Interactive graphic: Orange County primary voter guide for 2016

U.S. Senate

Statewide elections

Voter Guide 2016

Orange County Primary

Orange County elections

Compiled by The Daily Tar Heel staff

Graphic by Kelsey Weekman

U.S. House of Representatives

Republicans

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Democrats

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Richard Burr

Paul Wright

Greg Bannon

Ernest T. Reeves

Deborah K. Ross

Chris Rey

Kevin D. Griffin

Taxes/spending: He believes the Internal Revenue Service is corrupt and wants to reduce the size of its bureaucracy. He has vowed to always vote to decrease taxes and government spending.Foreign policy: He believes that the military has been weakened during President Obama’s tenure and needs to be restored. He does not support accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S. and believes in strengthening the borders and deporting everyone in the country illegally.Education: He believes there is an alliance between teacher’s unions and Democrats that is politically indoctrinating students. He supports school choice, vouchers and charter school.Healthcare: He strongly advocates for defunding Obamacare and implementing free-market healthcare alternatives.Jobs and the economy: He wants to help North Carolina small businesses by giving them tax cuts and limiting regulations.Environment/Energy: He believes in developing coal, oil and natural gas in the U.S. to become energy independent and create jobs. He also believes the nation is currently shackled by the Environmental Protection Agency.Social policy: He believes Planned Parenthood is unethical and should be defunded. He is also anti-abortion rights.

Taxes/spending: He supports a low flat tax rate.Foreign policy: He believes that the Senate should enforce already existing immigration laws.Education: The DTH could not find information on Wright’s views on education.Healthcare: He supports efforts to defund Obamacare.Jobs and the economy: He believes in ending the outsourcing of manufacturing jobs overseas, and does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership Act.Environment/Energy: The DTH could not find information on Wright’s views on the environment.Social policy: He rejects the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage and suggests Congress pass a law stating the federal courts will not hear any appeals cases for same-sex marriage. He believes abortion is contrary to the Christian religion and that Congress should make it illegal, and also believes in defunding Planned Parenthood.

He is the incumbent.Taxes/spending: He wants to simplify the tax code, and supports regulating the IRS. He has opposed many policies in Congress that increase federal spending. Foreign policy (immigration included): He has a tough stance on terrorism and opposed the Iranian nuclear deal. He has voted to end federal funding of so-called “sanctuary cities,” or cities that don’t enforce federal immigration laws. Education: He has a history of supporting federal funding for public schools, and voted yes on on No Child Left Behind. He wants to make college affordable, and co-authored the bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act. However, he believes education policy is best left to local representatives, who are more able to fill education needs. Healthcare: He does not support Obamacare and supports a free market approach to health insurance. Jobs and the economy: He does not support federal spending in order to promote economic growth. He opposes tax increases and supports low tax rates for small businesses. (MB: couldn’t find this info in the CQ provided) Environment/Energy: He opposes federal legislation regulating climate change that would create a net increase in government revenue. He supports developing U.S. energy independence, and voted in favor of the Keystone Pipeline XL. Social policy: Believes that the definition of marriage should be determined on a state level. He cosponsored a bill introduced in the Senate to defund Planned Parenthood.

Taxes/spending: He believes in a simpler tax code, a low flat rate tax and the elimination of the IRS. He supports eliminating some federal programs to reduce government spending.Foreign policy: He supports strengthening the military and holds a tough stance on terrorism, but believes force should only be used when authorized by Congress. He supports strengthening U.S. borders to prevent illegal immigration. Education: He aims to reduce federal funding for schools — returning it to the states — in order to give the states more control, and wants to repeal No Child Left Behind. He supports expanding charter schools. Healthcare: He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and advocates for private health insurance. He believes that those who have paid into Social Security and Medicare should receive the benefits, but in the long-term it should be replaced with private, free market investment programs. Jobs and the economy: He opposes government regulation of businesses of all size. Environment/Energy: He opposes government subsidies and regulations for energy companies, and supports allowing a free market energy industry. Social policy: He does not support same-sex marriage. He is personally pro-life, but believes states should be able to pass their own anti-abortion laws and not subject to broad federal abortion policy.

