Robbinsville – All six primary candidates – and eight of the preliminary contenders for a spot on the board of commissioners – each attended Saturday’s Republican Primary Forum, which was held at the Graham County Courthouse.
Hosted by The Graham Star, the forum was divided into a pair of 90-minute segments. Questions were submitted by attendees as they entered the historic structure, with almost every proposition reaching the floor – save for a few that were cut, due to repetitiveness (already asked or covered by candidates during opening/closing statements, responses, etc.)
A pair of candidates were asked to answer one question each, in an attempt to offer differing viewpoints on topics. The two selected to answer a question were randomly selected by the moderator, Graham Star Publisher/Editor Kevin Hensley.
The forum can be viewed in its entirety on The Star’s YouTube channel. A portion of the video feed from the sheriff’s forum was lost due to a technical failure, but the audio is still intact; the commissioner forum is available in its entirety.
Candidates in attendance were:
* Commissioners: Thomas Blevins, Brian "Taco" Johnson, Chase Lancaster, Jacob Nelms (incumbent), David Shuler, Carolyn Stewart, Dale Wiggins and Natasha Williams (incumbent).
* Sheriff: Leon Allen, Cody George, Terry Grey, Joseph Jones, Mitch Millsaps and Caleb Stiles.
Commission candidate Dawson Williams did not attend, while commission candidate Josh Reap declined to participate. Reap will be on the primary ballot, but has asked for the public’s vote instead as a write-in during November’s general election as a candidate for the Graham County Board of Education.
* Editor's note: Due to space constraints, we will provide a detailed recap of each candidate's responses in our Feb. 19 edition. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for reading.
One-stop voting
For those eager to cast their ballot early, one-stop voting begins today.
Voters can stop by the Graham County Board of Elections Office (196 Knight St., Suite A, Robbinsville) weekdays, from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., to cast their ballots ahead of the March 3 primary. The polls will also be open for one Saturday session: Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Voting will not be open Monday, March 2.
Anyone wishing to run as an Unaffiliated candidate must have the minimum amount of required signatures from registered county voters by the primary.