Day 9: Your Questions, Their Answers: Holly Springs (NC) Mayoral and Town Council Candidate Q&A Series
Arts, Culture & Economic Development: How should arts and culture be prioritized as part of Holly Springs’ economic development strategy?
Holly Springs, NC, Oct. 2, 2025 — As Holly Springs prepares for the upcoming municipal elections, Holly Springs Update (HSU) and What’s Happening Holly Springs (WHHS) are working to give residents a clear view of where the candidates stand on key issues.
Earlier this month, all candidates were provided with a questionnaire developed from community-driven submissions and refined by Christian Hendricks, publisher of HSU, and Aaron Wenzel, moderator of WHHS. Candidate response documents were first published together in a story on September 22nd.
Earlier story: All Candidate Submissions Now Published in Holly Springs (NC) Mayoral & Town Council Questionnaire (9/22/25).
To facilitate easier comparison and contrast of answers, responses are being shared on an individual basis. Beginning September 24 and continuing through October 4, one question will be featured each day.
Today’s installment marks Day 9 of the series. For readers who missed prior days’ coverage, stories can be found by clicking on the links below:
Day 1: How will you ensure that growth does not outpace the town’s capacity for infrastructure (roads, water, sewer, safety, technology, utilities)?
Day 2: What specific steps would you take to address congestion on NC 55, Avent Ferry, Sunset Lake, and other deficient roads and connectivity and walkability of greenways and sidewalks?
Day 3: What steps would you take to improve school safety and better protect students?
Day 4: How would you address school overcrowding and frequent student reassignments?
Note: All candidate responses are published exactly as submitted, without editing, and are presented in alphabetical order by last name. Links are also provided below to all answers from each candidate and their respective campaign websites.
Question 9: Arts, Culture & Economic Development
How should arts and culture be prioritized as part of Holly Springs’ economic development strategy?
Mayoral Candidate Answers
Mike Kondratick
Arts and culture need to take a more central role in Holly Springs. We can:
• Work closely with the Wake County Commissioners to ensure Holly Springs is included in the county’s next library bond so we can build a facility that can better support our growing community, including expanded programming for all of our residents
• Create a dedicated grant program to support the work of local artists and arts organizations interested in creating public art or related programming that benefits residents
• Engage our large employers and other town stakeholders, and the county, on an initiative to create a new performing arts center (or expand and refurbish the existing cultural center if a new library is built) that can support more diverse arts programming
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Sean Mayefskie
Culture brings a town to life. That’s why we approved funding for a new Arts Council to start bringing public art downtown. Our vision includes transforming plain brick walls into vibrant murals created by local artists — building a sense of identity and community pride. In the years ahead, I’ll support efforts to expand arts and events throughout town, celebrating what makes Holly Springs unique while enriching our local economy and creative scene.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Town Council Candidate Answers
Joe Cuccurullo
This question came up at the recent Holly Springs Chamber of Commerce candidates
forum, and I will answer it here the same way I answered it there. From an economic
development perspective, one of the best ways we could prioritize arts and culture is by pursuing a performing arts center as part of our long-term strategy. A center like this would be more than a cultural amenity; it would be an economic engine. It would give local performers and artists a professional stage while also attracting outside entertainment that brings new visitors and vitality to Holly Springs.
It is equally important that we continue to support local artists and showcase their talent throughout our community. We can do this through initiatives that bring public art into open areas, green spaces, and especially into our downtown area as redevelopment continues.
These efforts not only celebrate creativity but also highlight the rich history and character of Holly Springs, making our town more vibrant and attractive to both residents and businesses.
Prioritizing arts and culture in this way supports our economy, strengthens community pride, and helps define Holly Springs as a destination.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Annie Drees
Arts, culture, and events are important in our community because they create connection to Holly Springs and among members of our community. There are a number of ways we can make arts and culture more accessible. We need to make sure the UDO isn’t too restrictive essentially preventing murals and sculptures in town.
