Candidates Forum draws 25% of candidates on ballot

Aside from a few cameras and the candidates speaking, Sept. 24’s 2026 Candidates Forum left the Leviton Auditorium at Western Piedmont Community College relatively empty.

Two quorums of Burke County officials filled some of the seats — the commissioners, sans Chairman Jeff Brittain, and the Board of Education, sans Jamey Wycoff. The remainder of the audience consisted of various elected officials, some running and some not, and their families or employees.

Moderator Myron Stephens, the chair of event host Burke County Chamber of Commerce, explained that candidates would give opening statements, answer three questions, and give closing statements, should they be running against someone else.

If they were the only one in their race, or the only one present, they only gave a 2-minute statement.

“Every candidate on the Burke County Ballot was invited,” said Stephens. Only 13 of the 52 names on the ballot were present and spoke.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Incumbent U.S. Congressman Tim Moore shook hands with opponent Lakesha Womack before sitting down. Both candidates are running for the U.S. House of Representatives District 14 seat.

Throughout his statements and answers, Moore reiterated work that he has already done through his time in Congress, reflecting on the remaining needs for road construction and legislation that’s in process to allow more flexibility in home purchases using 401ks and 529 investment accounts.

“We need to build on what was done with the Working Families Tax Cut,” Moore said in his closing statement after stressing a focus on reducing gas prices. “I can’t tell you — I wish I had more time. I wish you knew, companies that are right here in Burke County, employing folks around this county and this region, who have been able to create new jobs, invest in new equipment, and create new opportunities as the result of the passage of that.”

Womack focused on housing availability and making sure students are educated well enough for the workforce, emphasizing the importance of intertwining strong economies and strong communities.

“I do agree with Congressman Moore that I think having a great tax policy is helpful for business, but I also go back to education. … I think that when we’re looking at employers coming into communities, they’re always looking to see, do you have a workforce that they can employ? It doesn’t matter what your tax policies are if you don’t have workers that they can hire.”

COMMISSIONERS

Two county commissioner seats are up in this election, and the two incumbents, Vice Chairman Phil Smith and Randy Burns, shared the table to speak, acting almost as a team to answer questions and establish priorities within the county.

Overall, the two pointed to their previous work as commissioners to indicate their continued commitment and their future checklists, should they get elected.

They both echoed their top three priorities: public safety, public education, and health and human services.

“We do want to become an employer of choice because we’re a service industry — we provide a service to the citizens of this county,” said Burns, explaining that the commissioners have lowered tax rates twice since he joined the board and taken the county’s turnover rate from 33% to 10%. “We’re in the best place right now that we’ve probably been in generations.”

They both highlighted improved education budgets during their tenures and changes in operations such as solid waste management and how county residents are charged for water. Burns said the current commissioners have saved $7.5 million for the county in the last four years in operational changes alone.

“You have a Board of Commissioners that is very committed to taking care of your tax dollars,” Smith said, answering how he would balance providing the services the community needs while keeping the county’s tax burden competitive. “We know — because we pay them, too — we know that dollar doesn’t come easily to your pocket. … We’re working on that daily, to make sure that the citizens of this county get a dollar’s worth of services for a dollar’s worth of taxes.”

The only other competitor in the commissioner seat race, Pam Genant, did not attend the forum. She said later that her “time is limited” and she chooses to allocate it where it makes the most impact.

“I spend my time knocking on doors and talking to residents face to face,” Genant said. “It’s about listening to voters. Sometimes I think candidates (and elected officials) spend too much time talking at voters and not enough time listening.”

BOARD OF EDUCATION

The only contested race for the Board of Education was for the central seat, with Mark Smith opposing incumbent Chair Tiana Beachler.

Questions revolved around preparing students for life after high school, teacher retention, and making Burke County Public Schools (BCPS) effective today and attractive to families and businesses in the future.

Smith focused on a three-pronged approach: supporting all students to have means to make a livelihood after school, securing more teachers as a competitive employer, and ensuring parents are involved and their opinions matter.

“What’s really important and what’s really good in Burke County is that they have opportunities for the Career Technical Education,” Smith said, answering what BCPS should do to ensure students have a clear pathway following graduation. “Not everybody is college-bound, and there’s so many vocational careers that can be pursued, and that is a good arena for training.”

Beachler highlighted her time already spent on the school board, emphasizing the need to talk to kids and create a space where teachers and students enjoy being in the schools.

“We can’t control, at the local board, what a teacher is paid,” Beachler said, explaining her view on making BCPS a desirable workplace, “but what we can control is the culture, what we do offer them that isn’t monetary. I think we’re excelling with that, with our balanced instruction, allowing teachers to get back to what they do best, which is teaching.”

Incumbent school board members Leslie Taylor and Aaron Johnson are each the only candidate on the ballot for their respective eastern and western districts. They gave statements on the work they’d performed already on the board, and where they’d like to see it go in the future.