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Richard Johnson
13% Approval rating among
EyeonDare readers

With 16 years of service, Richard Johnson is the longest serving member of the Dare Board of Commissioners. He represents District I (Roanoke Island/mainland). Johnson began service on the board in 1996 with no prior experience in politics and was immediately recognized as a "people's politician" who wanted to serve the people and give them good government at the best possible price. He often debated over the smallest of county expenditures and tried to keep spending in check. However, like another former local commissioner (Joseph "Mac" Midgett), Johnson never involved himself with the minutest parts of the county budget, often refusing to attend budget workshops. Johnson would say, "the county manager (Terry Wheeler) is going to do what he wants with the budget anyway." As  years progressed, Johnson became more separated from his constituents, gaining a unsavory reputation of not answering emails or phone calls on a regular basis. Often, he would become confrontational when voters approached him with controversial concerns. Johnson began to lose favor with many voters as time revealed that, despite budget crunches, he never missed attending national county commissioner conferences for nearly 15 years, ranging from Hawaii to Reno, NV. Most often, he was the only commissioner to make the out-of-state trips, having once said, "if I didn't go (and take her), my wife would shoot me".  Two years ago, many of his out-of-state travel expenses were opened to the public by EyeonDare, covering such items as personal tours, ballgames and side-trips while away on county business. Johnson later returned some excess travel expenses to the county coffers.  Johnson has not said whether he will seek a fifth term in office. At least three challengers have recently surfaced, indicating an interest in filling the District I seat.

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Warren Judge
23% Approval rating among
EyeonDare readers

 Warren Judge, the second longest serving Dare Commissioner, will be closing out his third term in office in December. Once a  Republican, Judge switched his politics to the Democratic party before running for local office 12 years ago.. A former restaurateur and current owner of several hotels and rental cottages on the Outer Banks, Judge has always been heavily involved within the politics of the local beach business community, particularly the Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Bureau. He is, without a doubt, the most premier leader for business interests here on the Outer Banks. Judge has fought long and hard for bringing beach nourishment to the Outer Banks, once going to the extent of obligating the county commissioners to hiring a Washington, DC lobbyist just days before he was officially sworn in as the chairman of the board,  a position he fights very hard to retain every year. Judge's rule over the operation of the county board, and indeed the individual commissioners, is well understood as he appoints himself to most all of the important board seats within the county. Along with two, well chosen, co-commissioners, Judge controls, almost single-handedly, the $28 million beach nourishment fund and shows no intention of relinquishing his power there. Recently, he appointed himself to the College of the Albemarle Board of Trustees and his list of board and committee memberships may be the largest in Dare County history. Judge is expected to file for his fourth term within the next two weeks. Inside sources say Judge is not highly popular within the ranks of county employees, who have seen their benefits shrink, coupled with no salary or cost-of-living increases for the past five years, despite tax increases and what some say has been "exorbitant" and unnecessary spending on county infrastructure. No other opposition for his District III seat (Kitty Hawk, Duck, Southern Shores) has yet surfaced, although it is rumored the Republican Party wants to offer some kind of opposition for the May primary.
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Mike Johnson
13% Approval ratingamong
EyeonDare readers

 Mike Johnson of Colington, NC will be closing out his second term as a county commissioner this year. Campaigning with a conservative Christian view, he defeated Renee Cahoon of Nags Head eight years ago when Cahoon ran into trouble with the voters over her stance on the new school building program. Since that time Johnson had sat pretty much ineffectively on the board until about two years ago when he appeared to have found his calling. Since then he has been a vocal proponent for local fishermen, in dealing with their problems over fishing quotas and the dredging of Oregon Inlet. In addition, he created quite a stir throughout the county when he, like Richard Johnson, had to return "double-dipping" funds back to the county related to his travel expense reports. Most recently, Johnson raised the dander of many county residents with his youth bear hunts on the "posted county landfill property". Also, unknowing to many voters, Johnson was singularly responsible for the county funding of four school youth shooting teams that operate on an annual budget of about $10,000, with the funds being used to buy ammunition, skeet targets and firearms. Controversy recently surfaced over the control of the teams and the fact that the ammunition was being stored on county recreation properties. Furthermore, neither, the board of commissioners or the local school board has been willing to accept full responsibility for any of the teams, which operate with volunteer leaders. Johnson is also credited with starting the practice of open prayer before each commissioners' board meeting. At least  two individuals have indicated they plan to file for the District II seat within the next two weeks. It is not known if Johnson will file for re-election.
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Allen Burrus
16% Approval Rating
among EyeonDare readers

 Allen Burrus of Hatteras will be ending his sixth year and second term on the county board in December, having been first appointed to fill out the unexpired term of  Joseph "Mac"Midgett who passed away in 2006. A grocery store owner and former member of the board of education, Burrus is no stranger to Dare politics and he "hit the ground running" as a county commissioner and quickly captured the vice-chairman's seat, a position he has held for several years. Burrus recently sought an appointment to the North Carolina Board of Transportation's District I seat, but was unable to muster enough political support.  Known as one who doesn't mince his words, he upset more than a few voters last year when he said, "I don't care what the voters think, I'm not going to stay in a hotel with bars on the windows". Burrus was referring to reports that he, along with Warren Judge and county manager Bobby Outten, had spent county funds on $600 per night hotel rooms and $300 meals on several occasions while visiting Washington, DC on county business. Insiders say that Burrus is "beatable" should he decide to file for re-election. At least one Republican candidate has indicated he will run against Burrus for the District 4 seat.