campaign Facebook page is not “intended for campaign purposes.”  And Dare County Manager Bobby Outten, who was originally listed as an invited participant, confirms that he will not moderate the event.

Tillett, a Republican who was appointed to serve out the NC District 1 Senate term of former Senator Bobby Hanig who retired in August, will face Democrat Melissa Zehner in the Nov. 3 contest for that NC Senate seat.

The flyer promoting the Oct. 9 meeting, which was posted on Tillett’s NC Senate page and on his campaign Facebook page, cited invitees that included several state legislators along with U.S. Fish and Wildlife, NCDOT and National Park Service representatives—as well as “Dare County Manager and Commissioners.” It also stated that the event was “called by First District Senator Jerry Tillett” and included a “Tillett for Senate” link.

The issue surfaced on the OBX Locals site with a few posts discussing why the county manager would participate in what they perceived to be a campaign event. In a brief Voice interview, Outten said only that, “I do not plan to be the moderator” of the event.  In a message shared on the site, Dare Commissioners Chair Bob Woodard stated that Outten was not aware that the event was being promoted on the Tillett campaign Facebook page.

In an interview with the Voice, Tillett said that posting the event on his campaign page “is consistent with what’s become the practice,” given that virtually “everybody who’s a senator is…running” a campaign. He also rejected the idea that there was “confusion” about the purpose of the event, attributing that to people trying to create an issue.

And while he posted the flyer on several sites, Tillett noted that “more people saw it on the campaign page.”

An update posted on his campaign Facebook page reinforced that message, stating that “for people asking if this is a campaign event – no. This is a Town Hall for officials and leaders to connect with citizens and is not intended for campaign purposes.” The update also included a flyer promoting the meeting with no mention of the Dare County Manager as an invited participant.