Primary vote carries finality for county commissioners

Feb. 26--The race's immediacy is not lost on any of the six Republicans, who have spent months sharing their thoughts and plans for the county's future with anyone who will listen. No Democrats filed for commissioner.

With three seats up for grabs and only two incumbents in the March 15 primary, at least one seat on the board is set to change hands. The race's four challengers and two incumbents share a conservative approach to the county's future but hold out individual priorities for growth and improvement in the coming years.

Zak Crotts, a 33-year-old Central Davidson graduate, hopes to improve the county's environment for existing and incoming businesses, creating more jobs and opportunities for citizens. Crotts, the treasurer of the Davidson County Republican Party, previously served in the North Carolina National Guard and works as the CEO of Spartan Insurance Group.

If elected, Crotts said the county's education system will be a priority, adding that the long-term retention of the county's children will be key in creating and sustaining successful businesses.

"With the loss of the furniture and textile industries, Davidson County has been floating in limbo for too long," Crotts said. "We need to elect strong leadership with the ability to create a vision to redefine ourselves, set goals and follow through instead of being in a perpetual state of planning. If we want our children to remain in this county long term, we need to better educate them and foster an environment for businesses to locate, relocate and expand their current operations here."

To promote future growth in business, tourism and amenities, Crotts said it may be time for Davidson County to take a look at its long-standing 54-cent tax rate.

"While it is convenient to brag about a .54 tax rate, we continue to get overlooked and remain stagnant in our growth," he said. "At some point in time we must decide what our priorities are and commit. Just having a low tax rate isn't providing jobs, it's providing families (a low tax base) who are working outside of Davidson County and placing a burden on our school system."

David Speight, an IT contractor now working as a security analyst, said a fiscally conservative approach to taxes and spending is important for the county and its citizens. Speight, 58, cited the 2008 economic downtown as a lasting burden on the spending power of many residents and said a tax increase would put "undue hardship" on many.

Like Crotts, Speight hopes to focus on the county's education system, if elected. Speaking on his plans, Speight said the county should be "preparing our students for the workplace by increasing the amount of vocational education and technical courses.

"Accomplish this by using inexpensive computers like the Raspberry Pi," he said. "And expanding on this by using controllers like the Arduino to control various devices including robotics, as well as classes in 3-D printing."

In terms of the county's future in business and growth, Speight said it will be important to identify projects that are likely to generate a high return.

"We need to concentrate on things that have a high probability of paying the county back in a relatively short time," he said, "such as having the county help new and existing businesses navigate their way through the red tape and regulations holding them back."

To help boost the county's tourism appeal, Speight said the focus should be on the many county resources already in place and "also by concentrating on natural beauty of our rural environment, neither of which would have a high cost to the county."

Karen Watford, a 60-year-old retired educator, said addressing and completing the county's projects in a timely and budget-friendly manner will be important in keeping the county moving forward. Watford, the wife of state Rep. Sam Watford, R-Davidson, cited the ongoing 911 radio system upgrades, development of the Linwood industrial park and completion of Oak Grove High School as the most pressing issues facing the county.

Watford also said county officials must address the issue of littering and unsightly structures in the county.

"We want Davidson County to be an appealing place to live and grow new businesses," she said. "The uninhabited (and) dilapidated structures countywide and the amount of personal garbage on our roadways and highways are of concern to me. The hazardous, unsightly structures are a health and safety issue that needs addressing. Perhaps we should also make an effort to more strictly enforce our anti-littering statutes."

Watford acknowledged the importance of growth in services and amenities in the county but said the improvements should not come at the expense of citizens.

"Extreme caution should be used when government considers using public money as an incentive for tourism or anything that does not increase property tax base and provide jobs," she said. "I am proud that our county is and has been an efficiently operated county; therefore we should continue our conservative approach to the management of our county's finances."

Incumbent Fred McClure enters the race seeking his sixth non-consecutive term on the board, hoping to see through many of the projects he has spearheaded. Speaking on the county's growth during December's filing period, McClure, 74, said he is proud of the financial standing commissioners have maintained.

If reelected, McClure said he hopes to oversee Oak Grove High School's on-time completion and to address the need for quality jobs through the industrial park. McClure also pointed to mental health awareness and the county's senior citizen population as priorities in his campaign.

"Mental health and substance abuse is a statewide problem, and Davidson County is no exception," McClure said. "We need to work to increase access to service and to reduce the number of mental health cases in our jail. Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of our population and emphasis must be placed on taking care of those folks that have made Davidson County what it is today."

In his plans for growth in the county, McClure said the organizations are in place to help boost tourism and amenities. The role of commissioners, he said, is to help implement the plans and goals of those organizations.

"We have several organizations that concentrate on tourism," he said. "I would continue to support their efforts. We contribute to the chambers (of commerce), and they direct their efforts to bring in businesses. Lexington and Thomasville tourism, Uptown Lexington and PACE in Thomasville work on tourism."

Fellow incumbent Steve Jarvis echoed McClure's pride in the county's ability to complete many projects in recent years including the construction of seven schools and the new sheriff's office. Jarvis, 47, is seeking his second term on the board where he serves as chairman. A general contractor, Jarvis said he hopes to see job creation through the industrial park while maintaining the senior citizen population as a priority in the community.

"I feel providing an atmosphere for business development by completing the industrial park for job creation" is important, Jarvis said, "(and) for our citizens to be able to have high-paying jobs while living in and enjoying the quality of life our county offers and making sure balanced services are offered to all geographical sections of the county."

Jarvis said it's important to continue improving the county's appeal, calling the growth in tourism development a two-pronged effort.

"First, the county can enhance existing county facilities and secondly spearhead the process of expanding activities while balancing the government involvement with that of the private sector," he said, "such as the growth in motels and food vendors to coincide with the balance of growth in the budget and demand for increased services that a growing population requires."

Jack Beck, a 37-year-old Lexington resident, could not be reached for comment.

Early voting for next month's primary begins Thursday. No runoffs will be held during 2016 elections.

Mat Batts can be reached at (336) 249-3981, ext. 227, or at [email protected]. Follow Mat on Twitter: @LexDispatchMB

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