Voters’ Guide 2022: Cumberland commissioners candidates on schools, city relationship, Chemours
Eight people are running for two at-large seats on the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners. Six Democrats will square off in a primary. They include incumbent Larry Lancaster and other candidates Marshall Faircloth, Veronica Jones, Jackie Paul-Ray, Ronald Pittman and Paul Taylor. Two Republicans also running — N.C. Rep. John Szoka and Ron Ross. But since just two Republicans are vying for two seats, they will not have a primary and will in the general election.
Below are the primary candidates who responded to a questionnaire.
Veronica B. Jones
Age: 55
Immediate family: daughter to Coley Jones Jr., retired Army CWO-5; mother Ruby Jones, retired civil service teacher Fort Bragg; sister, Anastasia Vann
Occupation: Retired from mental health field as executive director qualified mental health professional for ServicesSource Corporation working for their Warriors Bridges Program serving disabled veterans and military dependents. I am the owner of two businesses: CEO & president at Jones Global Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing education awareness in three pillar areas: mental health and wellbeing, education literacy, and restorative justice for victims of Crime; Jones Global Consulting Group, providing business consulting to small business and business services for start-up companies, also specializing in political campaign services for campaign strategies, communications and campaign management; serve as the appointed Cumberland County representative for the Mental Health Legislation Policy Advocate for the National Alliance for Mental Illness. I have 25-plus years experience as a lifelong public servant working in the professional health care field. I had a successful career working for Cumberland County Mental health as a counselor and mental health educator. During my career, I worked as a Case Management Supervisor behavioral counselor for Communicare Juvenile Assessment Center, and I also worked as an executive director for Cumberland County Family Counseling Services, and as an executive clinical research associate III for Henry M. Jackson Foundation at Womack Army Hospital.
Elected office held: First time running for office.
Are Cumberland County Schools adequately funded?
No. EducationNC report that there is a statewide decrease in average attendance in public schools from before the COVID-19 pandemic. And since the majority of the state's K-12 funding is based on student enrollment, attendance losses undercut school districts' ability to hire school staff and teachers. All schools are struggling to meet the needs of educators and students. It is the duty and responsibility of elected officials to assure that educators in Cumberland County be provided with the money they request. Building schools is important, and there's a need for more schools in Cumberland County, but that's not the only priority. Another priority is the fact that the schools in Cumberland County do not have sufficient resources to serve the academic, social and emotional needs of students. The Cumberland County school system is in great need of more social workers, and mental health education, in addition to the fact that Cumberland County Schools need the funding to improve schools. There's a great need to invest in more supportive school services for all children with disabilities. Cumberland County has a low rating for reading on grade level from grades K-third grade, children can no longer pass to the fourth grade without passing the state testing and reading requirements, it is important for funds to be invested for tutoring and reading literacy programs and to be able to continue partnerships with organizations such as NC Education Corps that have a contract here in Cumberland County to providing tutoring to the school system.
Can the county and the city of Fayetteville improve their relationship? What joint projects do you think might be useful to consider going forward?
I believe the county and city should work on the following projects together for the betterment of families: (1) Action solutions regarding affordable housing. We have an affordable housing crisis that is seriously impacting families across North Carolina in both rural and urban committees. Unfortunately, data shows there are approximately 10,000 families in Cumberland County that are spending more than 50% of their monthly paychecks on housing costs. (2) Providing mental health resources and more community health care facilities as well as substance treatment and prevention type services for both youth and adults. We should continue to invest in the future in health care facilities and services. (3) Decrease gun violence, workshops education awareness, and invest in more youth prevention and community programs. Establish a board with community residents that can work with city and county leaders to provide solutions and actions to help with issues such as gun violence, a rise in rapes and home invasions. The city and county should work together to invest more in positive youth programs, millennial programs and even more options for retired senior citizens. (4) The county and city need to work together regarding the new Performing Art Center. They need to have a professional study done to see if it's feasible and make sure to pick the right type, size and location, and ensure the building is handicap accessible.
The county has sued Chemours over PFAS contamination of wells in Cumberland County. What is your plan, beyond the suit, to help affected residents?