The UDO amendments coming to council this fall will include additional provisions for murals, as I requested at the Town Council retreat this February. A local arts steering committee is in the works, and the Town should continue to work with them as the residents create a local arts council to serve Holly Springs.
I would like Holly Springs to have more community and cultural events. Having more opportunities to bring the community together is increasingly important as we grow. There is potential for those events to be sponsored by nonprofits or by the town. I would like to continue to work together with the community to find more opportunities to come together.
Holly Springs has outgrown our Cultural Center. For the past year I have been working on getting buy-in from Town Council and sta(cid:431) as we start to envision what the Cultural Center could grow up to be including a larger library and performing art space. This will take time and money, but we need to continue to further the conversation and start working with Wake County on planning for the
future.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Tim Forrest
Arts and culture are not just “extras”—they are an important part of our town’s identity and play a direct role in economic development. Families and businesses want to locate in communities with character, vibrancy, and opportunities beyond subdivisions. Holly Springs has made progress, but there is more we can do.
First, arts and culture should be integrated into our downtown revitalization strategy. Projects like the festival street on Avent Ferry, Mims Park improvements, and a permanent farmers market pavilion will provide spaces for cultural programming, live performances, and community events that draw visitors and strengthen small businesses.
Second, cultural amenities help attract and retain talent for our growing life sciences and advanced manufacturing sector. When companies evaluate communities, they look not just at infrastructure, but also at quality of life for their employees. A stronger arts and culture presence gives Holly Springs a competitive edge.
Third, we should continue to support and expand signature events like the Farmers
Market, cultural festivals, music at Ting, and performances at the Holly Springs Cultural Center. These events bring people together, create traditions, and generate economic activity for local shops and restaurants.
Fourth, I believe in fostering public-private partnerships for arts and culture—whether that’s working with local businesses to sponsor events, encouraging developers to include public art and gathering spaces in projects, or pursuing grants to fund cultural initiatives without burdening taxpayers.
The bottom line: arts and culture are part of what makes Holly Springs more than a collection of neighborhoods. By prioritizing cultural amenities alongside economic development, we can create a stronger sense of identity, attract businesses and talent, and build a community where families want to live, work, and stay.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Kara Foster
As Holly Springs grows, residents want more than subdivisions, they want a strong sense of identity. Arts and culture are vital tools for economic development. A vibrant cultural scene attracts businesses, supports tourism, and keeps families engaged locally rather than driving elsewhere for entertainment.
Already, developers are investing in mixed-use projects downtown, like the Overlook on Main apartments, which include amenities designed to create a more vibrant core. This is a moment to expand investment in our Cultural Center, support festivals and local arts programming, and encourage public art in new developments.
National research shows that for every $1 spent on the arts, local communities see an average $5 return in economic activity through dining, retail, and tourism. For Holly Springs, that is not just culture, it is smart business.
Arts and culture should not be an afterthought. They are central to building the kind of destination town that attracts talent, employers, and families who want to stay rooted here.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Sarah Larson
Arts, culture, and community events are vital to the community. They create opportunities for connection, foster local pride, and attract businesses, visitors, and talent.
I support the new Arts Council that is coming online and other local arts-focused groups. The Town has recently sent a request for a downtown mural and they have made plans for art installations at the new Eagles Landing Park.
These both show the potential for public art in other areas around town to help create Holly Springs’ identity. Discussions about a performing arts center highlight the opportunity to create additional “third gathering spaces” where residents can connect, collaborate, and engage with each other.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)
Josh Prizer
We have an Arts budget and should continue to support the Arts in our community. From sculptures throughout town and parks, to murals on our buildings, we need to continue to encourage this in Holly Springs. I do believe we can attract more, and larger concerts to TING Park during the warmer weather season which would help to bring more revenue to our Town and business alike. Building a performing arts center was recently shared by my colleague on the Planning Board, Joe Cuccurullo, and I would like to work with him and the rest of the Council to make that a priority once elected.
Links: (candidate submittals, website)