Gaston County Commissioner candidates attend forum ahead of primaries

The Gaston Business Association recently held a primary candidate forum at Gaston Christian School, where they hosted candidates running for the opportunity to represent Gaston County in the United States House of Representatives, the North Carolina House of Representatives and Gaston County Board of Commissioners.

Each candidate participating in the forum was allotted two minutes for introductions, one minute to answer each of the questions, which were provided by Gaston Business Association Investors and CaroMont Health, and one minute to give a closing statement.

While voters can watch the full forum on the Gaston Business Association’s YouTube channel, here is a summary of the portion of the event featuring candidates running for seats on Gaston County Board of Commissioners.

The Gaston County locals running for commissioner include Blair Hall, Bob Hovis, Howard J. Colmar Jr., James (Jim) Bailey, Marc Seelinger, Ronnie Worley, Scott Shehan, Allen R. Fraley, Sharlene Mullings and Todd Kinlaw.

Fraley and Mullings did not speak at the event since it was focused on primary candidates.

Here are some questions and answers from the candidates at the forum.

Q: How do you plan to promote and support economic development in Gaston County, particularly in terms of attracting new businesses and industries?

Kinlaw said he would make sure we have a ready workforce and continue to do so by supporting higher education.

Worley said he would continue the practices that the board has implemented in the last few years.

“In the last five years we have recruited more than 10 million square feet of office, industrial, manufacturing space to Gaston County, that’s more than $1 billion, and I said billion, in investment right here in our county,” Worley said.

Hall said he would look at how other counties are attracting businesses.

Many of the surrounding counties have county-wide water and sewer, which is one of the things attracting businesses to those areas, he said.

“Having an educated workforce and providing services for businesses, that’s how you attract them,” he added.

Sheehan said, “Simple answer, it’s going to require a collaborative of education, training and infrastructure.”

He added that current infrastructure systems are failing, and there needs to be immediate focus on those areas to attract businesses.

Colmar said he would work to set land aside in the direction of Belmont, the side of the county closest to the Charlotte-Douglas Airport, for businesses and industries coming to Gaston County.

He added that Gaston County’s workforce needs to be built up.

“Plumbers, machinists, we don’t have those kind of people. We have to do something, some kind of trade program, something in this county,” Colmar said,

Bailey said infrastructure improvements would help bring in business.

“We need everybody to sit down together. The county, municipalities, small business owners and people like us, sit around a table and discuss what we need, what we want for this county,” he said.

Seelinger said redevelopment near the Charlotte Douglas International Airport could be beneficial economically.

He added that small business support could help the downtown areas of Gaston County thrive.

Hovis said Gaston County’s economic development director, Donnie Hicks, and staff have done an excellent job so far.

“We’re doing things right. We just need to keep it up. We’ve already surpassed the textile recession and now we’re not having the property tax of residents bearing the brunt of the county’s budget,” he said.

Q: “What is your strategy for addressing and improving the county’s infrastructure needs to accommodate the growing needs of the community, and how do you balance that with the rights of property owners?

Hovis said, “Gaston County does not build roads. Gaston County does not treat sewer. We do not supply water, but Gaston County does work with our municipalities to extend their water and sewer opportunities into areas within the county when it so fits the news of the community.”

Seelinger said the key to the issue would be partnerships with the state and developers coming to the area.

He added that in Belmont, partnerships with the state and developers have helped bring in millions of dollars worth of improvements to the city’s infrastructure.

Bailey said there has been overgrowth in some areas of the county, and his approach would be slowing the growth in some areas to let others catch up.

“If we want certain things in the county, let some of the people from the county speak up,” Bailey said. “The partnerships should be with the citizens of Gaston County, and with the business owners, and with the municipalities, and with the county.”

Colmar said, “I agree. We have to partner with other municipalities. It’s too late for the county to start doing sewer and water.”

He added that slowing the growth down is the best option, but that the county can’t control what the city of Gastonia chooses to do.

“Your hands are kind of tied as a county commissioner. Your hands would be tied with that,” Colmar said. “Only thing you could do is put an impact fee out there.”

Sheehan said, “Number one it takes collaborative communication between the municipalities and the county... Number two, there has to be accountability, I think far too often broken promises are made.”

Hall said property rights have to come first, and that he would achieve that balance by having developers and the economic development team sit down and create a five-year growth plan.

“You have to put infrastructure in first before you start putting in buildings,” Blair said.

Worley said building schools is what the county should continue to do in order to help infrastructure.

Kinlaw said paying attention to the community’s needs and the changes in those needs will guide infrastructure.

“By anticipating and planning for change, we’ll maximize the benefits needed for those concerns,” Kinlaw said. “The county must partner with the DOT and municipalities in order to implement those changes."

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County Commissioner candidates attend forum ahead of primaries