Meet Joanne
My name is Joanne Levitan, and I’m running for the Brunswick Regional Water and Sewer H2GO Board of Commissioners.
Nothing is more important than an abundant supply of fresh, clean water, equitably managed and fairly priced. The residents of Northern Brunswick County are fortunate to have such a natural resource — and equally fortunate to have exclusive control over its use. The H2GO Board is charged with implementing the wishes of its constituents, and I’m looking forward to continuing that tradition of representation and oversight. If elected, I will be the first resident of Brunswick Forest to have a seat on the board. The homeowners in my community deserve to be heard — as much as residents of any Northern Brunswick community — and it will be an honor to speak for my neighbors if I am elected. But I also pledge to be an advocate for all 40,000 residents who count on H2GO for their water and sewer needs. For 7 years, I have been an active and vocal participant in our local community. Over that period, I valued my ability to communicate factually, honestly and without favor with my neighbors and friends on important local matters. Good communications is synonymous with sound management. Most recently, I have been maintaining social media sites that cut through the fog of questions and confusion confronting Brunswick Forest and local residents on such issues as the proposed nearby baseball stadium. I also created the “Buy-Nothing, Leland” Facebook group, where neighbors can share items with other neighbors. If elected, I pledge to make my communications skills and background available to H2GO. I will review and, where needed, advocate for an improved communications program, providing factual and timely information on our activities and policies. Transparency will be my goal. In a time of growth and change in our community, residents deserve to have representatives on the H2GO board that will speak for and with them. Our area, already the county’s fastest-growing region, will continue to attract more residents and commerce in the coming years. We must make sure such growth doesn’t come at the expense of our supply of clean water or our ability to continue supplying adequate sewer capacity. To that end, I pledge to seek the full involvement of residents in our expansion plans, with full disclosure and transparency in our planning and development. We must continue developing good working relationships with the Brunswick County government. We have had our differences in the past, but those days are behind us. It’s time for us to work in the best interests of our constituents by creating policies that insure appropriate communications and governance across jurisdictional boundaries. I will advocate for and expand consumer advocacy, building on the board’s efforts over the years to emphasize the importance of water conservation in our community and how sound conservation principles can help control cost. We are managing a valuable but finite resource, and it’s imperative for all of us to responsibly allocate and use it. To make sure all residents continue to have access to our services at reasonable rates, I will support past efforts by the board to address nonpayment issues with empathy and compassion. And I will make sure Chemours — not our ratepayers — pays all the costs of cleaning up the pollution they are responsible for creating in our water supply. Making sure we keep up will require excellent management and communications skills. I am prepared to serve the residents of Northern Brunswick County in the important role of H2GO commissioner. That’s why I’m asking for your support for my campaign. |