Cumberland County Board of Commissioners District 2: Henry Tyson

Name as it appears on the ballot: Henry Tyson

Party affiliation: Republican

Previous elected offices held: None

Age as of Election Day: 40

Immediate family members: Wife and son

Occupation (employer, where you work, what you do): Partner with Tyson Commercial Real Estate

Website and campaign social media: htyson4@gmail.com, facebook.com/TysonforCommissioner/

1. What three projects or proposals will you present to the board, and to county residents, if you’re elected? And what (if any) projects or proposals would you seek to eliminate and why?

I would call for a plan to implement a countywide water system, a review of our infrastructure of our county schools and a renewed discussion on possible synergies to create efficiency between the county and city governments. A countywide water system so that all residents of the county can have access to clean, safe water and we have the infrastructure to grow. A plan to address our school system needs with our aging facilities so our children have a state-of-the-art safe environment to learn. Cooperation among our county and municipalities to make sure that we are not duplicating services and wasting taxpayer dollars. I would support elimination of waste in programs and spending that doesn’t benefit the county residents as a whole.

2. The two Republican commissioners, Jimmy Keefe and Michael Boose, will move off the board in December. They’ve said it’s difficult for Republicans to accomplish much on the board as it’s presently constituted. What’s your response to that, and how would you answer a claim that this board doesn’t promote bipartisanship?

The lack of cooperation on the current board is not only apparent across party lines but also in how our officials work together with different government bodies located within our county. The evidence to support that claim can be found in things such as the abrupt change in the sales tax distribution method, the failed joint 911 call center project, the removal of county appointees from the joint parks and recreation board, and the abrupt withdrawal of our county SROs and crossing guards in the incorporated areas of the county. All of these point to the same root problem, which is we need leaders that want to work together to better our community and be at the forefront of communicating with our residents. When our leaders close themselves off to different points of view our community is the one that loses.

3. Discuss how you and this board would address PFAS contamination and the other environmental-related problems facing Cumberland County.

This is an issue that has not been addressed adequately in my opinion. The question is why don’t we have a systematic plan to get all areas clean water, not just certain places? Why are we waiting so long to address this issue? Why are we putting other priorities before making sure our residents and taxpayers have basic fundamental needs met, like clean water? We have to take a step back and look to form a comprehensive strategy that addresses these issues faster and in a more systematic manner, which will result in all of our county residents having a solution, not just a portion. We need to hold industry accountable and make sure that when industry is here that they are contributing to making our county better and not creating additional problems that compromise the health of our residents.

4. Declining enrollment and the end of COVID-related federal funding present Cumberland County’s public school system with some significant fiscal challenges. How will the board of commissioners help mitigate those challenges?

First, how a child is educated and what educational system is best for the child should be the sole decision of that child’s parent. If enrollment is decreasing let’s look as to why? Is it the curriculum? Is it the environment? Is it the age of the school? What is causing that parent to choose other options other than our public school system? Some of these issues may be funding-related such as school infrastructure so where funding can fix the problem, let’s work to resolve those things. Other problems come down to leadership and working with our school board to make our public schools the most competitive, desirable place for parents to educate their children.

5. What role does the board have in cultivating better collaboration with the other governmental bodies in Cumberland County, such as the Fayetteville City Council, and what are some examples of synergy that could be produced with more collaboration?

The largest leadership role our commission plays in this community is communication to residents and other government entities. When the commission is doing its job correctly, then it’s showing up to the interlocal government meetings and discussing with one another how to make our community better. I discussed a lot of these specific issues in my response to question 2 but, again, why couldn’t we have a joint 911 call center? Why can’t we create value for our residents so we avoid duplication of services? If we can work through the logistics and hurdles to overcome the challenges the community will be better off and we can create a more efficient government.