Taxes/Spending: He wants to tackle poverty by investing in a massive job creation bill similar to that of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. He hopes that this plan will create ten million jobs over three to four years.Foreign Policy: He does not support so-called sanctuary cities, where federal immigration laws are not enforced by police. He supports the DREAM act but not a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.  Education: He supports lower tuition costs for students.Healthcare: He supports the Affordable Care Act, the expansion of medicaid in North Carolina and a bipartisan effort to strengthen medicare. Jobs and the Economy: He believes that payments are too low in North Carolina’s Unemployment Insurance Program, and that people should receive payments for longer. He also supports an immediate minimum wage increase nationally to $10.25/hour, and to $15 by 2020.  Environment/Energy: Reeves acknowledged that Climate Change was an issue, but said he had no comment on potential policies. Social Policy: He believes that the U.S. Congress should intervene to ensure that states do  not impede on the right of all citizens to vote.

Taxes/spending: He believes the tax system needs to be revised so that it has less loopholes.Foreign policy: He supports the use of force against ISIS if it is authorized through bipartisan legislation. He supports a stronger vetting system for undocumented immigrants and a work permit system so that immigrants can pay taxes and receive social services.Education: The DTH could not find anything about Griffin’s views on education.Healthcare: He supports universal health care, including the expansion of medicaid to every state. He wants to make sure all states implement the Affordable Care Act, but also said it should be revised to be more business-friendly.Jobs and the economy: He does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). He is concerned about the consequences of trading partners violating the agreement and the potential negative impact of foreign competition on North Carolina industries.Environment/Energy: He opposes fracking and offshore drilling, and instead supports a reduction in carbon emissions through research and development of renewable energy. He also supports a mandate for 50 percent of power usage for all new government buildings to be from renewable sources.Social policy: He supports a woman’s right to choose, more affordable contraception and comprehensive sex education. He also supports expanded support services for women suffering from all forms of abuse.

Taxes/spending: Rey did not support budget sequestration that affected Fort Bragg, which he said caused many military personnel to lose their jobs. Foreign policy: He supports a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally. Education: He supports universal pre-K, and expansion of the federally funded Head Start Program, especially for at-risk children. He also supports decreasing interest rates for student loans and expanding the Pell Grant program. Healthcare: He supports the Affordable Care Act and believes in the expansion of Medicaid.  He serves as executive director of Cumberland HealthNET, a program in Cumberland County to help the uninsured find health care. Jobs and the economy: He wants to expand rural economic development by supporting small rural businesses, bringing biomanufacturing firms to rural areas and expanding vocational training at community colleges. Environment/Energy: He considers climate change to be a public safety and economic development issue. He supports Cap and Trade taxes, which tax carbon emissions. Social policy: He supports maintaining current pro-choice legislation, and wants to provide resources to reduce the teen pregnancy rate for the state.

Taxes/spending: She has said she would be willing to increase taxes and debt in order to invest in infrastructure. She sponsored a state-level earned income tax credit and tax credits for small businesses that provide healthcare to their employees.Foreign policy: She supports a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. She has criticized Burr for voting against a bipartisan immigration bill that would have provided a citizenship pathway and increased security along the border.Education: She supported programs to help reduce the cost of higher education during her time as a N.C. state representative.Healthcare: She wants to stabilize Medicare and Social Security and has pushed to improve mental health care in her district.Jobs and the economy: Her campaign focuses on “economic security” issues, including raising the minimum wage, housing assistance and providing equal pay for women. She also supports transportation investment--she introduced a bill last year to fund urban transit development.Environment/Energy: She does not support off-shore drilling in North Carolina’s coastal waters, but said instead the state should develop alternative energy programs.Social policy: She supported the N.C. Racial Justice Act, which allows those on death row to challenge their sentence if they can argue that race was a motive in their sentencing. She is opposed to anti-LGBT discrimination and supports medically accurate sex education that includes learning about birth control.

U.S. House

Sue Googe

Teiji Kimball

David Price

Attorney general

Statewide 

Lieutenant governor

Governor

Charles Kenneth Moss (R)

C. Robert Brawley (R)

Roy Cooper (D)

Pat McCrory (R)

Ken Spaulding (D)

