Property taxes an issue in several counties' races

Wed., May 7, 2008
By Marcie Young and Hannah Mitchell
Charlotte Observer Staff Writers

Caldwell County
A 22.2 percent hike in property taxes cost two Caldwell County commissioners their seats Tuesday during the GOP primary.

Incumbents John Thuss and Faye Higgins were defeated by challengers Clay Bollinger, Ben Griffin and Rob Bratcher. Three other Republican challengers - Bill Oxford, Arnold Wilson and Steven Fekete - did not secure enough votes in unofficial returns to win the party's nomination.

Bollinger received 4,251 votes, Griffin 3,648 and Bratcher received 3,442 votes, followed by Oxford with 2,015, Thuss with 1,497, Higgins with 1,452; Wilson with 1,297 and Fekete with 649.
The winners of the Republican primary will go on to face Barbara Weiller, Randy Church and L.C. Coonse, the top vote-getting Democrats for one of three open seats. Those candidates defeated Jerry Cecil Coffey and Timothy Shore for their party's nomination.

Weiller received 5,133 votes, Church 5,013 and Coonse 4,499.

Challengers also said current commissioners have made bad decisions, citing new county building construction, giving large companies tax breaks and the budget-planning process.

Alexander County
Alexander County chose Democratic and Republican commissioner nominees in Tuesday's primaries to advance to the November election.

Glenn Deal Jr. and Danny Price won the Democratic primary, defeating Lisa Rudisill Bradley, Scott Mitchell and Cody Teague. Deal received 2,612 votes, Price 2,173, Mitchell 1,119 , Bradley 964 and Teague 719.

In the Republican primary, newcomer Ryan Mayberry and incumbent Larry Yoder defeated incumbent William Hammer and newcomer Eric Bumgarner. Mayberry received 1,415 votes and Yoder got 1,353 votes, followed by Hammer with 1,239 votes and Bumgarner with 1,017 votes.

Candidates from both parties criticized the incumbents, saying the property tax rate is too high and spending on some projects unnecessary.

Burke County
Two Republican incumbents in Burke County and a retired law enforcement officer and farmer secured the party's nomination for the county board of commissioners in the general election in November.

With all but one precinct reporting, incumbents Maynard Taylor and Jack Carroll and retired Burke County deputy Gene Huffman defeated challenger Johnnie Carswell.

In the Democratic primary, Bruce Hawkins Sr., Steven Smith and Angela Deal defeated Leonard Ray and J. Pascal.

Deal withdrew from the race last week, but election officials said they could not remove her name because the ballot had already been printed. It was not clear Tuesday night who would be the party's third pick for the general election.

Candidates are vying for one of three open seats. Challengers from both parties have said recruiting industry and finding ways to replenish jobs in an area once controlled by furniture and hosiery factories are paramount.

Catawba County
Incumbents Barbara Beatty and Dan Hunsucker easily defeated challengers in Tuesday's GOP Catawba County commissioner primary.

Beatty and Hunsucker defeated challengers Jack Beach and Phillip Parlier to advance to the November general election, when they face Democrat George McClellan.

The challengers criticized the incumbents for raising the property tax rate last year. The increase came in a property tax revaluation year, creating a double-whammy effect. But the incumbents said they would keep the tax rate stable since voters approved a quarter-cent increase in the sales tax to help pay for services.

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