After about fourteen hours straight of digging through reports, reconciling spreadsheets, cross-checking filings, and shaping this story into something readable, I can say this much with confidence: North Carolina’s campaign-finance reporting system is a mess. The process is chaotic — filings uploaded as unsearchable PDFs, inconsistent labeling, missing amendments, and math errors that take hours to fix manually. Transparency shouldn’t depend on a private citizen performing forensic accounting.
In case you’re heading out to vote early, in-person voters can cast ballots up until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1. After that deadline, you’ll only be able to vote in person on Election Day.
I’m finally calling it a night. I’m shutting my computer down and stepping away for some sleep before I head to the polls with my wife, a tradition we have maintained since 2016. You all have fun reading, sharing, and commenting.
Executive Summary
This analysis of the 2025 Wake Forest Town Commissioner race combines a forensic review of campaign finance data with direct reference to primary-source candidate responses submitted to the Wake Forest Conservation Alliance (WFCA). These WFCA questionnaires, along with NCSBE filings and other records, form the documentary backbone of this analysis. Together, they reveal how money, ideology, and growth policy intersect in a town election that mirrors statewide and national trends.
Part I: Wake Forest at a Crossroads
Wake Forest has grown from about 14,000 in 2005 to more than 55,000 in 2025, a nearly 300% increase over 20 years (U.S. Census Bureau). This rapid expansion has transformed the town’s infrastructure, tax base, and environment. Median home values in ZIP 27587 have risen from $210,000 in 2005 to over $525,000 in 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau). With each revaluation cycle, homeowners have faced higher overall tax bills despite nominal rate reductions (Town of Wake Forest, “Board of Commissioners”).
The resulting strain on roads, utilities, and open space is now the defining issue of local politics. Candidates in the 2025 Town Commissioner race frame the debate differently: some view growth as an economic driver that must continue with limited regulation; others call for a managed-growth model that prioritizes infrastructure, conservation, and fiscal balance.
Part II: The Money Trail
Wake Forest Matters reviewed and reconciled all seventeen campaign-finance reports filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). After correcting clerical discrepancies, internal transfers, and arithmetic errors, the audit established a reliable baseline for comparing fundraising strategies.
At the top of the list, Haseeb Fatmi reported the highest total receipts, raising $17,839.68. More than half—$10,808.48—came from his own funds, while $7,031.20 came from outside donors. Fatmi’s filings show an intense, self-financed effort consistent with his refusal to accept developer or PAC donations. His spending reached $19,271.40, leaving a negative balance of –$1,431.72.
Thomas Dement followed with $15,874.38 raised, almost entirely from large donors. He contributed just $215 of his own money while receiving $15,659.38 from outside sources. Pam James raised $11,072.96, primarily from large donors, and personally contributed $65. Combined, Dement and James raised more than $26,000 in outside funds and shared several top donors, including $6,800 apiece from CaptiveAire CEO Robert L. Luddy.
R. Keith Shackleford, the incumbent Mayor Pro Tem, raised $6,043.82, including $2,633.82 of self-funding and $3,410 from external supporters. Jasmine Zavala raised $4,121.40, with $3,825.35 from her own funds and just $296.05 from outside donors. Nick Sliwinski raised $2,709.50, mostly from small local contributors and $239.50 of self-funding.
The funding hierarchy shows Fatmi as the most prolific overall fundraiser, the Dement–James bloc as the strongest externally funded coalition, and Shackleford, Zavala, and Sliwinski as locally sustained candidates. The contrasts underscore competing campaign models: high-dollar coordination versus self-funded grassroots outreach.
Part III. Endorsements
Endorsements reinforce these ideological divisions. Fatmi and Shackleford are endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party, with Fatmi also receiving backing from the Equality North Carolina Action Fund PAC for his stance on inclusivity and nondiscrimination. Dement and James are endorsed by the Wake County Republican Party and the North Carolina Values Coalition, connecting them to pro-growth and socially conservative movements. Zavala is running as an independent with no party or PAC endorsements, though her platform leans progressive, emphasizing inclusive governance, environmental justice, and data-driven community development. Her vision frequently intersects with Fatmi’s managed-growth agenda—both advocate for sustainability, civic transparency, and stronger environmental protections—but her approach is distinctly community-centric and grounded in local lived experience rather than partisan framing. In contrast, her emphasis on public participation and neighborhood-level engagement stands apart from the fiscally conservative, developer-aligned tone of the Dement–James bloc, highlighting the ideological breadth of this year’s municipal race. Sliwinski, affiliated with the Forward Party, emphasizes pragmatic, post-partisan governance over traditional party alignment.
Part IV: WFCA Questionnaires — What the Candidates Said (or Didn’t)
The Wake Forest Conservation Alliance (WFCA) distributed comprehensive questionnaires to all six commissioner candidates in October 2025, asking about conservation, development, tree preservation, and fiscal policy. These documents offer a clear window into each candidate’s priorities.
Thomas Dement: No Response Submitted. (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Survey: Thomas Dement (No Response”).
Pam James: Supported tree preservation and open-space bonds “if fiscally responsible and transparent” but framed environmental protections as secondary to “property rights.” (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Pam James”).
R. Keith Shackleford: Declared the UDO “not strong enough,” adding “we are approving too many developments that are clear-cut.” He “without hesitation” supported both open-space bonds and a stronger tree ordinance. (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: R. Keith Shackleford”).
Haseeb Fatmi: Advocated for revising the UDO to promote mixed-use zoning and walkability, preserving the Smith Creek watershed, and using System Development Fees (SDFs) to discourage clear-cutting. (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Haseeb Fatmi”).
Nick Sliwinski: Endorsed smart growth, improved pedestrian safety, and balanced infrastructure investment, but opposed overdevelopment without proper infrastructure alignment. (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Nick Sliwinski”).
