Burke County Board of Education member Leslie Taylor chats with other candidates before the forum begins. Taylor is the sole candidate running for the Eastern District seat on the Board of Education.
Burke County Commissioner Phil Smith gives his 2-minute opening statement alongside Randy Burns, who is also on the ballot for the Burke County Board of Commissioners.
Burke County Board of Education member Leslie Taylor chats with other candidates before the forum begins. Taylor is the sole candidate running for the Eastern District seat on the Board of Education.
Candidates for offices ranging from congress to mayor attended the Burke County Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Candidates’ Forum in WPCC’s Leviton Auditorium on the evening of Sept. 24.
The event was livestreamed on the Burke County Chamber of Commerce YouTube channel and later aired on CoMPAS Cable.
Topics ranged from attracting businesses to strengthening education to balancing taxes against other priorities.
Chamber of Commerce Chair-Elect Myron Stephens served as the event’s moderator. Stephens said, “Every candidate on the Burke County ballot was invited.” Only 13 candidates participated as speakers.
Burke County Commissioner Phil Smith gives his 2-minute opening statement alongside Randy Burns, who is also on the ballot for the Burke County Board of Commissioners.
JACOB CHRISTOPHER / THE PAPER
Statements and questions began at the U.S. Senate level before working down the ballot to one of Hildebran’s candidates for mayor.
The event will run on CoMPAS Cable several more times until election day, according to Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tonia Stephenson. It can also be found at youtube.com/watch?v=htbg9rpJAeM anytime.
Editor’s Note: More coverage of the candidate forum will be included in the Oct. 3 edition of The Paper. Candidate profiles can be read online at thepaper.media beginning Oct. 10. Read more about voter registration deadlines and early voting dates and locations at the top of this page.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.