Railroad employee Fulford Edward Munden wants to help put Pasquotank County on the fast track to more sustainable growth by attracting better-paying manufacturing jobs — jobs he says will create a more diverse economic base.

"A couple of things you look at is traffic" when an industry expands or relocates, said Munden, 55. "The other is rail. There's been a lot of abandoning of railroad tracks. A lot of textile jobs went to Afghanistan, Pakistan and China."

Munden, a Republican, acknowledges he faces an uphill climb winning an at-large seat on the Pasquotank Board of Commissioners this fall. He first faces Bill Lehmann, who's better known because of his previous tenure on Elizabeth City's city council, in the May 6th GOP primary. If he wins the primary, he'll then face Democratic incumbent Jeff Dixon in the general election.

Despite those challenges, Munden filed for Dixon's seat because he believes he has something different to offer county residents: a receptive ear for their concerns.

"Mainly, (what I want is) what the people want," he said. "I want to try to support what the people want."

Munden said he has no problem with the current board of commissioners or Dixon's representation. But if elected he would try to help bring more jobs to the county. Job creation is in fact the biggest issue in both Pasquotank and the region, Munden says.

While Lehmann has urged Pasquotank commissioners to be more vocal in opposing the Navy's consideration of a site in neighboring Camden County for an outlying landing field, Munden said it's an issue voters should decide.

"I feel it needs to be on the ballot to let the people vote," Munden said. "If a majority want the OLF, then I'd say vote for it. If not, then vote against it. I want to support what the people want."

Munden said he also wants to help farmers, law enforcement and educators.

Many farmers, he said, are upset with a recent zoning change that discourages large landowners from subdividing 10-acre lots, which are exempt from local subdivision requirements. As rewritten, the ordinance now requires A-1 agricultural lots to have 25 feet of state road frontage and be within 1,000 feet of a public water supply.

On education, Munden acknowledged that the county is only responsible for funding new schools and providing some operational money, not deciding how the schools are operated. However, Munden said he would encourage the schools to drop senior projects as a requirement for graduation. He said the projects waste time and money, and can't substitute for other learning needed for students to excel in college.

"A lot of kids are dropping out of high school because it's too expensive," he said. "A lot of kids are losing out in their education."

Munden, who retired from the Navy in 2002 as a senior chief machinist mate, spent 28 years in the military.

A native of Elizabeth City, he was stationed in Norfolk, Va., while in the Navy. After retiring, he moved to Atlanta, Ga., where he worked with Lowe's. He then moved to northern Kentucky before moving back to Elizabeth City last September.

His hobbies include model railroading and woodworking.

He said there was no particular issue that convinced him to run for public office.

"It's public service," he said. "There's no personal gain on my part. (I just want to do something) for the people."

Contact Bob Montgomery at

bmontgomery@coxnc.com