I believe in better outreach to communities. It's important for communities to take more action (especially in the Grays Creek area). Families are frustrated because research shows it's basically impossible for people to know the level of PFAS in their own blood because testing is expensive and largely inaccessible. We should be providing testing for families that are at high risk of PFAS contamination. (2) We should provide educational workshops and town halls (in person and via zoom) focused on strategies to reduce PFAS use because another approach to reducing exposure is to prevent the release of these chemicals in the first place. (3) I believe in ACTS ( action, accountability, community and transparency). I have already taken the initiative and am discussing my concerns with leaders in state and federal government because they can force the disclosure of details about PFAS production and use. I also plan to start a petition regarding this matter to have North Carolina policymakers seriously look at the states chemicals safety act, and also I have been doing a lot of research on chemicals safety acts in other states that have dealt with these same issues with PFAS exposure. I will continue to work with policymakers to find a solution and help families in our community exposed to PFAS. All families deserve clean drinking water, and deserve to live in an environment where their air is clean, and lakes, rivers and beaches are not contaminated.
Paul Taylor
Age: 63
Immediate family: Two boys
Occupation: Retired
Elected office held: None
Are Cumberland County Schools adequately funded?
Cumberland County schools do not have enough funding because they do not have enough money to manage the upkeep of the old buildings built back in the '70s and '80s. Further, these buildings need to be upgraded or torn down to accommodate the new technology and improve security. Further, teachers, staff, and bus drivers deserve a raise, and that would require more funding. Moreover, the higher diesel price will cost the schools more than their allocated $5 million budget for fuel.
Can the county and the city of Fayetteville improve their relationship? What joint projects do you think might be useful to consider going forward?
Yes, the city of Fayetteville and Cumberland County can improve their relationship. However, if the city of Fayetteville continues to discuss plans to annex more of Cumberland County, I do not see that relationship improving. Further, the city of Fayetteville still has not connected annexed neighborhoods to their sewer and water system after annexing them and making them pay for that change 16 years ago. Residents of Cumberland County are aware of this problem which might make some of them hesitant for the county to work in conjunction with the city on future projects.
The county has sued Chemours over PFAS contamination of wells in Cumberland County. What is your plan, beyond the suit, to help affected residents?
My plans are to help affected Cumberland County residents regarding the water contamination: One plan is the continuation of the Chemours Fayetteville Works plant supplying more affected homeowners with whole-house granular activated carbon systems to stop them from consuming contaminated water. While also looking into a possible reverse osmosis plant. Brunswick County is currently working on one. According to research at Duke and N.C. State University, reverse osmosis is the most effective way to remove most of the dangerous chemicals in the water.
Jackie Paul-Ray
Age: 70
Immediate family: Louis Ray
Occupation: Retired
Elected office held: Seeking County Commissioner At Large
Are Cumberland County Schools adequately funded?
No. Everyone is underpaid. It's hard to retain good people when their salaries are not up to standard
Can the county and the city of Fayetteville improve their relationship? What joint projects do you think might be useful to consider going forward?
Make sure it's not about power but about the voice of the citizens. More public forums
The county has sued Chemours over PFAS contamination of wells in Cumberland County. What is your plan, beyond the suit, to help affected residents?
Make sure that the monies are used to get and keep clean water for Cumberland County
Marshall Faircloth
Age: Not provided
Immediate family: Married, four grown children
Occupation: Business advisor, tax consultant, CPA
Elected office held: Board of County Commissioners and Board of Education
Are Cumberland County Schools adequately funded?
No! A study by the NC Association of County Commissioners shows that the NC Legislature has not kept up its commitment to public education since the beginning of the NC Lottery. The Lottery was not supposed to be used to supplant existing state funds. In fact, the NC Legislature began to fund private schools at the same level as public schools on a per-pupil basis. Cumberland County should continue to provide as much local funding as it can possibly afford.
Can the county and the city of Fayetteville improve their relationship? What joint projects do you think might be useful to consider going forward?
The city/county relationship appears to be improving, and both parties should work toward allowing this to continue. This may be partly due to the large influx of federal pandemic dollars that both have received lately. There are plenty of opportunities for city and county cooperation. These include but are not limited to, joint 911 and emergency operations, economic development, entertainment events and/or venues, public transportation, homeless services and affordable housing, water service in contaminated areas through the countywide authority of PWC, and law enforcement, especially criminal violence/gang activity.
The county has sued Chemours over PFAS contamination of wells in Cumberland County. What is your plan, beyond the suit, to help affected residents?
Public water is the only long-term solution to the contamination problem. The county had been successfully negotiating with Chemours for millions of dollars until it suddenly wasn't, and the suit began. Now that the suit is ongoing, any settlement that is received could be years away. Meantime, the county should undertake the project immediately using any funds that are available or that can be made available, including bonds, grants and current budget.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Voters’ Guide 2022: Cumberland County commissioners candidates