Taxes/spending: In his first election, McCrory pledged to fight unnecessary and burdensome mandates, taxes and regulations from the federal government. These included lowering the individual income tax, corporate income tax rates for businesses and eliminating the death tax.Foreign policy (immigration included): McCrory has expressed his opposition to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in NC. In November, said NC should pause this resettlement until effective screening processes can be implemented. Education: In his first election, McCrory set these aims for education: to expand partnership between higher education and economic development, to promote enrollment in high-demand fields, to measure program success and share best practices, to define expected skill attainment for each course of study, to require curricular input from employment decision-makers, and to fight grade inflation. McCrory also encouraged the growth of charter schools. Healthcare: In his State of the State address last year, McCrory said he wants to put patients first by following an NC healthcare plan, not a DC one. He wants to protect North Carolina taxpayers by bringing together a plan that does cover the uninsured. His Healthy NC reform plan controls costs for taxpayers and incentivizes health care providers to coordinate care. He wants to continue to make NC an excellent place to practice medicine and discover new treatments. Jobs and the economy: McCrory says that while people all over NC need help finding jobs, it’s especially important to place some focus on residents of rural areas and smaller towns outside of metropolitan areas like Charlotte and RTP. Environment/Energy: McCrory said his administration has brought a customer service attitude to the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, and that NC has already been successful in improving customer service working through bureaucratic regulatory roadblocks that stifle economic recruitment efforts. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): When the N.C. General Assembly passed the law allowing magistrates to opt out of performing same-sex marriages, McCrory refused to sign it.

Pat McCrory

Charles Kenneth Moss

Taxes/spending: He would raise the corporate tax in order to pay for free community college.Foreign policy (immigration included): The DTH could not find information on Moss’s views on foreign policy. Education: Moss believes the state should offer two years of free community college. Healthcare: The DTH could not find information on Moss’s views on healthcare. Jobs and the economy: The DTH could not find information on Moss’s views on the economy. Environment/Energy: The DTH could not find information on Moss’s views on the environment. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Moss is against abortion, but believes in helping women who get pregnant. He says it’s not his place to get involved in same-sex marriage.

Taxes/spending: Brawley opposes all toll roads.Foreign policy (immigration included): The DTH could not find information on Brawley’s views on foreign policy. Education: Brawley believes teachers should be in charge of the classroom, and not Washington D.C. He calls for a pay scale that would incentivize teachers to strive for excellence in the classroom. Healthcare: The DTH could not find information on Brawley’s views on healthcare. Jobs and the economy: Brawley supports businesses that can stand on their own, but he is very against Private Public Partnerships. He says N.C. is selling out infrastructure assets to corporations and private entities. Environment/Energy: The DTH could not find information on Brawley’s views on the environment. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): The DTH could not find information on Brawley’s views on social policies.

C. Robert Brawley

Ken Spaulding

Taxes/spending: The DTH could not find information on Spaulding’s views on taxes and spending.Foreign policy (immigration included): The DTH could not find information on Spaulding’s views on foreign policy. Education: Spaulding believes teachers ought to be paid according to the integral role they play in children’s development, and as such would fight for N.C. teachers to earn more than the national average, and nothing less. Spaulding would retain the use of tenure as a way to prevent unfair or political dismissals. Healthcare: Spaulding supports the Affordable Care Act and says that Medicaid expansion is not a political game but a human health issue and would support the expansion that the current state government has denied. Jobs and the economy: Spaulding says that career politicians have made our economy and job market toxic and cost N.C. many jobs to neighboring states. Spaulding would work to break down that system, increase jobs and improve education all to make N.C.’s job market more competitive. Environment/Energy: Spaulding believes climate change is a reality that affects us all. He wants to end the rift between the business community and the environmental community so that real progress can be made in both areas and mutual trust and respect are established. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Spaulding believes Amendment One was wrong and that no discrimination of any kind in N.C. can be tolerated.

Taxes/spending: In 2013, Cooper said that the GOP-led tax reform legislation was supposed to give everyone a tax break, but that did not happen. Cooper says corporation and the “ultra-rich” pocketed that money.Foreign policy (immigration included): In November, against criticism from his party, Cooper actually agreed with Gov. Pat McCrory that N.C. should pause on refugee entries until we have an effective, humanitarian screening process in place. Education: Cooper’s top priorities are increasing teacher pay, reversing cuts to textbooks and school buses, and stopping teacher assistant lay-offs. Also, he wants to reinstate teaching fellow programs, and opposes vouchers that drain money from public schools. He wants to carefully examine charter schools to make sure they’re not damaging public education. Healthcare: Cooper believes we should expand Medicaid, which would give N.C. more providers and provide an economic boost from jobs. Also Cooper thinks we shouldn’t turn away from successful provider groups like N.C. Community Cares, which economizes and prioritizes care for Medicaid eligible recipients. Jobs and the economy: Cooper believes decreasing unemployment has not been unaccompanied by real economic growth. He wants to focus on rising incomes, putting more money in the pockets of working families and helping small businesses start and grow. He believes we need a unified, coordinated and streamlined workforce development system to make sure N.C. has the best employees to fill new job openings. Environment/Energy: Cooper believes a strong economy and a healthy environment go hand-in-hand. He says pursuing alternative energy production has benefited our environment and our economy, and has been a growth industry in N.C., creating multiple wins for our state. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Cooper refused to defend N.C.’s same-sex marriage ban in court and spoke out against the law that will let magistrates opt out of performing same-sex marriages. Cooper said N.C. should be welcoming of a diverse array of people, which will encourage business and and job growth in N.C. He is against voting restrictions like the Voter I.D. Law.

