A member of a Holly Springs citizen board appointed to town council in 3-1 vote

A member of a citizen board in Holly Springs was appointed as the newest member of the Town Council to complete the six-member board.

Danielle Hewetson was selected from a pool of 14 applicants Tuesday to fill the vacant at-large seat left by former councilwoman Kristi Bennett. Bennett left the council after she said she was moving outside of Holly Springs town limits.

Hewetson was also newly appointed this year to the town’s Board of Adjustment, which is made up of council-appointed members who conduct public hearings and render rulings on discrepancies from the town’s zoning regulations.

Hewetson was nominated by three members of the council: Mayor Pro Tem Daniel Berry and Councilmen Timothy Forrest and Sean McGrath. They said they believed her priorities and beliefs would echo that of Bennett’s, though leaders did not explicitly identify those priorities.

“I am convinced that we need to focus on the candidate similar, an appointee similar to Councilwoman Bennett’s philosophies in thoughts, especially when it comes to parks and rec, growth and other items that were voted on,” Forrest said.

Hewetson is a mother of three girls and founder of the Meetup Group Meet.Play.Love in Holly Springs. According to her application, she moved with her family to the town in 2016 from Indiana.

Since the move, Hewetson has also been a soccer coach for the town and lector for St. Mary Magdalene Church.

Berry said Hewetson had clear intentions “like most of us up here to represent all of Holly Springs.”

“And a strong passion to make our community a better place,” he said. “Her professional experiences, work raising a family and service on one of our town boards has earned my support.”

Three votes were needed to get the appointment. Due to town laws, Mayor Sean Mayefskie does not vote for an appointee.

Berry made the motion to appoint Hewetson, and it passed 3-1.

Councilman Aaron Wolff was the sole opposition to the vote and nominated another candidate, Chris Deshazor, a member of the town’s planning board, for the position.

“I was really impressed with the quality of the people who applied, with the quality of people that we have working and volunteering to serve this community,” Wolff said at the meeting.

Hewetson said in her application that she hopes to aid in “and support the growth of the town’s infrastructure to provide the greatest possible quality of life for current and future residents of this town.”

“I see the representing the people of Holly Springs by making decisions and adopting laws and rules based on providing safety, welfare and the common good for the residents of this city,” she wrote.

Hewetson will serve in the seat for 10 months until the town’s fall municipal election and will be officially sworn in to council in February, Mayefskie said Tuesday.

The applicants

Fifteen applications were sent to council members on Jan. 4, a day after the application deadline.

Alongside Hewetson, here are the other applicants for the seat along with biographical information provided in their applications:

• Craig Ashby — A Scottish native, Ashby has lived in Holly Springs for 24 years and retired from IBM after 46 years. He plans to enhance the senior community in town and represent the needs of the community.
  
  

• Jahmar Cobb — He is the pastor of Oak Grove Baptist Church in Apex. Cobb’s family has been in Holly Springs for over 70 years, and he is an active volunteer in the town.

• Michael Costello — Costello is a retired intelligence officer with the U.S. Army. He has over 15 years of leadership and analytical experience.

• Chris Deshazor — He has been a member of the town’s planning board for six years, serving as chair and vice chair. Deshazor is also an executive for a software development company and volunteers in town.

• Eugene Ebersole — He is a retired attorney from Oregon, a Navy judge advocate and educator. Ebersole also coached sports with the town’s youth.

• Christian Hendricks — He serves on two non-profit boards and is a mentor. If appointed, he hopes to ensure resources are allocated for growth in Holly Springs.

• Sarah Larson — Larson works for the Wake County Public School System and two local businesses. She also volunteers with the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.

• Adrian Mack — He is an account executive for Amazon and volunteers for NASA’s equity council and several other organizations. If appointed, he planned to help improve public services and economic development.

• Richard Madoni — He is the current vice-chair of the planning board for Holly Springs and has lived in the town for 14 years. Madoni also is a soccer coach for the town’s parks and recreation department.

• Kevin “Gio” Manatovani — He has lived in Holly Springs for three years and spent seven years in the U.S. Army. His company, DebtBook, works with towns across the U.S. to help track debt.

• Karen McQuade — She is a retired regional manager for Xerox. McQuade also volunteers for A Woman’s Place Shelter and the Wake County Board of Elections.

• Thomas Rushing — Rushing is a real estate broker for Choice Residential. He has served for over 20 years on different HOA boards in Holly Springs.

• Chanel Wilkins — She owns Agents of Clean and began serving on the Board of Adjustments this year. Wilkins planned to help make the municipal process more understandable for residents, if appointed.

• Glenn Wrap — He has over 25 years managing multiple industrial and medical businesses. Wrap said he would like to help improve the council and community.