WHO I AM

A Havelock native.
Not a politician.

I was born here, raised here, and I intend to stay here. I am not running because I wanted to be a politician.

Bear for Havelock | Harlan "Bear" McGillem | Havelock City Commissioner 2026

BACKGROUND

Lifelong Havelock native and taxpayer. CDL-A holder with Hazmat and Tanker endorsements. Owned and operated a Havelock home repair company — seven employees at its close when COVID hit. Current family caregiver. AAS Cybersecurity & Networking student at Craven Community College, a top National Cyber League competitor.

Bear McGillem is originally from Havelock. He is studying cybersecurity and networking in an Associate of Applied Science program at Craven Community College. He is a family caregiver.

Bear McGillem previously owned and operated a Havelock home repair company. He holds a Class A commercial driver's license with hazardous materials and tanker endorsements.

Bear previously owned and operated a Havelock home repair company. He holds a Class A commercial driver's license with hazardous materials and tanker endorsements.

2026 North Carolina General Election

A bypass that routes travelers around a town instead of through it makes that town a place people pass by. I do not support manufactured growth — more rooftops on a map do nothing for a family whose quality of life is going the wrong direction. What Havelock needs is real careers, not another shift of minimum-wage work in food service and retail. That means reaching out to, and finding ways to incentivize, manufacturing and larger-scale employers — cybersecurity and skilled trades among them — jobs you can raise a family on. We settle the quality-of-life questions first, then we grow on purpose.

A city budget is a statement of priorities — and too much of ours sits at the top, in administrative pay and overhead, instead of with the people who keep Havelock running: the crews, the responders, the workers doing the job. These salaries are public record, and I'll treat them that way — reading the lines every budget cycle, asking the hard questions on the record, and pushing for pay that follows the work: real wages, retention, and careers for the people doing it. I want growth that's real — industry and employers that put people to work — not hollow numbers on a report.

What I'll Say No To

I say no to commercial trucks on residential streets where people are backing out of their own driveways, where children walk to school, and where the parks and homes are. The residents come before the commerce — every time. I say no to growth that trades away this town's quality of life for a bigger number on a report. And I say no to expanding administrative cost and comfort in a city that still offers its own people so few real careers.

Advocates incentives to attract manufacturing and larger employers, including cybersecurity and skilled-trades jobs.

Plans to scrutinize city salaries and advocate for compensation that supports workers' wages, retention, and careers.

- Advocates incentives to attract manufacturing and larger employers, including cybersecurity and skilled-trades jobs.
- Plans to scrutinize city salaries and advocate for compensation that supports workers' wages, retention, and careers.

Economy

03
Answer every constituent email within two weeks, barring unforeseen life events. Constituents deserve a government that actually responds — not one that treats a question as a nuisance. This is the floor, not the ceiling.

Pledges to answer constituent emails within two weeks, except during unforeseen life events.

- Pledges to answer constituent emails within two weeks, except during unforeseen life events.

Public Services

As of September 2, 2026, Bear McGillem’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Housing & Urban Development

PLATFORM

Five things to start.
All of them specific.
01
Enforce the ordinances already on the books before writing new ones. Havelock's noise and traffic ordinances are quality-of-life laws — they decide whether a street is livable. The problem is not the law; it is the will to apply it equally to everyone.

04
Improve HPD training on ordinance enforcement. Not to punish officers — to give them clear, consistent direction so that a plainly audible violation produces a consistent response, not a judgment call that varies by shift.

Supports enforcing existing noise and traffic ordinances equally before creating new ordinances.

Proposes clearer, more consistent training for the Havelock Police Department in ordinance enforcement.

- Supports enforcing existing noise and traffic ordinances equally before creating new ordinances.
- Proposes clearer, more consistent training for the Havelock Police Department in ordinance enforcement.

Public Safety

02
Pursue the no-cost CMV restriction on McCotter Boulevard. State law authorizes it. Alternate routes exist. Five schools and hundreds of homes are waiting.

What I'll Say No To

I say no to commercial trucks on residential streets where people are backing out of their own driveways, where children walk to school, and where the parks and homes are. The residents come before the commerce — every time. I say no to growth that trades away this town's quality of life for a bigger number on a report.

Plans to pursue a commercial motor vehicle restriction on McCotter Boulevard and opposes commercial trucks on residential streets.

- Plans to pursue a commercial motor vehicle restriction on McCotter Boulevard and opposes commercial trucks on residential streets.

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

Bear McGillem

Mauricio Mendez

Buket Urgen

Carly Rios

Clinton Jones

Diane Menger

Karen Lewis

Prudencio (Ira) Irizarry

Timothy Thierry

- City council members work together to set and implement city policy. 
- The city council is tasked with ensuring the health, comfort, and safety of residents of the city.
- City council members work with the mayor to govern city departments, such as the police department, fire department, transportation department, and parks and recreation department. 
- City council members represent either the whole city or residents of a specific district. 