Masonboro, Wilmington, and De‑Annexation

Episode summary:

Wilmington Democrats have made it clear they’d rather grow government and hike property taxes than listen to homeowners who are already stretched thin. In this Daily Update, I explain how de‑annexation lets communities like Masonboro push back by taking their high‑value properties out of the city’s reach. We walk through why state lawmakers, not city hall, ultimately control city boundaries, and how that gives local residents real leverage. I also highlight the work of SaveMasonboro.com and the larger lesson for Republicans across North Carolina who are ready to fight tax‑and‑spend policies with legal tools that protect property rights.

What you’ll learn / Key moments

• 00:01 – Wilmington Democrats refuse to shrink government and keep pushing higher property taxes.
• 00:42 – De‑annexation explained as the way to fight back by shrinking Wilmington’s tax base.
• 01:08 – Why Masonboro’s location and higher property values give residents real leverage.
• 01:46 – How SaveMasonboro.com helps residents organize, stay informed, and push for de‑annexation.
• 02:12 – The bigger statewide lesson: how Republicans can use legal tools to curb Democrat tax‑and‑spend overreach.

What you can do (Call to Action)

If you live in Masonboro, now is the time to get informed, get organized, and stand up for your property rights. Visit SaveMasonboro.com, sign up for updates, and join your neighbors in sending a clear message to Wilmington’s tax‑and‑spend Democrats that your home is not their piggy bank. If you’re elsewhere in New Hanover County or across North Carolina, share this episode, talk to your legislators about de‑annexation and other lawful tools, and stay engaged so big‑government policies don’t quietly chip away at your community.

Democrats in Wilmington chose not to reduce the size of government. Time for the residents of our area to reduce the size of Wilmington.

This is the Wilmington Standard Daily Update for Tuesday June 16, 2026.

Democrats are laser focused on raising taxes in the city of Wilmington.  The primary reason is not to increase services, but to be able to pay city employees a wage to make our city “an employer of choice.”  In a day and age where outrage over out of control property taxes is heard across the state and across the land, Democrats are shutting their ears and keeping to their playbook – keep government as large as possible by raising taxes as much as possible.

The only way to fight back is to simply reduce the size of Wilmington – and threaten the one thing that Democrats really want to get their hands on – our property and the taxes they produce.

It is called de-annexation.  Since city boundaries are determined by the state – and not a city government looking to grab valuable land in order to increase its tax base – moving those city boundaries is entirely in the hands of our North Carolina legislators. 

Masonboro – which stretches along Masonboro Sound between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach – is finally sick and tired enough to consider it.

SaveMasonboro.com was recently launched to allow citizens a chance to voice their concerns, to signup to receive updates and insights, and to become part of a process that will tell an out of control city that they can spend as much as they want – but they will have to use someone else’s money.  Since the average property value of Masonboro is significantly higher than most of the rest of Wilmington, the exodus of this area will be financially disastrous for the city. 

If you live in Masonboro, check out SaveMasonboro.com, sign up to receive more information, and take back control of one of the most basic parts of a free-market Republic – your property rights.  With a Republican-controlled legislature at the state level, if enough Masonboro residents want to leave the city of Wilmington with their property intact -  it can be easily done. 

But there is an even bigger lesson here.  Democrats are not listening when they keep preaching the same old message about tax-and-spend policies that only enrich government employees and increase government over-reach.  Republicans – not just in New Hanover County but across the state can – and must – fight back through de-annexation and other legal means that takes our property out of the hands of Democrats – and out of their local budgets.

And thankfully we live in a state where we still can.

For the Wilmington Standard, I’m Reuel Sample.  Thanks for listening.