Recent social media discussions regarding the Mosquito Fire Protection District (MFPD) have included varying accounts and mischaracterizations of Ms. Blain’s involvement with the district.
To maintain community transparency and provide factual clarity, we are publishing her detailed statement below. This account outlines her volunteer contributions to the MFPD, including her work with administrative support, firefighter onboarding, and updates to purchasing policies. It also provides a documented timeline regarding her federal procurement background, the history of the FEMA-funded LED sign, and her specific periods of grant administration.
We present this statement directly from Ms. Blain to ensure residents have access to verified information regarding these matters.
Candidate Statement: Meredith Blain for MFPD Board
“Other Volunteer Work for MFPD My volunteer work has not been limited to grants. I have also: • Assisted the District’s administrative staff and Board Clerk with office work. • Assisted firefighters with onboarding. • Created an organized reference file for the Fire Chief identifying the contents of the district’s paper files. • Worked with the Board President to update MFPD’s procurement and purchasing policies and procedures. • Updated the District’s SAM registration annually. The procurement work has been particularly relevant to MFPD’s FEMA-funded projects. My federal procurement background has allowed me to apply the same attention to documentation, competition, purchasing procedures, and financial accountability that was required throughout my federal career.
Volunteer of the Year In 2021, I was awarded MFPD’s Volunteer of the Year recognition for the grant administration and administrative support work I had performed for the district. Clarification Regarding the LED Sign I have seen references on social media suggesting that I proposed the LED sign. I did not. The LED sign was included in a FEMA grant application submitted by Eddie Dwyer. The grant was awarded, and I subsequently conducted the procurement in accordance with the district’s policies and procedures in effect at the time. I identified local vendors and solicited quotes from multiple qualified vendors. The lowest qualified offer was selected. The requirements for the sign were included in the grant application approved by FEMA, and the sign that was purchased met those requirements. The sign was expensive, but the procurement process was conducted through the district’s established procedures, including soliciting multiple qualified vendors and posting the request on the MFPD website. FEMA accepted the expenditure as part of the approved grant. Why I Became Involved I did not come to MFPD as a candidate looking for a position. I became involved because I saw an opportunity to use my professional experience to help the district. What began with volunteering to assist with federal grant administration developed into years of volunteer service involving FEMA grants, reimbursements, procurement, administration, and support for the district’s firefighters and leadership. My goal has always been straightforward: use my experience to help MFPD protect its financial resources, comply with applicable requirements, and obtain the funding available to the district.
A Temporary Gap in My Grant Administration Work There was a period when I was not handling the day-to-day reimbursement work for MFPD’s current Recruitment and Retention grant. After the grant was awarded and following Jack Rosevear’s retirement, Eddie Dwyer was serving as Acting Chief. A new volunteer took over the reimbursement work. Approximately nine months later, MFPD’s Finance Committee contacted me with questions regarding proposed grant reimbursements. Taffy and I spent approximately three weeks reviewing the supporting data and identifying corrections that we believed were needed. Before those corrections could be made, the volunteer responsible for the reimbursement work resigned. I then resumed work on the reimbursement process. I processed the expenses included in Payment Request #3, which were reviewed and approved by Eddie Dwyer, and I submitted them to FEMA. I subsequently gathered and reviewed an additional six months of eligible expenses, excluding payroll, for submission to FEMA. Those expenses were held pending Eddie Dwyer’s approval while he was on medical leave. Following his return, he approved of the expenses, and they are now nearly ready for submission. Megan Holmsky is now handling MFPD’s ongoing grant reimbursement work. I am therefore not claiming responsibility for the district’s current day-to-day reimbursement process. My role described here reflects the grant administration and reimbursement work I performed during my periods of volunteer service in that capacity.“
The candidate campaign materials displayed above are printed exactly as provided by the respective campaigns. Their publication does not represent an approval or verification of any candidate’s opinions or statements. For complete transparency, any editorial endorsement by The Sentinel will be explicitly marked and clearly separated from standard articles. We encourage readers to carefully review the phrasing, explicit pledges, and professional backgrounds presented in these statements to make an independent assessment of each candidate’s fitness for office.
© 2026 The Swansboro Sentinel. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of this content, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited without express written permission from the publisher. The editor reserves the right to review, modify, or remove any material within this editorial to maintain accuracy, clarity, and strict compliance with applicable laws.
