Incumbent cites experience, challengers pledge careful spending in courthouse event

GATESVILLE — Four candidates in two contested races for the Gates County Board of Commissioners took questions on spending, county government and constituent complaints Wednesday night at a forum at the Gates County Courthouse.

The Gates County Chamber of Commerce and Roanoke Chowan Publications sponsored the event, which was streamed live. Cecil Bagley of the chamber served as the emcee, welcomed the crowd and explained the rules. The forum can be seen here.

Incumbent Commissioner Brian Keith Rountree, a Democrat, faces challenger Josh Miller, Unaffiliated, in the Gates district race. Unaffiliated candidate Larry “Scooter” Williams and Republican Jay Peay are running in the Eure district. Board Chair Emily Truman, Unaffiliated, who represents District 1, is unopposed and spoke after the other candidates finished.

The candidates answered the same set of questions in rotation. They were asked about working with people they disagree with, the job of a commissioner, handling complaints about county departments, managing the volume of information a commissioner must review, being a good steward of tax money, the values that guide hard budget decisions, and what prompted them to run.

‘ Twas a good forum and there was no gotcha moment like when Trump nailed Hillary Clinton in one debate — click here — no, Gates’ candidate forum offered a solid showing of what the candidates hope to do, if elected.

In-person early voting runs from Thursday, Oct. 15, to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. The general election is Nov. 3.

Experience vs. fresh eyes

Rountree, who is seeking re-election, built his case on his record. He opened by telling the audience, “Experience is so critical,” and returned to the point several times.

Asked about a disagreement he helped resolve, Rountree described a split on the board over hiring a lobbyist. Half the commissioners wanted one and half did not, he said, and he argued for it.

“It turned out that we got $10.8 million, which was a good investment,” Rountree said. He said the lesson was that “when you have the facts and justification to back up your facts, you can make a great decision as commissioner.”

Rountree listed budgeting, public health, public safety, infrastructure and utilities among a commissioner’s duties. On balancing the budget, he said the numbers have to hold up. “If it don’t add up, it’s not going to work,” he said.

In his closing, Rountree called himself “the candidate with experience” and said the county should not start over. “We don’t need to reinvent the wheel,” he said.

Miller, his challenger, said he is a lifelong Gates County resident and the eighth generation of his family’s farming operation. He graduated from N.C. State University in 2011 with a degree in field crops technology and serves on the Gates County Farm Bureau Board of Directors.

Miller said his farming background prepared him for a commissioner’s workload. “As being a farmer, you wear many hats,” he said, listing the roles of accountant, scientist, engineer, mechanic and personnel manager.

Explaining why he is running, Miller said people had been encouraging him to do so for about seven years. “A lot of people are asking, you know, Josh, you’ll be a good commissioner because you listen to people,” he said. He said his work on farm and rural forest policy also pushed him toward the race.

On hard budget choices, Miller said he would first look at how great the need is and how the county could pay for it. His guiding question, he said, would be “Will it benefit everyone in the community as a whole?”

Business background, working-class pitch

In the Eure district race, Peay said his family moved to Gates County in the early 1980s. He graduated from high school here and played football. He spent almost 20 years at Nucor, teaches concealed carry classes and is building a heating and air business with his son.

Peay’s answers returned often to tax money and where it goes. Asked about hard budget decisions, he drew a firm line.

“I can go ahead and tell you right now that if we don’t have the money to fund something, I’m not going to fund it,” Peay said. “We will figure it out. We will come back later.”

On working with people he disagrees with, he pointed to his years at Nucor, where he said he worked with “a bunch of Type A personalities.”

“Once you find common ground with people that you disagree with, you can move forward with a plan,” Peay said.

He said his work in two states, North Carolina and Virginia, taught him the value of keeping records. “Organization is the key,” he said.

Peay said he was running because he believes people reach a point where they should serve. He has been a volunteer firefighter. “There comes a time when you need to serve and give back to your community,” he said.

He closed by noting he came straight from a job site and was not dressed in a suit. “What you see is what you get,” Peay said. He also cautioned the audience about outside money. “Tax money always comes out of somebody’s pocket,” he said. “There’s no such thing as free money.”

