By Miles Layton

PLYMOUTH – Melinda Porter says running a family business for decades taught her to manage money, make hard decisions and answer for the results. Now she wants to apply those lessons as a Washington County commissioner.

Porter, a Democrat, is one of two candidates for the at-large seat on the Washington County Commission. She faces Republican Jonathan Sawyer in the Nov. 3 general election. Both were unopposed in their party primaries.

Porter answered questions from the Albemarle Observer about her candidacy, county priorities and the budget — some of which were published in the Roanoke Beacon, Washington County’s trusted news source.

Porter is office manager at Porter Mini Storage, a business she operates with her husband, Jeff. The couple also owns residential and commercial rental property. They have two children.

She said the decision to run grew out of where she is in life.

“I am at a point in my life that I want to be of service to the community,” Porter said. She said she has received encouragement from local leaders she admires and would welcome the chance to work with them and learn from their experience.

Porter grew up in Hoke County and graduated from Hoke County High School in 1980. She attended St. Andrews Presbyterian College for a year.

She moved to Plymouth in 1986 and took a job with Seaboard Insurance, where she earned her property and casualty insurance license. She married in 1990 and made the family business her full-time occupation. About six years ago, she obtained a real estate license to help the business grow.

In written responses to a candidate questionnaire, Porter said Washington County is where she made her life.

“Washington County has been my home for 40 years,” she wrote. “I was born and raised in Hoke County, North Carolina, but Washington County is where I built my life, raised my family, operated a business and put down deep roots.”

Porter said her years as a business owner would serve her on the commission.

“Running a business teaches you responsibility,” she wrote. “You learn to manage finances, make difficult decisions, solve problems, work with people and plan for the future. Most importantly, you learn to be accountable for the decisions you make.”

She also pointed to public service. Porter has served on the Washington County Health and Human Services Board and the Washington County Board of Elections. She is in her second term as chairman of the North Carolina Auctioneer Licensing Board.

Those roles, she said, taught her how public bodies operate and what is expected of the people who serve on them. She cited the importance of being prepared, listening to different points of view, asking questions, following proper procedures and making thoughtful decisions on behalf of the public.

Porter said she is not claiming to have every solution.

“I am not running because I believe I have all the answers,” she wrote. “I am running because I believe my life experience, business experience and public service experience have prepared me to listen to the people of Washington County and make thoughtful and responsible decisions.”

Economic growth and reserves

Asked what county government can do to improve life for the most residents, Porter said economic growth deserves attention. She said the county should keep working to attract businesses that provide jobs and add to the tax base. She also said it should draw new residents who appreciate what the county offers.

Porter praised the county’s economic development work and singled out Director Kelly Chesson, saying Chesson “has brought energy to that work.” She said county leaders should continue working with economic development professionals to identify opportunities and promote the county to businesses, investors and prospective residents.

She cautioned that bigger is not automatically better.

“Growth, however, should not simply be about getting bigger,” Porter wrote. “It should be about making Washington County stronger – creating opportunities for our citizens, supporting our existing businesses, strengthening our tax base and helping ensure that the county can provide the services our residents need.”

The candidates were also asked about recent county budgets that have relied heavily on the county’s reserve funds, known as fund balance, and whether that can continue.

Porter said drawing on reserves is sometimes appropriate. Fund balance, she wrote, “provides financial stability and gives the county resources for emergencies, unexpected expenses and appropriate one-time needs.”

Her concern is the habit of leaning on reserves to cover routine costs.

“What concerns me is becoming dependent on fund balance year after year to support recurring operating expenses,” she wrote. “That cannot continue indefinitely. Reserves are a finite resource.”

Porter noted that the county has adopted a policy calling for an available fund balance of at least 20 percent of General Fund expenditures. She said a healthy reserve matters especially for a smaller county, where an unexpected expense or loss of revenue can have an outsized effect.

She also drew a distinction between the amount a budget appropriates from fund balance and the amount the county actually spends from it. If elected, she said, she would want to know what is budgeted and also what is drawn from reserves at the end of each fiscal year, and why.

To limit the use of reserves, Porter said the county should start with careful budgeting and a clear line between recurring and one-time expenses. Ongoing operations, she said, should be paid for with ongoing revenue, and fund balance should be saved for emergencies, capital projects and other one-time needs.

She also called for a close look at spending, a search for efficiencies across county government, full use of grants and outside funding, and planning for major capital expenses before they become emergencies.

Porter said cutting costs is only part of the answer. The county, she said, must also strengthen revenue. She said economic development, business investment and a larger tax base could provide recurring revenue and ease the burden on existing taxpayers.

She compared the county’s situation to a household or business budget.

“As a business owner, I understand that sometimes you have to use savings for an unexpected expense or a worthwhile investment,” Porter wrote. “But if you have to take money out of savings every year just to pay your normal bills, eventually you have to address the underlying problem. County government is no different.”

Her goal, she said, would be to protect the county’s financial stability while maintaining essential services. That would mean “making decisions with not only next year’s budget in mind, but Washington County’s financial position five and ten years from now.”

Porter closed her remarks by returning to her connection to the county.

“After 40 years, Washington County isn’t simply where I live,” she wrote. “It is my home. And I am ready to give my time, experience and energy to this community.”

The Nov. 3 election will decide who fills the at-large seat when Spruill’s term ends.