Joe Bowen moderates at a Candidates Forum held Monday at the Storytelling Arts Center. The event was sponsored by the Laurinburg Scotland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Laurinburg Junior Service League.
                                 Courtesy photo | Myra Stone

Joe Bowen moderates at a Candidates Forum held Monday at the Storytelling Arts Center. The event was sponsored by the Laurinburg Scotland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Laurinburg Junior Service League.

Courtesy photo | Myra Stone

LAURINBURG — While most eyes are on the presidential election, Scotland County residents had the opportunity to hear from local candidates on the ballot about the issues that affect them during a Candidate Forum held at the Storytelling Arts Center on Monday.

Speaking in order of where they will appear on the ballot, local candidates gave their final in-person plea for votes right before early voting which begins on Thursday. Each candidate had two minutes to introduce themselves and their platform and two minutes to answer questions from the media and audience.

NC Senate Seat 24

Kathryn Batt, the Democratic candidate that will face Incumbent NC Sen. Danny Britt, a Republican, was the first to speak and introduced herself to those who may not have ever met her. Batt said that the main focus of her campaign will be education, the environment and health care.

“Robeson County and Scotland County both have one hospital. Robeson is 100 out of 100, Scotland County is 98 out of 100 in worst health care outcomes. We’ve got to work on that. We’ve got to expand Medicaid. We’ve got to do something,” Batt said.

Batt described herself as a Marine “Brat,” having a father who was a jet pilot. She said told her father she wanted to be a helicopter pilot when she grew and she did. “Then I was in the FBI, did racketeering cases so I do what it’s like to be a fighter and fight for what right … I’ve got strategic and tactical training, planning and execution,” Batt said.

Sen. Britt was unable to attend the candidate forum.

NC House of Representatives Seat 48

Tensions rose during the forum when incumbent Democratic Representative Garland Pierce seemingly addressed recent political “attacks” against himself.

Pierce said that if he was to be reelected he would file legislation making it “illegal to falsify another candidate,” but later seemingly walked back the comment after being questioned further on the freedom of speech.

“I think sometimes you have to make a statement on issues like this to let people know that it’s just not right, the right thing to do … I never have and I never will attack an opponent. Let me say that again, I never have and I never will attack and opponent. Amen,” Pierce said.

His opponent, Republican Ralph Carter, denied any claims coming from his campaign.

“The negative ads are not coming from me and I disavow and I’ve tried to stop ‘em and I couldn’t,” Carter said.

Both candidates were questioned on issues including education and economic development, with Carter making his case and Pierce defending his record.

“The record speaks for itself the things that I’ve been able to accomplish,” Pierce said.

“What’s happening right now isn’t working. We’re not getting those manufacturing jobs … We did hit a number on the highway, got some fast-food restaurants. More power to you. That’s been a big help but we need to do better than that,” Carter said.

Carter said that includes providing the best education for children in the district, and along with that, the best jobs.

“We’ve got to do something about that. It’s to support getting funding from Raleigh, funding infrastructure for schools and enticing those jobs here,” he said.

Pierce said that he would continue to work in a bipartisan way to get things done in the legislative sector.

“I know that people have a right to say and do things but sometimes it’s just outlandish the things that happen that people say about people. I will continue to work in a bipartisan way to work for our community,” Pierce said.

Scotland County Board of Commissioners

Each of the Board of Commissioner candidates were questioned on what they would do differently with Scotland County’s budget, noting the difficulties county leaders have had crafting a budget in the last few fiscal years. Candidates also gave their stance on the sales and use tax referendum, which will also be on the ballot, to raise the sales and use tax rate from 6.75% to 7%.

Republican At-Large candidate Ed O’Neal was for the sales and use tax increase.

“It is a small amount and it will generate a $1 million estimated for the county. If you think about it there are only a few ways you can raise revenue and a big one is property taxes fees and sales tax. You have to kind of look at what we can do. We already have one of the highest property tax rates in the state,” O’Neal said.

Libertarian candidate Samuel Levinson said that he would be for increasing the sales and use tax if a tax was lowered in another area.

“For those who are impacted by inflation and everything that goes along with it, raising taxes is not going to be a good bargaining statement,” Levinson said.

Democratic candidate Jermain Dockery was not present for the forum.

Jeff Shelley, a Republican, running for the Williamson Township seat on the Board of Commissioners against incumbent Darrell BJ Gibson, said he would tackle running the county just like running a business. Shelley said having been a businessman for years in Scotland County, he’s not only seen but experienced the peaks and valleys of the economy.

“I don’t mind making decisions that are not favorable when it comes to business,” Shelley said.

Shelley said one of those tough decisions would be reconsidering the county’s school floor tax.

Incumbent Democrat John Alford also spoke of the county’s current financial state and spoke on school funding. He will face Republican Tanya Edge, who was not present for the forum. Both are seeking the Laurel Hill Township seat.

“We fund more above the level of the counties around us and I will never say that’s too much but it’s more than the level of what we can afford because the funding for education from the county come from your property taxes,” he said.

“We will continue to work with the Board of Education, continue to fund them but maybe … less then what we’re doing,” Alford continued.