Williams, who goes by Scooter, said he was born and raised in Eure and rode his bicycle to Gatesville as a boy. He explained how he got the nickname.

“I played football and basketball, and sometimes I ran out of fear,” Williams said. “That’s where I acquired the name Scoot, I suppose.”

Williams attended North Carolina A&T State University and Shaw University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He said he has been a finance manager at a car dealership for 24 years and has also worked as a family resource specialist, helping people move toward self-sufficiency.

He said that job taught him to bridge opposing views. Describing his work between bank representatives and sales managers, Williams said, “You got to have an open mind and you have to see both point of views.”

Williams said his top priority is economic development. “My top priority is to recruit and retain business, and also to lobby for job growth,” he said. He mentioned a new plant opening in Hertford County and called for a regional development partnership among Hertford, Gates and other counties.

Complaints, Money and Priorities

All four candidates said a commissioner should refer complaints about county departments to the county manager rather than handle them directly.

“My role is oversight,” Rountree said, adding that he would listen to the resident, document the concern and pass it along. “I follow hierarchy, and that’s how we do,” he said.

Williams used a driving comparison. “Just like a GPS system, you shouldn’t take a left when you’re supposed to take a right,” he said. He said the departments are the manager’s job and he would stand ready to help.

Peay said he would take notes, relay the concern to the manager and then follow up with both the manager and the resident. “They came to me, they trusted me to handle it,” he said.

Miller said he would document the problem and look for a pattern. “I would see if this problem is elsewhere,” he said. He would then bring what he found to the county manager and follow up.

On being a good steward of tax money, the candidates said they would be careful with it. Peay said taxpayers “trade their life, hours of their life,” for their income and that stewardship means “finding waste, stopping waste.” Rountree said it means a balanced budget and a healthy general fund. Miller said, “Everyone’s money is very, very important,” and Williams said commissioners should lean on the departments to know where money would do the most good.

“It’s not my decision,” Williams said. “I can’t go on my thoughts for your money.”

Asked what drove him to run, Rountree said he loves Gates County and its people. “My top priority is continuous improvement,” he said. He listed small business, workforce education, public health and public safety, and said he would keep pursuing state and federal money for local programs.

Williams used his closing to say the work matters more than the title. “It’s not all about me or any of the other commissioners,” he said. “It’s about you also.”

Truman speaks

Truman, the board chair, spoke after the contested candidates finished. She said her interest in government started early. “I attended my first county commissioner meeting when I was 13,” she said.

She later stepped back to raise four children and worked as a county staff member. “Something brought me back in,” she said. “I started paying attention, started asking questions, started speaking up, started getting involved, and eventually decided to run for county commissioner.”

Truman said she has one regret from her first campaign: not speaking personally to her opponent before announcing. “It may seem like a small thing, but in a small county, it matters,” she said. “They’re not just names on a ballot. They’re neighbors.”

She said those neighbors are “the people that we know and work with and worship with,” the ones seen at the grocery store and at school events. “I learned early that how you run matters just as much as why you run,” Truman said.

Reflecting on her four years in office, Truman said the job has taught her a great deal. “I’ve learned more about water infrastructure, budget, state policy, and county government than I ever imagined I would,” she said. “And somehow I keep signing on to learn more.”

She said the board has changed how it plans. “For too long, some of the conversations about where Gates County will be 20, 30, or 50 years from now simply weren’t happening,” Truman said. “And today, they’re happening.”

She cited strategic planning, infrastructure, updated policies and what she called responsible, controlled growth, all aimed at “making decisions today with the next generation in mind.”

“I’m in District One with Gatesville, but I serve the entire county,” Truman said. She thanked voters for the last four years and for the chance to serve another four, adding, “I look forward to serving with whomever you all elect.”

Last Word Goes to Bagley

Bagley thanked the candidates, the county for the use of the courthouse, the IT staff who ran the live stream and the chamber members who helped put on the forum. A chamber volunteer gave each candidate a potted mum.

“It’s time for you guys to decide,” Bagley told the audience.