Jobs a key issue for candidates at forum

By Karissa Minn

kminn@salisburypost.com

County commission candidates focused on jobs at Wednesday's candidate forum at Catawba College, sponsored by the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce and the Salisbury Post.

The 10 Republican primary candidates present were asked questions in groups of three or four, but they were allowed to address other topics in their allotted time.

Nearly all of them chose to respond to a citizen-submitted question about how to encourage new businesses to locate within the county.

Jim Greene, 62, owner of Greene Insurance, said the board of commissioners sets the tone for the county's business environment. "Rowan County is probably the jewel of the Piedmont, and the first thing need that we need to do is to get that story told," he said.

Gene Miller, 63, assistant superintendent of Rowan-Salisbury Schools, said the county doesn't do enough to create a business-friendly atmosphere or support the efforts of its Economic Development Commission.

Bill Feather, 52, said he has seen evidence of this problem as a member of the Granite Quarry Town Board.

He said a company approached Granite Quarry wanting to locate within the city limits, because the business environment is better than it is in Rowan County. The company's investors wanted to go to Iredell County or Cabarrus County instead.

"The goal has to be to have a better environment in Rowan County to bring those businesses here," Feather said.

Commissioner Tina Hall, 59, said she thinks the county is indeed business friendly. It has an incentive grant policy and reaches out to businesses often.

"To my knowledge, every incentive that's come before the board of commissioners has been passed, and yet we continue to bleed jobs in Rowan County," Hall said. "It's not that county commissioners don't have a policy and are not trying to bring jobs into Rowan County. We're caught up in a very deep recession."

Commissioner Jon Barber, 50, a sixth-grade teacher at Southeast Middle School, said commissioners have helped businesses create or retain more than 1,300 new jobs and 500 temporary jobs since December 2006 by voting for investment grants.

"We do need to look at our investment grant policy to see what we can do to help support our local small businesses even better," Barber said.

He said the county needs to change its inspecting and permitting processes to make them as quick and simple as possible. Barber also said the Economic Development Commission should be funded to the level it needs to be effective.

John Greene, 64, a partner with Evergreen Cremation Services, said jobs at large companies have been shipped overseas where workers can be paid less.

"The answer to the question of jobs is small business," he said. "The county can do an awful lot by providing education and tax incentives."

Commissioner Chad Mitchell, a teacher at East Rowan High School, agreed. He said large businesses locate in Rowan County due to the work of consultants, and the county can't do much to influence it.

"Small business — which is the business that we need to encourage most — is driven by low tax rates, minimal policy requirements for inspections and other things, and zoning that allows individuals to do as they wish with their property," Mitchell said.

Chris Cohen, 52, president of Cohen Roofing and Metal Inc., also agreed and said the county needs to focus less on bringing in new industry and more on helping existing small businesses.

Next, one group of candidates was asked through a citizen submission whether they thought an annual strategic planning session was essential to Rowan County.

Carl Dangerfield, 47, a detective with the Rowan County Sheriff's Office, said he would only vote for a planning retreat if it was held within Rowan County borders.

"I believe we could sit as a commission and hash those issues out right here in Rowan County," Dangerfield said. "Certainly, we have to have time to hash those out."

Barber and Cohen also said they would support an annual planning session.

"This year, it was a bad idea not to consider the budget concerns of department heads," Cohen said. "You always need to develop a plan, especially in these economic circumstances."

Mitchell took a moment to explain his vote not to have the planning session this year. He said such meetings tend to consist of department heads simply asking for more money, and the county had no money to spend.

Another group of candidates was asked to state their views regarding the separation of church and state.

Jim Sides, 61, former county commissioner and owner of Todays Trading Co. Inc., said that while the government should be separate from the church, government officials are ordained of God and faith should play a role when they decide on moral issues.

"All we've talked about tonight is a fiscal crisis," Sides said. "That's not the only problem we have in America. What we have in America is a moral crisis."

The submitted question was introduced with the statement, "Several candidates, for commissioner and sheriff, have used the name of Christ on their signs and Web sites, and made references to a 'Christian Nation' in their campaigns."

Sides said he makes no apology for the cross in his campaign signs or his religious views.

Hall and Mitchell both said it would be difficult, even impossible, for them to separate their faith from their decision-making as a politician. They praised the county commission's practice of having a prayer before each meeting.

Miller said that while he is religious and believes America was founded on Christian principles, religion and politics should be kept separate as much as possible.

"Actually, I'm somewhat offended when I see religion used for the sake of politics," Miller said.

Candidates also were asked how to balance budget demands with the needs of the school system, including a possible new central office for Rowan-Salisbury Schools.

All those who spoke on the topic agreed that school funding was important. Cohen said the county may have to trim other areas of the budget to sustain or grow school funding.

Dangerfield said if the school budget must be cut, it should be cut from the top down, affecting administrators before classroom teachers.

Hall, Mitchell and Sides all said a new central office simply could not be afforded at this time.

Miller disagreed, saying that the initial expense of a new office — not a new building — could be made up in cost savings through the greater efficiency of having a consolidated office.

Not in attendance was Wayne Bradshaw, 56, owner of BeBop's Diner and Bradshaw Rentals.

Republican primary candidates for N.C. House District 77 and N.C. State Senate District 34 also spoke at Wednesday's forum.

Michael Bitzer, associate professor of political science and history at Catawba, served as moderator.