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Serving Princeton, Rosewood, Brogden, E. Johnston Co., W. Wayne Co., North Carolina |
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HeadlinesBrandon Holland is no stranger to public service New commissioner elected to Princeton board Railroad crossings to get new stop signs Mt. Olive College recognizes FWB Churches Donations needed for Special Needs dinner Football: Princeton falls to North Duplin in playoffs, 35-0 Football: Eagles take on James Kenan Tigers in playoffs, 43-6 Photos Football: Rosewood at James Kenan Princeton's Veterans Day Parade Vets bring memorabilia for Princeton display Obituaries Charlene M. Church, Richard J. Godfrey, Roderic R. Russell Movies Fred Claus
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Holland no stranger to public serviceBy Barry Merrill 14 November 2007 — After the election last week, Brandon Holland, who was elected along with Walter Martin to the Princeton Town Board, reflected that he thought the vote reflected that the people of Princeton were ready for a change. He also acknowledged another force behind his election to the board: “I worked my butt off. I knocked on doors and handed out cards.” As a first responder with the fire department, when his pager went off on Election Day regarding a man who had lost consciousness in front of the post office, he left his electioneering post outside Princeton Baptist Church. As is routine after initially taking in the situation, he looked in the man’s pockets for some sort of identification. The first thing he found was one of his cards. Hard work and service to the community are something of a family tradition. The son of Butch and Brenda Holland learned early the importance of giving back. His dad has been on the fire department for 26 years. Brandon has completed six years on the fire department. His dad was also on the rescue squad at one time, and Brandon has also served there. He is still an EMT, but serves through being a first responder with the fire department. Another heritage his father passed on was deer hunting, and that love of the outdoors served him well in the election, as he spent a lot of time outside campaigning in recent weeks. It’s rather traditional for Princeton High School students to vow that they would never date someone from Rosewood, and Brandon made that vow, but like others, that was one he has broken. For the last four years he has been dating Valerie Hinson of Rosewood. She will be graduating from Mt. Olive College next year with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. His appreciation of small town life serves him well on his “day” job, as he is the traffic safety officer with the Wilson’s Mills Police Department. Brandon is also continuing his education online, pursuing a Criminal Justice degree through Fayetteville State University.
After graduating from Princeton in 2001, he went to Wilson Tech and earned a degree in fire protection technology. His father Butch was, for a long time, involved with the Princeton Little League program, and often umpired games for the program. Brandon decided to take that to another level and began attending umpiring schools. His passion and talent for the work was recognized, as he was named the top student at the Sun Belt Umpire’s Camp in Charlotte. He has attended five different umpire schools. Last year he worked 60 college games and 50 high school games. He has been working NCAA games for the past three years, and is assigned to work USA South, CVAC and CIAA games in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia. He was selected to umpire last year’s 4-A high school state championships. As to some of the things he wants to see improved in Princeton, he believes the image of the town is important. “You only have one chance to make a first impression.”
He relates that he has spoken with Chairman Doris Freeman about re-energizing the Appearance Commission in town, but acknowledged that it was time that some younger faces in town got involved. “Doris Freeman, Jean Haddock and Peggy Starling have done so much for this town for so long. It’s time for the youth to step up.” He also talks about trying to help the downtown. “We’re dying downtown. We need to do something for small businesses that have been there for us for all of these years.” He talks about looking for some matching grants to help businesses. While he likes the new benches that were recently bought for downtown, he noted that the planters are now filled with grass. One of the hot topics he heard about on the streets was the condition of the town’s streets. Like Walter Martin, he favors getting more roads addressed sooner, even if that means the town must borrow to get it done. He also questions why some streets were paved in the middle, but the paving stopped short of the curb, causing some unevenness in the road, and a potential danger. While Brandon is quick to recognize many of the ways his father helped him, including on his campaign, he particularly appreciated his mother’s help on the campaign and the ways she helped raise him to be the person he is. “I thank the people of Princeton for putting me in office. I will work to make Princeton a better place.”
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