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Four attempts and six years later, Tandy Dunn can finally call himself a Beaufort County Commissioner. 

In every election since 2018, Dunn has campaigned to become a county commissioner. Fueling his momentum to continue running was his desire to lower taxes and reduce county spending. 

“I just felt that I needed to keep on until I could try to do something about wasteful spending,” Dunn said.

Dunn believes Beaufort County has “wasted money” on gathering information and plans on building a new detention facility. In his opinion, money from the American Rescue Plan Act the county received during the pandemic could have expanded the jail. Too, he believes the county should not put money toward subsidized housing. 

“Your tax dollars should not be spent for somebody else to have a house,” Dunn said. He believes the county should focus on increasing industry and bringing better jobs to the area. 

Dunn continued to say that the tax rate could be “easily” lowered from 65 cents to 60 cents by using money it already has and by “cutting back on programs.” (According to the 2024-2025 county budget, the tax rate is $0.625 per $100 valuation.) 

Dunn’s platforms haven’t changed in the last six years. So, what changed to push Dunn ahead of current commissioner John Rebholz? Dunn says his win could be attributed to “name recognition.”

“I think my name got out in front of people in enough time that people finally recognized who I was.” 

Dunn, a Beaufort County native and Bath High School graduate, has served the area for more than two decades as a volunteer firefighter for Clarks Neck Fire Department in Washington and as a member of the Beaufort County Emergency Services Association. Dunn ran for a seat on the Beaufort County Board of Education in the mid-1980’s, he shared. 

Dunn felt an immediate sense of gratitude for the people of Beaufort County who voted for him on Nov. 5. “I was happy that the citizens of Beaufort County had recognized my desires to help serve the entire county – not just one particular area.” 

Because Dunn is a conservative Republican, he will “lean more toward” current Commissioners Hood Richardson and Stan Deatherage. 

Dunn anticipates there being a small learning curve when he takes office on the first Monday in December or Dec. 9. He will attend training sessions in January hosted by the University of North Carolina’s School of Government as well as sessions hosted by Beaufort County Government. “I don’t think I’m going to jump in on the first day and start trying to push an agenda. I’m going to sure listen with my ears and think with my brain before I run my mouth,” Dunn laughed.  

Four years from now, it will be time for Dunn to determine if he will run a fifth time, but his fifth run will be for re-election. He will ask himself if he is “fulfilling the needs of the county and the citizens of the county. Am I doing what’s necessary? Am I making any headway on my goals to saving the county money and being a responsible steward of the taxpayer’s money?”