Commissioner Ervin Bateman

Party: Republican
District: District 5 (At Large)
Year Elected: 2018
Length of Time Spent Living in Dare County: Native
Current Area of Residence: Kitty Hawk, NC
Hometown: Kitty Hawk, NC

A 6th generation resident of Kitty Hawk who resides on the property where his great-grandfather was once raised, Ervin Bateman was elected to serve on the Dare County Board of Commissioners in 2018.

Commissioners | Dare County, NC

His volunteer experience includes serving as co-founder of the Outer Banks Relief Foundation—which was established in 2002 to provide funds for individuals living with debilitating diseases and to help people in crisis—as well as co-founder of Outer Banks Sporting Events, where he was instrumental in creating the popular Outer Banks Marathon event.

In addition to being an avid runner, cyclist and boxer, Bateman is an animal lover who also enjoys watersports and traveling. He has been married to his wife, Teresa, for nearly 50 years, and has a son, Jonathan, who is a local charter boat captain.

Ervin Bateman is from Kitty Hawk. He lives in Kitty Hawk and has been married to Teresa for nearly 50 years; he has one son.

He has more than three decades of public service experience, having served on the Kitty Hawk Town Council and Kitty Hawk Planning Board prior to taking on his current role as a Dare County commissioner.

Bateman has been in the restaurant business since 1990 and is the owner of Sugar Creek Restaurant in Nags Head, where he enjoys meeting and interacting with a variety of visitors from across the country and around the world on a daily basis.

Ervin Bateman owns Sugar Creek Restaurant in Nags Head.

Ervin serves on the Dare County Board of Commissioners and was elected in 2018.

2026 North Carolina General Election

As of April 6, 2026, Ervin Bateman did not have a website or any information online.

Economy

Public Services

Housing & Urban Development

The meeting opened with a presentation from Commissioner Ervin Bateman on Dare County’s substance abuse recovery programs and related county initiatives.

“One of the first things we did was create a recovery court,” Bateman said. “After an 18-month period of time, the felony goes away, and they get to have their life back.”

Hatteras Island civic organizations, Dare commissioners connect to tackle island-wide challenges at Buxton meeting

Officials also discussed growing concerns surrounding products containing adulterated kratom and synthetic substances being sold in convenience stores and smoke shops.

Bateman said Dare County is moving toward banning adulterated kratom products locally due to concerns about addiction, unknown ingredients, and emergency medical incidents tied to the substances.

“We’re basically banning the adulterated kratom that’s coming into our county,” Bateman said. “This stuff is so addictive.”

But Bateman, who overcame addiction himself and is on the board of the county Saving Lives Task Force, shared his frustration about access to the product, which he'd gone and bought before the meeting.

"I went to the store here, less than a quarter mile from a school, and bought this. There's nothing on this bag at all that says what's in it. It just says it has, roughly speaking, 200 pills. [I want] immediate action, I don’t want the kid to go over to that grocery store and buy that crap that we have right here, it’s ridiculous." said Bateman.

Dare County commissioners to rework resolution regarding kratom sales in North Carolina

Said Dare County uses opioid-settlement funding for treatment and recovery services, including care for incarcerated people and medication-assisted treatment.

Bateman said the county has used opioid settlement funding to support treatment and recovery services, including treatment programs for incarcerated individuals, counseling resources, medication-assisted treatment, and recovery support programs.

According to Bateman, Dare County receives roughly $300,000 annually through the national opioid settlements involving pharmaceutical companies and retailers, with approximately $6 million expected over an 18-year period.

He also highlighted the county-supported “Dare Challenge” treatment center, a long-term recovery facility that Bateman said will eventually provide free treatment services for individuals struggling with addiction.

Believes recovery means complete abstinence from all substances.

MANTEO, N.C. — In December, Commissioner Ervin Bateman encouraged the Dare County Board of Commissioners to pass a resolution banning kratom entirely in the state of North Carolina. But over the last few weeks, Bateman has received a number of calls from advocates for the product and shared his thoughts on Monday.

“I’ve got to be really open minded about this. As we’ve talked before, my opinion of recovery is complete abstinence from everything, so this is taking me out of my comfort zone," said Bateman

As a county commissioner, helped create a recovery court that removes felony convictions after an 18-month period.

Calls for immediate action to ban adulterated kratom products in Dare County, citing addiction and the sale of unlabeled products near a school.

- As a county commissioner, helped create a recovery court that removes felony convictions after an 18-month period.
- Calls for immediate action to ban adulterated kratom products in Dare County, citing addiction and the sale of unlabeled products near a school.

Public Safety

Transportation & Infrastructure

Energy & the Environment

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Ervin Bateman

As of April 6, 2026, Ervin Bateman’s website did not contain information on this issue.

Ervin Bateman's campaign for Dare County Commissioner is his first entry into politics.

Dare County Commissioners to rework resolution regarding kratom ...

As a commissioner, encouraged the Board of Commissioners to pass a resolution banning kratom entirely in the state of North Carolina.

Supports a complete ban on kratom in North Carolina.

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- County Commissioners create and pass laws at the county-level. These laws show up in very tangible ways, such as determining how much you pay property and sales tax rates, public transportation, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners are responsible for preparing and passing the county budget. The budget determines how much funding goes to various public services, such as public transportation, law enforcement, repairing roads, and maintaining infrastructure.
- County Commissioners oversee the administrative duties of your county’s government to ensure the safety, comfort, and well-being of county residents.
- County Commissioners can create, change, or abolish offices, positions, departments that are not required by law. 
- County Commissioners are elected to 4-year terms, with no term limits. Typically, you only vote for the County Commissioner that represents your county commission district.

Creates new laws and passes the budget for your county.