On education, county candidates take off the gloves
With just over six weeks until Election Day, candidates for Buncombe County commissioners have polished their primary talking points, so the policy issues where they stumble, spar and shine are more telling than ever.
At a Citizen-Times forum Thursday, candidates sparred over who truly supported raises for teachers, unpacked their thoughts on economic incentives and revealed who can speak knowledgeably on the county's upcoming property revaluation and what it means for taxpayers.
For more information about each candidate, click here. For a recap of the debate, continue reading.
Education conflagration
Since the primary, each candidate has portrayed himself or herself as an ardent supporter of education, but Thursday, candidates attempted to set the record straight about incumbents' voting records.
District 3 (west Buncombe) Democratic challenger Ed Hay has criticized incumbent Republican Joe Belcher's voting record on education throughout the campaign season. At the forum, his proddings resulted in a lengthy discussion of the matter.
"I think the commission has done a tremendous job in the funding of schools, being committed to teacher supplements, being committed to the smallest of incomes," Belcher said. "I for one will enthusiastically do that, but in a practical way."
Hay responded that Belcher's votes on budgets have not supported schools.
"The county commission needs to take responsibility for making our schools as strong as we can," he said.
Belcher voted against the most recent budget for fiscal year 2017, which provided raises for teachers and their assistants. He voted for the fiscal year 2016 budget and against the fiscal year 2015 budget.
The 2017 budget contained raises for teachers and their assistants. Belcher said in June he voted against the budget because he wanted it to contain a tax cut, even though he supported teacher raises on principle.
Democrat Brownie Newman, a current commissioner from District 1 (central Buncombe) who is running for chair, continued to excoriate Belcher's record.
"The majority on the county commission voted to dedicate (extra funding for a) long overdue pay raise," he said. "All the Republican members voted against it, and those are the facts that you can look up.”
Commissioner Mike Fryar, a Republican from District 2 (east Buncombe), also jumped into the fray, saying the recent budget included more than raises for teachers. He opposed funding for the Asheville Museum of Science and greenways, he said.
Chuck Archerd, the Republican candidate for chair, said education should be funded carefully.
"The way we evaluate how the school is doing is not how much money we put toward it but what is the outcome," he said. "While everybody will say I’m for schools, we need to be careful with the funding to make sure that it’s good. To make sure that it’s money well spent."
He advocated for using standardized test results to track schools' success. That message fits with Archerd's depiction of himself: as a fastidious fiscal conservative with a background in accounting and business.
"You go in with what we refer to as professional skepticism," he said. "You look at the numbers, and you start asking questions."
David King, a Democrat running in District 3 against Republican Robert Pressley, said test scores are not a reliable measure of educational outcomes. He called on voters to cast ballots for state legislators who will fund education.
"Many things teachers do in the classroom are not borne out until many years later," he said. "Teachers are dealing with huge numbers of homeless children, they’re dealing with problems at home. We’re asking teachers to do an almost Herculean task."
Nancy Nehls Nelson, a Democrat running against Fryar in District 3, also said the state legislature was to blame for many difficulties in the education system.
"A lot of this has to do with the state’s idea of privatizing education in this state," she said. "I do not believe in vouchers."
Economic incentives
This week, it's particularly easy for Buncombe County residents to feel misty eyed over economic incentives. Avadim Technologies announced one of the biggest expansions in the county's history Wednesday. The maker of medical, athletic and consumer skincare products has promised 551 new jobs, backed up by $4.9 million in grants from the state government and about $881,960 from Buncombe County.
But chair candidate Archerd wasn't feeling sentimental.
“Philosophically, I’m against economic incentives," he said, explaining he doesn't think taxpayers should be involved in that realm.
But because other counties offer incentives, Buncombe should too, he said. That means county officials are charged with analyzing the impacts of the incentives, particularly on small local businesses.
“It’s not right for a small business to be sitting there having their competition get subsidized to move in and compete against them," he said. "We have to do (incentives) in a very smart way and very carefully.”
His opponent, Newman, took that support for small businesses one step further, saying the county should offer incentives for small and medium businesses. The current incentives program is geared toward big players, he said.
He also said the county should be more selective about who gets incentives since the Asheville area has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state. The incentives could be a tool to raise wages, which are low here, he said.
"I think we need to raise the bar higher. Living wages should be seen as a floor," he said. "We should be focusing our partnership agreements with companies that pay significantly higher than the average wage in the county."
Belcher and Nelson said the county should promote technical training so companies can grow their workforces.
Hay said the commissioners should work to attract the companies of the future, suggesting consultations with someone who can identify the most promising fields.
"We need to be very careful and very purposeful about seeking out the new generation of jobs," he said.
Property revaluations
Beginning in January, property owners will receive new county appraisal values, which will determine how much they pay in property taxes. For most residents, taxes are likely to change. In high growth areas like Asheville, property taxes will likely rise, barring a tax rate decrease. In more rural areas of the county, property taxes might not change significantly, but what happens depends on localized markets.
Commissioner candidates revealed varying degrees of knowledge about the revaluations and what they will mean for taxpayers. King gave a measured response, whereas Pressley said he didn't know much about the process. Fryar cited some inaccuracies about the inevitability of rising taxes.
Archerd, Newman and Nelson seemed comfortable discussing the intricacies of the revaluations and what they could mean for taxpayers.
Archerd advocated for revenue neutral, saying the county shouldn't make money off the revaluation. If overall property tax revenues rise, the county should cut the tax rate, he said.
Newman said commissioners should separate their oversight of the reappraisal process from their decision about tax rate changes.
Nelson provided the most distinct consideration of the revaluation. She said officials should plan for future increases in property values and consider how they will affect the finances of people in the outlying areas of the county.
"What are we going to see in the next 10 and 20 years as we start growing out from Asheville because Asheville can’t handle the number of people who are coming here to live?" she said.
New identities
Some candidates seem to recognize their brand from the beginning. Archerd has played up his finance and business experience from the time he entered the race (while maintaining his positions shouldn't be oversimplified). Newman, as the vice president of a solar company, distinguishes himself for his understanding of environmental issues, and because he is an incumbent, he has the advantage of running as himself.
Other candidates have been slower to settle on a brand, but during the forum, a couple of new identities emerged.
Nelson used her opening and closing remarks to position herself as a proud politician, although she has never held elected office before. She told the story of her family's first TV set and said she was inspired by the values she observed in politics in 1953.
“You looked for a politician who could work across the aisle. Who could negotiate. Who could work for consensus," she said. “I am a politician because I want to be a leader in Buncombe County."
King cast himself as the commissioner of the future, discussing the needs of young people and future generations. He said the county should consider millennials' interest in bike lanes and public transportation.
“We need to address those things, because they are coming," he said. "What I would like to see as I finish up my term is that it’s a hand off to the next generation and in better shape than it is now."
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara, who is running unopposed in District 1, spoke for a few minutes at the beginning of the event and outlined her priorities.
She said 25 percent of Buncombe County children live in poverty, so she will act “with a special eye toward the kids in our county and those who are struggling."
She pledged to practice a "politics of empathy," drawing on her background as a minister with the United Church of Christ.