Roy Cooper

Lieutenant Governor

Dan Forest (R)

Robert Earl Wilson (D)

Holly Jones (D)

Linda Coleman (D)

Ronald L. Newton (D)

Dan Forest

Taxes/spending: Dan Forest calls himself a “principled, conservative Republican” and so believes in a smaller government, lowering taxes, and individual’s personal responsibility. Foreign policy (immigration included): Forest is anti illegal-immigration and believes in securing America’s borders against all undocumented immigrants. Education: Forest believes that the decision making of public education should be done at a local level. Forest believes in “Innovation through Education” and customizing public school curriculums to best benefit each child through technology. Healthcare: Forest believes that reforms should be undertaken in medical malpractice and that North Carolina should opt out of national healthcare. Jobs and the economy: Forest wants to improve the economic climate in North Carolina by cutting taxes and lessening economic hindrances that make it more difficult for businesses to have innovation. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Forest is more conservative leaning when it comes to social policy, throwing his weight behind pro-lifers and the strength of faith and family in America. Forest has supported policies that are against LGBT Americans.

Taxes/spending: Jones has voiced her complaints about ending TABOR which puts a cap on how much states can tax citizens. She believes that capping the tax rates lead to worse outcomes such as lower vaccination rates and worse public education.Foreign policy (immigration included):  Holly Jones voiced her support for continued acceptance of immigrants into America. Jones supports coming together and showing unity in the continued fight on terror.   Education: Jones believes in the power of public education and that cutting funding for the schools is short changing North Carolina’s youth. Healthcare: Jones has thrown her support behind childhood access to health insurance as one way to combat poverty. Jobs and the economy: The DTH could not find anything on Jones view of jobs and the economy. Environment/Energy: Holly Jones is a firm supporter of using clean energy by reducing the carbon footprint and using  clean power to lower utility bills. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Jones is firmly behind ending domestic violence and finding solutions to the problem.

Holly Jones

Taxes/spending: Newton has supported cutting many of North Carolina’s state taxes and shifting the tax base to consumption taxes. Foreign policy (immigration included): Newton has proposed changes to immigration laws including establishing a regulatory agency that would discover how immigrants were entering North Carolina. He also believes undocumented immigrants are entitled to a public education. Education: Newton believes that public education should be expanded in a cost effective manner. To do this he believes that the state should raise teacher salaries and provide free education possibilities to those wishing to attend community college. Vouchers are acceptable but public education is a primary concern. Healthcare: Newton believes that North Carolina needs to accept Medicaid expansions. Jobs and the economy: Newton is a huge supporter of bolstering the economy by supporting blue-collared workers. He also supports equal treatment among sex and race for workers.Environment/Energy: Newton is a strong supporter of cleaning up the environment including aiming for cleaner waterways and cleaner air. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Newton has spoken out strongly against poverty, saying that the current rates in North Carolina are unacceptable. In relation to this, Newton is a strong supporter of protecting blue-collared jobs.  Newton also believes that everyone, no matter what race, gender, or sexuality are entitled to equal protection under the law.

Ronald L. Newton

Robert Earl Wilson

Taxes/spending: Wilson wants to cap the corporate tax rate at 5 percent for the next 20 years to aid in job growth.Foreign policy (immigration included): The DTH couldn’t find anything.Education: Wilson believes in raising teacher salaries and establishing tenure and a reward program for teachers seeking to advance their degree.  Healthcare: Wilson believes in the expansion of Medicaid to better benefit the citizens.Jobs and the economy: Wilson believes that one way to stimulate the economy and create job growth is expanding North Carolina’s harbors. Wilson has also thrown support behind improving labor policies so no one who works a full work week will live in poverty.Environment/Energy: couldn’t find anythingSocial policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Wilson seeks to put an end to a number of North Carolina policies which he believes alienates people from one another. He believes that once the state is united it will better be able to compete economically and educationally.

