Allran and Barnes spar at candidate forum
BY Sarah Newell
conover
Issues candidates are most concerned about this election are taxes and bringing more money from Raleigh to Catawba County.
The Catawba County Chamber of Commerce and the Catawba County League of Women Voters hosted the primary candidates’ forum Tuesday. The candidates for the board of commissioners and the state senate attended the forum.
The two candidates running for senate - incumbent Austin Allran and current county commissioner chair Kitty Barnes - exchanged heated words over the way the state legislature has operated the past few years. Allran said the state needs a real “two-party system,” led by a Republican majority and a Republican governor, not the Democratic-controlled house, senate and governor’s office now in Raleigh.
Barnes said if elected, she wouldn’t make excuses for being in the minority party, but work with Democrats in office. She said she has already proven she can build consensus on matters such as mental health, Medicaid and the Catawba River Basin.
Allran claimed to be the only true conservative running in this year’s race, and vows to do something about the high rate of taxes and dropouts.
“I’m really frustrated with Raleigh politicians, bad roads and illegal immigration,” Barnes said. “Our area’s been totally overlooked by the legislation in Raleigh, and I think we could be better served.”
She pointed to bipartisan action that helped get the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center here, and hoped something similar could be done to improve county roads.
Allran said he has fought for Catawba County, and has the proof to back it up.
“We’re the only county in the state with two institutions being funded (by the state) - the engineering center and the Higher Education Center,” he said. “I’m not interested in us sending money to Raleigh and trying to get it back again. I want to cut the taxes and keep it here. We need to make this place attractive for investment.”
Meanwhile, board of commissioners candidates Barbara Beatty, Dan Hunsucker, Jack Beach and Phillip Parlier had a more friendly discussion on the issues.
Beatty, an incumbent, said she has served on numerous committees and boards, including the Catawba Valley Medical Center and the Visitor’s Bureau. She said the county’s seen both the best and worst of times, economically, and wanted to focus her next term on bolstering the economy.
Beach, a veteran of the Army who served in the Gulf War, said he has the leadership skills the county needs.
“I have the leadership to lead Catawba County into the future,” he said. “I led men into combat in the Gulf War.”
Beach said lottery money should be divided among the counties according to the number of students each county has, as opposed to the average daily membership. Catawba County is receiving less money than other counties its size because it has a lower tax rate.
Hunsucker, the other incumbent in the race, said he has been excited about politics since he came back to the county from college and got involved with the farm bureau. Like Beatty, he also has served on several boards, including the Dairy Youth Foundation, Mental Health board and Catawba Valley Medical Center. He said the board of commissioners has proven that they look at the county’s overall financial situation, and have cut the budget when it was needed.
“In 2002 or 2003, we did cut our budget when people were hurting so much. Recently, we let our citizens vote for the sales tax, which is more equitable, and it passed three to one, so we didn’t have to raise property tax,” Hunsucker said.
The final candidate, Parlier, said if elected, he will focus on three things.
“I’ll work on lower taxes, because a lot of people have trouble paying them. Another problem is illegals. No one is doing anything about them,” he said. “And also, term limits. People need to get in and get out. There’s too much favoritism going on.”
The Catawba County primary is May 6.
