LAURINBURG — Early voting started Thursday.
This year’s election is filled with local races, including Laurinburg City Council.
The Arts Council of Scotland County hosted a candidates forum Monday night, giving the public a chance to meet the people looking to earn their votes on election day.
The event was sponsored by the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce and the Laurinburg Junior Service League.
The city council candidates who participated in the forum were Barbara Chanei Rogers, who is seeking an at-large seat, Mary Evans, who is seeking reelection to a district one seat, Rosemary Rainer, who is currently a councilmember representing district one, Drew Williamson, who is running unopposed for the district two seat he currently holds.
James Garby, who currently holds an at-large seat and James Thomas, who is challenging Evans for the district one seat weren’t in attendance.
Rogers, who grew up in Laurinburg, is a political newcomer. Her platform, she said is all about new ideas.
“I’m running on a platform of bright ideas that are fresh, innovative and homegrown,” she said. “I always knew I wanted to do something with and for the community that raised me and molded me into the person that I am today. And I thought what better opportunity than to seat at the table where we are making the decisions that would be best for the constituents.”
Rogers said that she served as a global mission fellow in Moscow for two years where she worked with low-income and migrant communities. That work, she said, solidified her want to help people.
She said it’s important to offer people something more than lofty ideas. “You have to put food in their mouths when they’re hungry and clothes on their back when they’re cold,” she said.
Rogers is facing Garby in the election. Garby has been on city council since 2017.
Evans touts her community service and her need to make a difference in the lives of the citizens of Laurinburg as part of her platform.
“When elected to the city council, some of my top concerns are to assist in creating jobs, building up the infrastructure of the city and transparency,” she said.
Williamson said even though he doesn’t have an opponent in the election, he wanted the community to know what his thoughts on what was happening in the city.
He touted projects like the North Side Fire station project that the city was able to get started and have the state to help fund.
“We’re starting to see some real growth here,” he said, adding that retail is growing in Laurinburg. He acknowledged that there are some issues in the city with gun violence and crime in the city.
Rainer, who was appointed to finish the term of her late husband Donald Rainer, she holds her commitment to her community close to her heart.
She said through her work at Richmond Community College, she sees a lot of young people who aren’t ready for the workforce.
“We’ve got to get our children to the point where they can pass those tests. You can’t get a decent workforce if we don’t have young people who can’t pass the [Work keys] test,” she said.
Rainer said she has three priorities: making sure the north side fire station is up and running and ready to serve that side of town, the I. Ellis Johnson restoration project and the storm water drainage in district one.
Election Day is May 17. Early voting ends on May 14.