Jasmine Zavala: Criticized the current UDO as “not strong enough” and “prioritizing developer interests over our community.” Supported stronger environmental ordinances and a non-occupancy tax for long-vacant downtown buildings. (WFCA, “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Jasmine Zavala”).
Collectively, the WFCA documents show that the managed-growth candidates—Shackleford, Fatmi, Zavala, and Sliwinski—consistently supported environmental preservation and more intelligent zoning. Dement’s lack of response and James’s conditional support reinforced their alignment with pro-development interests.
Part V: The Broader Networks
Luddy’s $13,600 in contributions to Dement and James connects the pair to a broader ideological ecosystem centered on deregulation, private education, and social conservatism. Luddy’s CaptiveAire fortune funds the John Locke Foundation, Thales Academy, and related think tanks that advocate for reduced environmental regulation and traditional values (John Locke Foundation). His donations to local candidates, combined with the NC Values Coalition’s grassroots presence in Wake Forest, illustrate how statewide networks are extending their influence into local governance.
The Tingen family’s $5,000 donation to Dement further ties the campaign to the regional construction industry. Daniel Tingen, Dement’s father-in-law, is President of Tingen Construction and the Franklin County Home Builders Association, and has decades of experience shaping housing policy in the Triangle region (Franklin County Home Builders Association). Under North Carolina law (N.C. Gen. Stat. §160D-109), these connections create potential conflicts of interest that require recusal from development votes involving close relatives or direct business associates.
Part VI: Policy and Rights
Wake Forest’s political climate reflects a microcosm of broader national debates over economic growth, conservation, and civil rights. Zavala, though unaffiliated with any party or PAC, reflects a progressive-leaning stance emphasizing inclusion, equity, and environmental sustainability, offering a local articulation of values often linked to national Democratic and ecological justice movements. The NC Values Coalition’s endorsement of Dement and James aligns with a platform that emphasizes property rights and opposes LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination ordinances (WUNC). By contrast, Fatmi’s Equality NC endorsement and Shackleford’s Democratic alignment place them within a managed-growth, equity-focused framework that links environmental and civil rights policy.
Part VII: Managed Growth vs. Sprawl
The 2024 Wake Forest Downtown Plan and NCDOT’s S-Line Transit-Oriented Development Study both promote compact, mixed-use growth (NCDOT). Research by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute finds that sprawl increases municipal service costs by 30–50 percent compared to dense, walkable development (MDPI). Managed-growth candidates argue that strategic zoning reforms will help the town maintain fiscal sustainability while protecting its natural assets, including the Smith Creek watershed, which spans both Wake and Franklin Counties.
Part VIII: Looking Ahead — 2026 and Beyond
As Brookings notes, municipal elections like Wake Forest’s can highlight donor infrastructure, voter mobilization, and issue salience that may carry into larger races (Brookings). The contrast between donor-backed conservatism and grassroots-managed growth offers a preview of how suburban North Carolina politics may evolve heading into 2026.
Works Cited
Fatmi, Haseeb. “Ask Me Anything: Haseeb Fatmi for Wake Forest Town Commissioner.” Reddit, 25 Oct. 2025. https://www.reddit.com/r/WakeForestNC/comments/1of656w/.
Franklin County Home Builders Association. “Local Directors.” FCHBA.com, 2025. https://franklincountyhba.com/local-directors/.
John Locke Foundation. “Issues: Energy.” JohnLocke.org, 2024. https://www.johnlocke.org/issues/.
MDPI. “Relationships between Density and Per Capita Municipal Spending in the United States.” Sustainability, vol. 5, no. 3, 2020. https://www.mdpi.com/2413-8851/5/3/69.
NCDOT. “Typology: Reimagining and Changing Low Density Wake Forest.” S-Line Study, 2022. https://www.ncdot.gov/divisions/integrated-mobility/innovation/s-line-study/Documents/wake-forest-playbook.pdf.
NC Values Coalition. “Endorsement: NC Values Endorses Pam James and Thomas Dement for Wake Forest Commissioners Race.” NCValues.org, 9 Oct. 2025. https://ncvalues.org/endorsement-nc-values-endorses-pam-james-and-thomas-dement-for-wake-forest-commissioners-race/.
Town of Wake Forest. “Board of Commissioners.” WakeForestNC.gov, 2025. https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/board-commissioners.
U.S. Census Bureau. “QuickFacts: Wake Forest Town, North Carolina.” Census.gov, 2023. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/wakeforesttownnorthcarolina.
Wake Forest Conservation Alliance. “2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Haseeb Fatmi.” WFConservation.org, 2025. https://wfconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Candidate-Questionnaire-Final-Haseeb-Fatmi-WFCA-Format.pdf.
“2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Pam James.” WFConservation.org, 2025. https://wfconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Candidate-Questionaire-Final-Pam-James-WFCA-Format.pdf.
“2025 Candidate Questionnaire: R. Keith Shackleford.” WFConservation.org, 2025. https://wfconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Candidate-Response-Conservation-Alliance-Shack-WFCA-Format.pdf.
“2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Nick Sliwinski.” WFConservation.org, 2025. https://wfconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2025-Candidate-Questionnaire-Final-Nick-Sliwinski-WFCA-Format.pdf.
“2025 Candidate Questionnaire: Jasmine Zavala.” WFConservation.org, 2025. https://wfconservation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/WFCA_Questionnaire_Jasmine_Zavala-WFCA-Format.pdf.
“2025 Candidate Survey: Thomas Dement (No Response).” WFConservation.org, 2025.
“Transparency shouldn’t depend on a private citizen performing forensic accounting.”
Thankfully you were willing to do it.
Where in her questionnaire did Pan Jones use the term "property rights" as you quoted her? I don't see it.