On this episode of Local Control, Peter A. Ravella speaks Topsail Beach Commissioner Steve Smith. After a 37 year career with the Eveready Battery Company, Steve and his wife moved into a new home in Topsail Beach. Since then, Steve has served as Co-Chair of Topsail Beach’s 50 Year Celebration and Chairman of Topsail Beach’s Beach, Inlet & Sound Committee, and of course as a city commissioner. He continues to be involved with the Topsail Island community by serving as Secretary for the Kiwanis Club of Topsail Island Area and working with the Historical Society of Topsail Island. Subjects discussed: an overview of Topsail Beach; how the local government manages the shoreline; local funding of the shoreline management program; community engagement and education at Topsail; Hurricane Florence's impact and plans to continue building the beach; community leadership on the issue of sea level rise; and, the importance of local leadership in the aftermath of big storms.