{"biography":"Richard Marvin Collier is the Republican candidate for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners in the 2026 general election. The Board serves as the county\u2019s chief policy\u2011making body, tasked with addressing county\u2011wide concerns such as rising costs of living, infrastructure needs, and quality\u2011of\u2011life pressures for residents and businesses [2].\n\nCollier has lived in Wilmington since 1997. He grew up on a farm outside Fayetteville and earned a degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University. He has spent three decades working as a civil engineer for McKim and Creed, a firm that has delivered major projects in the region, including the Mayfaire and RiverLights developments.\n\nHis public\u2011service career began with a twelve\u2011year tenure on the New Hanover County Planning Board (2007\u20112014), where he served both as chairman and vice\u2011chairman. He currently holds a seat on the Wilmington Planning Commission, now in his third term, providing him with direct experience in land\u2011use, zoning, and long\u2011range infrastructure planning [3].\n\nIn 2025 Collier entered the non\u2011partisan Wilmington City Council race, emphasizing his problem\u2011solving background and conservative principles. He finished fifth in a field that elected four council members, gaining valuable campaign experience and reinforcing his commitment to public service [2][5].\n\nCollier\u2019s platform for the county commission draws on his engineering training and his record on planning boards. He highlights the need for fiscally responsible governance, efficient infrastructure upgrades, and policies that protect wetlands, floodplains, and the tree canopy. He advocates for modernizing roads, storm\u2011water systems, and utilities to keep pace with rapid growth, expanding sidewalks and bike paths, and improving public\u2011safety support for first responders. Collier also stresses affordable\u2011housing initiatives that align with infrastructure capacity and environmental safeguards. Throughout his statements he links his \u201cengineer\u2019s approach\u201d \u2013 studying details, seeking efficient solutions, and focusing on results \u2013 to the county\u2019s challenges [2][3][5][8].\n\nWhile he has not previously held elected office, Collier\u2019s combined experience as a civil engineer, planning board leader, and recent city\u2011council candidate positions him to address the county\u2019s budget, land\u2011use, and service\u2011delivery decisions. He frames his candidacy as a continuation of his commitment to \u201climited government, fiscal responsibility, and accountability,\u201d values he says are essential for New Hanover County\u2019s future prosperity [2].\n\n## Sources\n- [2] [Richard Collier announces candidacy for New Hanover County Commission | Port City Daily](https://portcitydaily.com/latest-news/2025/11/16/richard-collier-announces-candidacy-for-new-hanover-county-commission/)\n- [3] [City planning commissioner enters Wilmington council race | Port City Daily](https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/2025/05/07/city-planning-commissioner-enters-council-race/)\n- [5] [2025 Election Q&A: Richard Collier for Wilmington City Council | Port City Daily](https://portcitydaily.com/local-news/elections/2025/09/24/2025-election-qa-richard-collier-for-wilmington-city-council/)\n- [8] [Q&A with Wilmington City Council Candidate 2025: Richard Collier | WilmingtonBiz](https://www.wilmingtonbiz.com/government/2025/10/09/qanda_with_wilmington_city_council_candidate_2025_richard_collier/26904)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Richard","fullname":"Richard Marvin Collier","lastname":"Collier","middlename":"Marvin","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"new_hanover","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_commission","contest_title":"New Hanover County Board Of Commissioners","county":"new_hanover","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"new_hanover","office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","party":"REP","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"REP","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_commission","office_title":"County Commissioner","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Richard Collier, a civil engineer and former planning board chair, is the Republican candidate for New Hanover County Commissioner in 2026, emphasizing infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, and limited government.","terms":[],"token":"65a9fd1d0d257be7"}