Phyllis Portie-Ascott wants seat to work on Orange County housing, health and business

Phyllis Portie-Ascott said she hasn’t taken anything for granted since the Orange County Board of Commissioners appointed her to fill an empty seat in February 2023.

On Nov. 5, the Democrat will seek her first full term on the board, representing District 2, which covers the northern and western portions of Orange County. Her opponent, Republican H. Nathan Robinson, is an environmental engineer and entrepreneur from Hillsborough.

Portie-Ascott, who also lives in Hillsborough, has been a real estate investor since 1997. In 2009, she started a company, PPA Properties.

She has been a leader in several organizations, including the Orange County Democratic Party, Triangle Area Chapter of the National Association of Residential Property Managers, Northern Orange Black Voters Alliance, Northern Orange NAACP, and Psi Gamma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.

In 2023, she replaced former Commissioner Renee Price who is now a state House District 50 representative. Portie-Ascott spent the last 19 months talking with residents and visiting county employees to learn what they do and about the services they provide, she said.

“I know that as a collaborative leader, I want to hear multiple voices and those different perspectives so that I can make the most informed decision possible,” Portie-Ascott said.

“I’m not taking anything for granted, and I am grateful for the opportunity, and I am giving it my all so that I can make the best decisions for all of us, so that we can be that vibrant, diverse community that we love being,” she added.

Here are excerpts from The News & Observer’s conversation with Portie-Ascott. Robinson, her opponent, did not respond to calls and emails seeking comment.

What is your top priority?

[N&O: Portie-Ascott said she has three priorities : Addressing the housing crisis, making sure the county can meet the mental and behavioral health crisis, and focusing on workforce development in northern Orange County.]

I know that we are doing some fantastic things with Innovate Carolina in southern Orange, and I know in northern Orange, the Piedmont Food Processing Center is an incubator for businesses that are starting in the restaurant business. I’m just wondering how else can we broaden that, so that for those folks who are not interested in going to a four-year university, how do we help them be able to create sustainable work, even if it’s through building their businesses? How do they do that here in Orange County, so that they can also live here?

Has the county has done enough to support education?

School funding is in a crisis, and I think it is because of the General Assembly’s refusal to fund traditional public schools and its incessant funneling of our educational dollars to private schools, and so I wholeheartedly support our public schools. And I think that voters will really need to address the root of the problem across the state and elect candidates that share commitment in having the best public schools possible.

I think that when you look at the funding that we have provided, when you look at the ($300 million school) bond that we are putting on the ballot, I think that demonstrates that we are committed to making sure that we have the best public schools possible.

What is the county’s role in affordable housing?

I know that we are deeply committed to tackling it head on. For this past budget year, one of the things that I’m really proud of is … we increased the amount of tenant-based assistance that we were appropriating for those folks that were facing eviction. … I put forth a petition asking the staff to investigate a downpayment assistance program using state and federal dollars for county employees. So my hope is that that will help offset the price of a house to make it more affordable for those folks that are working here and who want to live here.

The other thing I hope that we can do is just have a real conversation with our stakeholders, our nonprofit developers, our for-profit developers … listening to them and helping them to help us understand if there are some things we are doing at the county level that are contributing to their costs that really can be streamlined and reduce the price of the home being built.

What about the Greene Tract in Chapel Hill?

[ N&O : The Greene Tract is 164 acres of land off Eubanks Road, and 104 acres are jointly owned by Orange County, Carrboro and Chapel Hill. The governments are exploring whether to build housing there.]

I know that there’s some acreage that is designated for housing, and we want to make sure that some of that housing is set aside as affordable. I know that the whole project is going through (the) financial analysis phase with the School of Government, so that they can tell us, really, if we will be able to get any affordable housing there. … If we look at it and we can’t, then that’s a conversation that we will need to have … with Chapel Hill and with Carboro.

Is there a maximum property tax rate? Would you support a tax cut?

I understand the concern around the tax rate. I know when I’m out talking with folks, particularly a lot of older folks, they are concerned about the tax rate, especially as we work to fund our schools and the other vital services that we offer here. I don’t have a specific maximum rate in mind, because I think every budget year … we have different challenges, and I believe that we need to evaluate any potential increase on a case-by-case basis to just make sure that we are really balancing the county’s financial help with the impact on our residents.

I would consider a tax cut in the future if we reach a point where, with our budget and our reserves, they’re both strong enough to maintain the services that our community has come to rely on.