Mayor Jean Toner relocated from Pittsburgh, PA to the Town of St. James in 2010. Prior to retirement, she worked in Labor Relations and taught Human Resources courses at the University of Pittsburgh where she also earned her Masters Degree in Public Administration. She also worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a Human Resources Director in divisions supporting the U.S. Naval Reactors Program. She was elected to town council in 2015 and to her first term as mayor in 2017. Mayor Toner served as an Executive Mentor with the UNCW School of Business and as President of the St. James Service Club which has raised $2.4 million for Brunswick County Charities. She was instrumental in securing Brunswick County’s action to establish the Wellhead Protection Overlay Zoning District for the Castle-Hayne Aquifer.
The Town of St. James (TOSJ) was established on July 1, 1999 and is situated on the Intracoastal Waterway in Brunswick County, the fastest growing county in North Carolina. The residential area is comprised of 9.2 square miles with 2,450 acres held in conservancy. The TOSJ is a certified Firewise Community, a certified Community Wildlife Habitat and is included in the federal Atlantic Flyway. The current population is approximately 8,000 residents and is expected to reach 12,000 at full build out.
For 19 years the town has partnered with UNCW and funded a Living Shoreline, an oyster reef build along the town’s border on the Intracoastal Waterway, to prevent shoreline erosion, provide a habitat for marine life and improve water quality. Also established was an endowment for UNCW students engaged in research supporting living shorelines and the TOSJ/UNCW Living on the Coast Speaker Series that educates transplanted residents regarding the benefits and challenges associated with living on the coast.
Stormwater management and infrastructure resilience are major issues. Infrastructure improvements have not kept up with the rapid pace of development. Public water service providers continue to struggle with the Cape Fear River PFAS contamination. County zoning ordinances have not been revised to reflect current conditions.
