Tina Tice of OBX Housing wins slot on Kitty Hawk Town Council!
As previously reported by Michelle Wagner of the Outer Banks Sentinel:
“Unanimously selected to fill seat vacated by Bateman. With little fanfare, the Kitty Hawk Town Council on Dec. 3 unanimously voted to appoint longtime resident Tina Tice to fill the post vacated by veteran Council Member Ervin Bateman who, during last month’s general election, captured the at-large seat on the Dare County Board of Commissioners
Tice, owner of OBX Housing, was one of four applicants, along with David Hines of the Coastal NC Realty Group. Charlena Ambrose, an internet specialist, along with Currituck County Deputy Director of Elections Nick Martini, withdrew their bids for the seat prior to the meeting.
Bateman’s term on the Kitty Hawk Council expires in December 2019. The only Democrat to win in Dare County in the November general election, he was sworn onto the county board earlier on Dec. 3.
“I’m happy to have the opportunity to serve and especially to take over the spot from Ervin Bateman, who has always been my mentor,” Tice told the Sentinel following the vote.
Tice, who moved to the Outer Banks when she was a teenager and whose family owns the popular John’s Drive-In on the beach road, has served on the town’s planning board for six and a half years and on the Kitty Hawk Citizens Association, among other positions.
After agreeing to fill Bateman’s vacancy using a motion to nominate, Council Member Jeff Pruitt nominated Tice, with Lynne McClean offering a second. Following the vote, all members of the council noted that the decision was not an easy one. But, in the end, they acknowledged that Tice was the most qualified for the job.
“We do appreciate all the candidates that came forward and put their name in the pot,” said Mayor Gary Perry prior to the vote. He also noted that Tice was top on the list.
“Tina has been in the town most of her life, she’s worked here, she’s been on the planning board…She comes to us already knowing the [town] code and doesn’t have to learn it.”
For his part, Council Member Craig Garriss said, “When you looked at the applicants we had, based on experience, training and knowledge, it came out to be Tina Tice.”
Prior to her venture with OBX Housing, Tice was the owner and operator of Wright Property Management for 30 years. Along with the need to look at stormwater runoff issues, Tice noted in her application that the collection of sales, use and occupancy tax from short-term rentals managed by individual owners is a challenge the town faces.
“These types of rentals are taxing our infrastructure and they are not collecting [the taxes] that is required by law. This is revenue for the Town that we are not getting and should,” she stated on the application.
Tice’s appointment went off without a hitch, unlike a Nov. 14 vote among the Kill Devil Hills Board of Commissioners to fill the vacancy of Commissioner Brandi Rheubottom. That vote ended in a 2-2 deadlock between candidates Colleen Almoney and Nelson “Skip” Jones Jr. After considering and rejecting a coin toss to settle the matter, the Kill Devil Hills board opted to revisit that vote at its Dec. 10 meeting. Tice will be sworn onto the Kitty Hawk Council during its January meeting.”