Linda Coleman

Taxes/spending: The DTH could not find anything.Foreign policy (immigration included): The DTH could not find anything.Education: Coleman supports better resources in the classroom to bolster North Carolina’s public education system. Coleman wants to restore money to education that was previously cut by the GOP. Healthcare: Coleman believes in the expansion of health care throughout the state, she has thrown her support behind the Patient Affordable Care Act. Coleman also believes in reforming substance abuse and mental health care programs. Jobs and the economy: Coleman believes in strengthening the middle class of North Carolina because she believes they are the backbones of the state. She wants to further build the economy with the middle class as the supporting factor. Environment/Energy: Coleman believes in cleaning up the environment and that businesses and corporations should be held accountable for resource consumption. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): In the past, Coleman has supported women’s rights to life-saving preventative care services.

Marcus W. Williams (D)

Attorney General

Jim O’Neill (R)

Josh Stein (D)

Buck Newton (R)

Newton is from Wilson, where he served in the state senate, representing district 11 since 2010. He is also an attorney for a private practice. Newton is fiscally conservative: he has voted to keep the state from raising taxes. He is pro-life, having voted to increase abortion regulation. He is also a proponent of states’ rights and the death penalty.

Buck Newton

O’Neill is from Winston-Salem where he served as the district attorney for Forsyth County since 2009. He was Forsyth’s first domestic violence prosecutor, working to target sex offenders and chronic criminal offenders. O’Neill supports the death penalty.

Jim O'Neill

Stein is from Raleigh. He currently serves as the minority whip in the state senate. He is also a practicing attorney and was senior deputy attorney general for the N.C. Department of Justice from 2001 to 2009. He is for LGBT rights and reformation of the death penalty and the prison system, having voted on these issues while in the state senate. He is also interested in environmental conservation. He is pro-choice and pro-union. He calls himself a progressive.

Josh Stein

Marcus W. Williams

Williams is from Lumberton. He has practiced law for a private practice since 2006. He served as assistant public defender for the state of North Carolina before that.  Williams opposes the death penalty and has no clear views on LGBT rights. He is a proponent of pay equity in the public sector regardless of race, gender or nationality. He is pro-choice and pro-union.

At large

District 1

District 2

Orange County

District 1

Mark Dorosin

Penny Rich

Jamezetta Bedford

There are two open seats. All candidates are democrats.

Gary Kahn

Background and what other positions they’ve held: He was elected to county commission in 2012, currently serving as vice-chair and served on Carrboro Board of Aldermen from 1999-2003. He has been a civil rights lawyer in Orange County for over 20 years and is currently the Managing Attorney at the UNC Center for Civil Rights. For 10 years he and his wife owned and managed Hell, a popular nightclub in downtown Chapel Hill, and has lived in Orange County for 25 years.Why are you running?: He believes that social justice and community engagement a priority in county policy-making. He is focusing on poverty, affordable housing, education equity, racial and socioeconomic diversity and broad-based resident participation in county government and is pushing back on legislature’s regressive agenda, including support of challenges to Senate Bill 2, against efforts to privatize public education, and in support of immigrants’ rights. Housing: He thinks we need to more adequately address the breadth of our housing challenges, including rental housing for very low-wealth residents, low-wealth seniors, and persons with disabilities and that we also need to more effectively explore the possibilities for manufactured housing and the challenges that residents of that housing now face reaching these diverse communities. School Systems: He demands that all school children in the county have access to equal educational opportunities and thinks we need to more effectively link the school districts’ education policies to other county priorities, particularly as they relate to the needs of low wealth children. He also wants universal pre-K for low-wealth children.

