By Karissa Minn
kminn@salisburypost.com
SALISBURY — The two candidates in the Democratic race for Rowan County commissioner made their case before party members Thursday evening.
Corey Hill and Ralph Walton spoke about their priorities and goals at the county-wide precinct meeting of the Rowan County Democratic Party.
Hill said it’s important for the county to adequately fund services that its taxpayers expect. Those include the Rowan County Rescue Squad and getting an EMS station in the western part of the county.
“We have a certain amount of responsibility to each one of our citizens that pays taxes,” he said. “We need to start standing up and looking for that responsibility.”
Hill, a union president at Daimler Trucks North America, said he’s also focused on the economy and bringing jobs to Rowan County.
“If we bring industries here, they start paying into the tax base, to make sure that these services we have are funded to their full potential,” he said. “That improves the everyday life of every citizen in this room. That’s what we have to start focusing on, not pet projects that somebody wants to do.”
Walton said to bring jobs and businesses here, the county commissioners’ attitudes need to change.
“The main reason I signed up to do this is that we have a county commission that is combative,” he said. “They do not want to accept anybody that comes in without arguing and carrying on.”
The retired teacher and principal said companies don’t want to deal with a county where officials berate or needlessly question them.
“We have a major highway, we have major rail, we have everything that we need in this county — except we have bad attitudes,” Walton said. “You just cannot go out and be against everything, and that’s what we are in this county. If we don’t soon stop, we’re going to be in some serious trouble.”
Leda Belk, a retired educator and law enforcement officer who already has secured a spot on the November ballot, also came to speak to the Democrats.
The former commissioner said she thought she’d never run again, but “the more I sat at home, the more I see us taking backward steps.”
“I do want to represent Rowan County again,” Belk said. “Let’s bring this county back to where it needs to be — where it must be.”
Also speaking Thursday were Bill Battermann, who’s challenging incumbent Harry Warren for his N.C. House District 77 seat, and Gene McLaurin, who’s running against Republican Gene McIntyre for N.C. Senate District 25. Neither are participating in the primary runoff.
All of the candidates urged voters to cast ballots in the runoff. They said turnout has been low so far during early voting, which ends Saturday, and they don’t want it to stay low for the Tuesday election.
“I don’t know about Corey, but I don’t want to be elected by a couple of people,” Walton said.
Hill encouraged people to “come out and vote, and let’s try to move this county forward.”
Contact reporter Karissa Minn at 704-797-4222.
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