Candidates for county commission talk business at forum

SALISBURY — Two of the four candidates running for seats on the Rowan County Board of Commissioners participated in Tuesday night’s forum at the Norvell Theater, answering questions from the community.

Alissa Redmond and Mark Ortiz were on hand to answer questions. Craig Pierce did not participate and Michael Caskey is currently deployed to the Middle East with the National Guard.

The forum, sponsored by the Rowan Chamber, Catawba College, Miller-Davis, the Norvell Theater and the Salisbury Post, was designed to educate voters on candidates’ stands on issues relating to the business community.

David Whisenant, retired WBTV journalist and lifelong Rowan County resident, moderated the forum, posing questions submitted by the public. Each candidate had one minute for opening remarks, one minute to respond to questions, and one minute for closing statements.

In the one-minute introductions, Redmond said she is a single business owner and former U.S. foreign Service employee who has worked around the world, with a master’s degree from Duke University. Her home is eastern Rowan, and she has two daughters in the Rowan-Salisbury School system.

Ortiz, who is an independent candidate from the We the People Party, said he is a Kannapolis resident who runs a consulting business and is “probably the only candidate that has an EBT card.” He said he is a middle ground candidate who believes in democracy not aristocracy.

Both candidates were asked what they would do to draw qualified employees to Rowan County.

Redmond said it’s an issue she thinks about often, though she has people “come in every day asking about a job, and I just don’t have one for them.” But she said there need to be incentives to hire local people, and that, “as opposed to bringing in large distribution centers” and outside corporations with outside employees, there needs to be more focus on training people locally to be ready to provide staffing for small, local businesses.

“This is about making the community more attractive,” said Ortiz. “We want people to want to come here, and that means things like more affordable housing.” He said allowing big corporations to come in and buy rental properties and subsequently drive up the rent is not helping. He added that good infrastructure and good schools will draw new residents who can fill employment gaps.

The second question was whether or not there is a relationship between economic development and schools and if so, how to address it.

“Businesses are concerned about both the education of and for their employees, but also about the education for the children of their employees,” said Ortiz. He said the driving need is to fund teachers, creating an education system where the best teachers want to be.

Redmond said when she was looking at moving back to the area, things looked good for her, but not for her two daughters. “I was in school in the ’90s when the Leandro case came through,” she said.

In that case, the Supreme Court twice (1997, 2004) found that the state has a constitutional obligation to make sure all children can get a solid, basic education, including competent and fully trained teachers and leadership.

“Currently, 33 percent of the county budget is spent on our schools,” Redmond said. She said the county needs to look around at surrounding counties and how they are allocating funds for schools “and adjust accordingly.”

Ortiz closed the evening by reiterating “I would like to repeat that I’m asking for your vote, and I remind you that I am an independent thinker with good ideas and an open mind. I provide an alternative to the corporate parties and will advocate for Main Street not Wall Street.” He also said, on a separate ballot issue, he would ask everyone to vote “no” on the proposal to make the school board partisan.

“I’m the only person running for commissioner with children in the school system,” said Redmond, noting that she would make schools a priority. She believes in expanding mental health services and addressing affordable housing, but “investing in our children and our teachers and our school system” is the top concern for her.

Pierce and Caskey are both Republicans and incumbent commissioners. There are two seats available in the upcoming election.

Pierce and Caskey have served on the Rowan County Board of Commissioners since being first elected in 2012 and Caskey previously served one term on the Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education.

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