Background/previous positions held: 12 years on the Chapel Hill/Carrboro City School Board Member (Chair and Vice-Chair); Certified Public Accountant practicing in Chapel HillWhy are you running: She wants to improve strategic planning and budgeting, like long-term fiscal planning. She has a depth of experience in public education, mental health, senior and disability services and is deeply invested in the community and quality of government service and education. Housing: Bedford believes the he BOCC needs to partner with UNC, local town governments and nonprofits to promote more affordable housing. Economic development: She thinks we need to enact policies to recruit and retain businesses to diversify our tax base, increase revenue, be less reliant on residential property taxes, to pay for progressive initiatives and to create jobs for our residents. School Systems: She thinks we must develop a plan for the next 20 or more years to address the school facility needs, ct to recruit and retain teachers, support funding of pre-K programs and prioritize education Transportation: Bedford wants to minimize environmental impact, prioritize affordability for riders and taxpayers, increase ridership, improve routes to serve people more efficiently and reduce road congestion.

Background: Kahn worked on Wall Street, and also as a nonprofit fundraiser, driving instructor, movie theater manager and currently as a retail merchandiser. Has run for town council, commissioner and mayor in the past.Why are you running? Kahn is dissatisfied with how the board of county commissioners is currently getting its money by continuously raising property taxes. He wants to keep spending accountable and budget better. Stance on housing: He wants to focus on catering housing to people who can't live in Orange County. Kahn says "stop building housing for the wealthy.” Tiny homes are not an option. Stance on development: Kahn is pro-development so that commercial and businesses can ease the tax burden on homeowners. Stance on schools: Kahn advocates for school system management to be more accountable in terms of budget and spending. Stance on transportation: He ran on the transportation issue previously; he’s against light rail and doesn't think it will happen at this point and thinks he should focus on improving "terrible bus system" within Chapel Hill.

Gary Kahn

Background: Rich moved here in 1998, served two, three-year terms on the OWASA board of directors from 2001-2007, served on the Chapel Hill Town Council member from 2007-2011 and was Elected commissioner in 2012.Why are you running?: Rich has a large focus on economic development. She hopes to better invest in infrastructures and develop space and incentives for young adults graduating college to stay in Orange County. She also wants to work on ways attract more people to the town of Chapel Hill for more reasons than just the University. Economic Development: Economic development is a large portion of Rich’s platform. She wants to work on investing in infrastructures, develop incentives for more young adults to claim residency longer in Chapel Hill and try to attract a larger amount of tourists to the area to help the economic development of Chapel Hill. Housing: Rich wants to look at affordable housing and find solutions to the higher rent rates and prices. The work force cannot afford to live in Chapel Hill and she believes that taking a different look at zoning and the areas in which houses are built could help to solve that issue. She also plans to work with nonprofits to help build more affordable housing.Rich believes that when looking at affordable housing, people need to look at the entire issue because although housing might be affordable in itself, the transportation and location can impose other costs.Transportation: Rich wants to invest more money into the public transportation system and believes the Chapel Hill-Carrboro-UNC bus system works very well.  She says that public transportation system is in high demand for young adults as it excludes fees like public parking and gas. She fully supports the public transportation system. Education: Rich believes public education is at risk by state government regulations and restrictions and pushing the burden to the counties is not an easy fix to the funding issues. She hopes to take on collaborative thinking when dealing with education and look at every factor that plays into the concerns when funding repairs of schools along with teacher’s salaries.

Renee Price

District 2

There is one open seat. Both candidates are democrats.

Bonnie Hauser

Background: Hauser has lived in Orange County for 13 years. She helped found Orange County Voice, a community advocacy group, and launched Project Engage, a senior outreach program.Why are you running?: Hauser wants to bring a strong voice to District 2 because its more rural and is usually talked about less. She believes that “the district’s priorities are not being discussed.” Her goals are economic development for District 2, internet access for more rural areas and she wants to work with communities to get services to meet unmet needs. Housing: Hauser believes in inclusive communities and wants zoning that will allow density where we have infrastructure to support it. She hopes to allow more affordable housing on land that the county owns by partnering with towns. She thinks towns need to work better to project the impacts of the added density on schools, transportation and services. Business: Hauser thinks county and towns need to work together. She wants to fix the zoning to make it easier to locate a business in Orange County. Her goals also include working with the investment community, developer community and landowners for a “business park” (place where zoning and permitting is worked out). Along with all this, she hopes to use school repairs to bring jobs into community. School systems: Hauser believes that school funding policies need to be modernized, wants to protect teachers and establish clearer communication on the school’s priorities. Transporation: Hauser thinks Orange/Durham Counties should abandon light rail plan to build bus rapid transit countywide. She wants services like Uber to serve seniors and work in rural areas. Overall, houser is committed to public transportation, but wants to update the vision to reflect changing transportation needs and technology

