“Pick Nick” He’s Got Our Back — Seven Lakes

PROVEN COUNTY COMMISSIONER

WITH SEVEN LAKES AT HEART

MOORE COUNTY GOP “PICKS NICK”

Local Republicans have overwhelmingly selected Nick Picerno to fill the unexpired term of Moore County  commissioner Louis Gregory, who recently announced his early retirement due to medical reasons.

Nick Picerno a successful entrepreneur, former educator, former Moore County commissioner, and life-long resident of Moore County was chosen by the GOP.

Picerno, a former chairman of the county board, and was Seven Lakes West resident Gregory’s predecessor in the seat.   Picerno will serve until the November elections  for the remainder of the term that expires in 2024.

During his previous terms on the board, Picerno developed a reputation for being a “numbers guy.”  He regularly put the county budget and any other appropriation efforts under a high-powered microscope.

To date Nick has been instrumental if forming the budget.  Highlights include:

Cut in Property Tax Rate from 51 cents per hundred to 48.5 cents per hundred

Increased Local School Funding by 3.4 Million

Increased Local School Capital Outlay by $50,000

Gave County Employees 5% Pay Raise

Projects Sales Tax Growth of 22.22% TO 22 MILLION

Projects Article 46 Sales Tax Growth of 60.7% to 5.1 MILLION. (This is the 1/4 cent sales tax the voters voted for to pay for school construction)

Maintains Capital Project Fund at 27.2 Million for future School Construction *

Maintains Capital Reserve for Future Debt Service at 2 Million *

Maintains General Fund Balance at 18.8 Million.

*All these reserve funds DO NOT INCLUDE the Dollars that they will be adding to them when they close out the current fiscal year which ended (June 30, 2022). Nick  anticipates that these funds will see significant increases due to Revenues exceeding the  budget by approx 8 Million Dollars

Judging from his record on the county board,  Picerno is a solid conservative who reads every line of proposed legislation and questions every penny of spending. 

Moore County bureaucrats were not accustomed to answering tough questions like Picerno poses on line items..

Picerno has a strong following across the party’s political spectrum   from the religious right to fiscal conservatives.  Nick is a former teacher and entrepreneur who founded what is now Southern Pines’s Southern Software.

By:  Victoria Levinger — Publisher

Source:  TDH