time, trying to access or leave any number of the area’s towns. Southern Shores is right in the middle of it. “It’s an intractable problem,” said Morey. “Any public meeting, any roundtable, any community chat—traffic is the first thing that’s mentioned.” There’s no room for more roads. There’s not much way to convince visitors to travel midweek as opposed to the weekends. And there’s no way to reach destinations without driving. Solutions, then, must be incremental and creative. “One way that we improved the situation this past summer is by keeping drivers on the main roads and out of the neighborhoods.” They did so by working with the traffic navigation app Waze, which drivers use to find the quickest routes to their destinations. At the town’s request, Waze stopped pointing drivers towards side streets and neighborhood roads. “It helped.” Housing has grown as an issue in Southern Shores, as it has in many other cities nationally. With new ways of working continued from page 21 Board Profile: Mayor Elizabeth Morey It’s one of the things I did after my two experiences of running for office: talking to people at their front door. It’s the opportunity for people to have somebody to listen to them. Sometimes a lot of people come, sometimes only one person comes. The people here know, if you want to be heard, I am there to listen. » Elizabeth Morey, Mayor, Southern Shores post-pandemic, more remote employees now call Southern Shores home full-time. That has contributed at least partly to a significant demand for new housing on the Outer Banks. And as perhaps the most residential-focused town on the island, Southern Shores has acutely felt that pressure. New builds, renovations, and proposed developments are all up. How to make room for residents, new arrivals and visitors is a question Mayor Morey must answer each day. Housing and changeover traffic, in addition to other local challenges like beach nourishment and hurricane resilience, follow a pattern familiar to Southern Shores. It’s a surge, then a lull. From summer to winter, it’s like two different places and two different communities, and two different sets of priorities. Keeping services, engagement and leadership steady through the tumult is a top requirement of the job. Mayor Morey accomplishes it by talking to people. “It’s one of the things I did after my two experiences of running for office: talking to people at their front door.” Taking that outreach one step further, Mayor Morey instituted Mayor’s chats, which are an opportunity for town residents to openly share their thoughts with town leaders. “It’s the opportunity for people to have somebody to listen to them,” she said. “Sometimes a lot of people come, sometimes only one person comes.” For a role that changes by the season, her approach to engagement and outreach is one that yields results. “The people here know, if you want to be heard, I am there to listen.” SOUTHERN CITY Quarter 4 2023 22
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