Their political background/what other positions you’ve held:  Price has been a database manager, precinct chair, served on the resolutions committee for the county districts and state, the state executive committee, and commissioner since November 2012.Why are you running for re-election?: Price thinks there’s a lot more work to be done. She says we still have people living in poverty and people in substandard housing, and we need to close the achievement gaps in urban equities.  She also wants more inspiration from the community. Housing:  Price thinks we need to increase our stock of affordable housing — not just home ownership but rentals, and that we need to be vigilant of closing of mobile home parks.  She wants to increase the amount of money we give to urgent repair and habitat for humanity and thinks we need to help people to stay in existing homes.   She feels that we need to make it easier for people to stay where they’re living and even if they want to live out of the county, she wants to do something about zoning codes to make it easier for builders to build without such high costs.Economic Development:  Price wants to get some of the tax burden off of homeowners, and looked at the Small Business Loan Program and increased business there as well School Systems:  She wants better collaboration with the school board and wants extracurricular and after-school programs to help close the achievement gap. Transportation: She’s focusing on getting buses outside of Chapel Hill and Carrboro, get more buses on the road and creating a better public transportation environment.

At large

There is one open seat. All candidates are democrats.

Matt Hughes

Mark Marcopolos

Andy Cagle

Their background and what other positions they've held: Hughes has served on the Orange County Human Relations Commission, ​Orange County Board of Adjustment, Kidscope advisory council and was the Chairman of Orange County Democratic Party.Why are you running?: He’s seeking to provide new energy and new perspective in support of public education, economic development and making Orange County more affordable. Housing: He’s working with municipalities to develop affordable housing plans. Economic development: He wants to diversify the economy and provide more well-paying jobs. School systems: He’s a big proponent of public schools, wants keep teacher's assistants in the classroom, increase teachers' pay and fund school repairs. Transportation: He supports public transportation and wants to get cars off the road to protect the environment.

Background: He is a member of humans relations committee of Orange County, owns a construction company with over 22 years of experience in business management and volunteers as a firefighter and is state certified emergency medical responder.Why are you running? He likes helping people, wants to attract businesses to Orange County and diversify the tax base to better fund schools. Housing: Cagle hopes to fill the void of affordable housing, even though it’s difficult to do so in town. He also hopes to allow more dwellings per land parcel without subdivision process and adjust impact fee associated with properties. Business: He hopes to find alternative crops for farmers and bring large, environmentally-friendly industrial businesses to the area. School systems: He wants to bring more funding to schools, and encourages after school programs with community centers. Transporation: Cagle things the county has done well with public transportation, but he wants to make sure park and rides and light rail stations are in convenient locations so they are most accessible to as many people as possible.

What is your background and what other positions have you held?Marcoplos owns Marcoplos Construction, a green building company founded in 1987. He was also a former Board member of the North Carolina Solar Energy Association and the NC Waste Awareness and Reduction Network. He served on Orange County Economic Development Commission 1998-99, the Orange County Water & Sewer Authority board (two terms as Chair) 1999-2006 and the Orange County Planning Board 2009-2011.  He’s currently serving on the Orange County Housing Authority and is the steering Committee member of the Orange County Living Wage project.Why are you running?: Marcoplos has many years of experience running a residential construction business, writing regular columns for local newspapers, serving on boards of statewide organizations and coaching youth athletics.  Marcoplos has experience helping to successfully defend rural communities, including his own, from landfill and airport sightings, and organizing to successfully ensure that affordable housing funds will be included in the 2016 Bond Referendum. Recently he has worked with the Orange County Living Wage Project.Housing: Marcoplos wants to work for affordable rentals and lower cost workforce housing. He wants to use tiny home transitional housing for the homeless and utilize county-owned land to keep costs down. Economic development: He wants to attract living wage, clean businesses to our Economic Development Districts and support our local businesses through loans and buy-local programs. School systems: He will work with the school boards to provide the best education for our young people that we can. He will also look for creative solutions to combat the anti-educational policies that he thinks the Republicans in the State legislature are inflicting on us. Transportation: He will continue to support the expansion and reconfiguration of our bus systems and plans to support the light rail plan as it moves forward.

Taxes/spending: Kimball supports balancing budgetary spending through eliminating, consolidating, and/or reinventing current programs to meet the needs of contemporary and future times. Foreign policy (immigration included): Kimball supports securing all borders while more strictly monitoring visas to ensure those with expired visas return to their home countries. Additionally, Kimball believes in holding businesses accountable for hiring undocumented immigrants and enforcing federal laws that supercede state and local ordinances that contradict the federal law.  Education: Kimball believes technology and parental participation are crucial to youth’s education and supports education models for children that bear these values. Kimball believes adults deserve higher education opportunities that allow them to pursue employment and career advancement without burdening them with debt.  Healthcare: The DTH could not find anything about Kimball’s views on healthcare. Jobs and the economy: Kimball believes government spending is out of control and reigning in the national debt will alleviate this stress on citizens. Kimball supports creating competition in the marketplace to ensure goods and services do not sell higher because of government contracts.  Environment/Energy: The DTH could not find anything about Kimball’s views on the environment or energy. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Kimball believes in providing physical, mental, and moral support to military families while continuing to help returning veterans adjust to civilian life through employment opportunities and trainings, medical services if needed and ensuring veterans feel our support for protecting our freedom.  

Taxes/spending: Googe supports replacing the current tax code with a new system based on a low flat tax rate. Foreign policy (immigration included): Googe believes America should have the strongest military on the planet, but should not always be the world’s police officer. Instead, Googe endorses a foreign policy of “peace through strength.” Education: Googe opposes No Child Left Behind and Common Core, believing schools should be managed and held accountable at the local level. Healthcare: The DTH could not find anything about Googe’s views on healthcare. Jobs and the economy: Googe opposes corporate welfare, bailouts and “undeclared wars” (meaning international conflicts that the U.S. provides aid and support for without official declaration of support or entrance into the conflict.) Googe believes additional issues of the economy are out of control spending, burdensome tax code, unsustainable trade deficit and “policies that punish success.” Environment/Energy: Googe intends to support “common-sense environmental protection” if elected and thinks we need to balance economic growth with the needs of the environment. Googe believes in energy independence and would support legislation that encourages renewable and sustainable energy produced in America that can be competitive in a free market. Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Googe would pursue an increased support for drug treatment and mental health while working to eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for low-level, nonviolent offenses. Googe will ensure veterans and their families receive the support they have earned through their service by holding the V.A. accountable.

Taxes/spending: Price supports a “fairer tax code” and targeted reductions to defense spending and further cuts to domestic programs to reduce the deficit. He believes in investing in job-creating industries, will solve our fiscal situation tomorrow. He also supports fair and simple tax code and providing middle-class families and businesses that hire workers with tax relief as well as tax credits to American companies investing in job creation and innovation. Foreign policy (immigration included): Price believes immigration reform must target border security and employer accountability, while offering legal opportunities for workers to enter the country and meet the legitimate needs of employers. Price believes the top priority of immigration enforcement must be identifying and deporting undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of serious criminal offenses. Price supports diplomatic intervention, specifically in the Middle East, with the goal of stabilizing embroiled nations and spreading democracy. Ultimately, he believes peace is the goal of American foreign policy. Education: Supported student aid reform and reducing student loan interest rates. Wrote the Price Education Affordability Act which gave parents and students tax breaks on their education loans. Supports “common-sense changes” to the No Child Left Behind law to improve teacher quality and student performance.  Healthcare: Price helped President Obama pass the Affordable Care Act and voted to stop insurance companies from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, to eliminate lifetime caps of insurance benefits and to support state regulators in ending unreasonable premium increases.  Jobs and the economy: Price believes that sustainable economic growth must be accomplished through balancing the federal budget and promoting investment in education, research and infrastructure that encourages job creation and growth. Price believes a balanced approach deficit reduction must be shared a sacrifice and not entirely thrown onto the middle and working class.  Environment/Energy: Price supports comprehensive energy policy that moves the nation from dependence on foreign oil to a clean energy economy. Price supports tax incentives and loans for renewable energy technologies developed in the fourth district.  Social policy (LGBT rights, abortion, race relations): Price supports abortion, same-sex marriage and the LGBT movement. Price supports more medical research and resources for treatment and support for veterans and active-duty military members who experience health concerns. Price supports finding homeless veterans affordable and stable housing and transition programs to help veterans transition to civic life.

Teiji Kimball

Roy Cooper (D)

There is one open seat. All candidates are democrats.

There is one open seat. Both candidates are democrats.

There are two open seats. All candidates are democrats.

Lieutenant Governor