Orange County Commission

Note: Although your partisan ballot on May 6 may contain more names than seen here, it is because the candidate does not have any same-party opposition and will appear on the November ballot without contest.

NBC17 did not change, alter or edit the responses from the surveys. The answers below are as written by each candidate.

District 2: Tommy McNeill, Luther Brooks, Leo Allison and Steve Yuhasz will face each other in the May primary.

Steve Yuhasz
Age: 57
Current Profession / Occupation:  Land Surveyor/Lawyer

Why should voters select you on Election Day?
 The people of District 2 should support my candidacy because I have the experience, enthusiasm, and expertise to represent their interests on the Board of County Commissioners by articulating the issues and concerns which are particular to the more rural parts of Orange County.

Counties in North Carolina now have the option to seek two new revenue options: a land transfer tax and a sales tax. Should one or both of these new revenue options be used in your county?
 One - Sales Tax

Please explain why you believe your answer to the previous question is the right decision for your constituents.
 Increased non-residential development and the enhanced tax base and additional revenue it brings is the best long-term option. Since half of the county's property is tax-exempt as a result of public holdings, however, a sales tax will tap the large transient population brought to the county by the University and UNC Hospitals. These guests use county resources without otherwise being directly responsible for their fair share of the associated expenses. Furthermore, as commercial activity increases, the revenue generated by the sales tax will increase faster than inflation.

This area of North Carolina continues to grow. What is the best way to handle growth in your county and how can we balance that with maintaining a high quality of life?
 Quality of life requires a variety of opportunities- for employment, for housing, for education and for recreation - for citizens of all economic levels. The newly revised Comprehensive Plan must recognize and manage coming growth in a manner that respects property rights of rural property owners while remaining aware of real environmental constraints. As the region continues to grow, Orange County must accommodate its fair share of that growth. With two Interstate highways crossing the county, there is an opportunity to provide commercial development and higher density housing in areas convenient to local and regional employment centers and transportation routes. Concentrating inevitable growth along these corridors will allow protection and preservation of the rural parts of the county. We can thus ensure the long-term environmental health of the critical watershed areas and enable the continuation of an agricultural land-use pattern.
 
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At Large - 1 seat: Barnadette Pelissier, Mary Wolff and Neloa Barbee Jones will face each other in the primary.

Neloa Jones
Age: 51
Current Profession / Occupation: Educational Consultant

Why should voters select you on Election Day?
 I will provide solid, practical, and moral leadership as we move forward to solve the pressing and challenging issues facing Orange County. Equally important is that I care about what happens to OC, and my roots run deep in its soil. For generations, both sides of my family struggled to make good homes here. Alfred Barbee, my grandfather, was a resourceful stonemason who used common fieldstones to build the home for his family that still stands on Jones Ferry Road in Carrboro. Sam Rogers, my great grandfather, struggled as a farmer in rural Orange County. Today, my family and I live on some of the last 13 acres left of his original farmland just north of Chapel Hill's city limits. Being a commissioner would continue my life's work, not service on a political level, but certainly my service as a mentor, a volunteer, an educator, and a community leader.

Being a commissioner would continue my lifelong commitment to help people improve their lives and being an advocate for them. Today, Orange County faces many challenges: 1) tremendous increases in the cost of housing 2) challenges to funding our schools adequately 3) environmental threats to our communities 4) limited natural resources 5) a lack of economic development, and 6) an endangered agricultural heritage. These are the issues I will focus on when I am a commissioner. When voters go to the polls, they should consider the unique and important role of the at-large commissioner. In contrast to commissioners who are elective by their respective districts, voters ACROSS Orange County elect the at-large commissioner. This commissioner must therefore be willing to be a voice for ALL the people who live here and NOT primarily represent ONE town or ONE district or ONE point of view. In order to be this representative, Orange County needs an at-large commissioner who CLEARLY understands that one-size-fits-all solutions rarely work for communities. An at-large commissioner must be able to RECOGNIZE and then BALANCE the diverse needs of different communities. This commissioner must understand that being equitable is essential to good government. I believe that I am the ONE candidate whose life experiences have afforded her with this capacity. I further believe that I am the ONE candidate who will be undaunted by any challenge, the one candidate who will ask the right questions and push forcefully for the right solutions. Let me end by saying that as a resident of Orange County, I have heard many voices--people across the county--who believe that their children's futures are too often compromised, who believe that their communities are threatened, and who believe that their livelihoods are disappearing and their concerns too often ignored. As an at-large commissioner, I will provide leadership so that OC moves forward to being a better place AND a great place for ALL of its residents to live, work, and play.

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Bernadette Pelissier
Age: 57
Current Profession / Occupation: Retired social scientist

Why should voters select you on Election Day?
 The voters should elect me because I have acquired experience in various community boards over the past 16 years as well as through my work as a social science researcher, I which will make me an effective County Commissioner. I have the following to offer Orange County: Leadership with vision. . I have been selected to be chair of the Orange Chatham Sierra Club group for multiple terms and I was elected chair of the OWASA board. Ability to make decisions in a complex environment. – I have experience as a social science researcher directing a national multi-site multi-year evaluation . Integrity and fairness Ability to work with others Experience with County issues.

For the last 16 or more years, I have been appointed to numerous boards and involved in community organizations. Previous involvement includes: Orange Chatham Sierra Club, OWASA, Shaping Orange County Future Task Force, Carolina North Leadership Advisory Council, and Community Leadership Collaboration. Current board appointments include: Orange County Planning Board, Orange County Commission for the Environment and Special Transit Advisory Committee. Through participation in these various boards I have become familiar with the wide range of issues, environmental, economic and social, throughout this County and the region. Experience with budgets and capital improvement plans -- As a member of the OWASA board I have experience in overseeing budgets, both operational budgets and long-range capital improvement budgets.

Counties in North Carolina now have the option to seek two new revenue options: a land transfer tax and a sales tax. Should one or both of these new revenue options be used in your county?
 One - Land Transfer Tax

Please explain why you believe your answer to the previous question is the right decision for your constituents.
 The options available to counties for raising revenues are very limited and Orange County faces capital needs for schools and parks. I prefer a land transfer tax to help offset increases in property tax because the burden to current homeowners will not increase as much as it would without the land transfer tax. Real estate values in Orange County have increased substantially over the last years: Between 1999 and 2006, homes increased on average 60% in value. Therefore, a land transfer tax is, with certain exceptions for quick turn-around time between time of purchase and time of sale, a tax on profit made. This seems less regressive than having all homeowners pay increased property taxes, some of whom are barely making ends meet during these difficult economic times. Furthermore, some of the burden can be placed on the buyer through negotiations at closing. In considering the land transfer tax it is crucial to keep in mind that the tax does not apply when a family or farmer deeds property to a family member,. In an ideal world there would be other tax revenue options available to counties but this would require enabling legislation from the NC legislature.

This area of North Carolina continues to grow. What is the best way to handle growth in your county and how can we balance that with maintaining a high quality of life?
 It is crucial to maintaining a high quality of life that we address the various economic, social and environmental pressures that we face with growth. It will be vital to Orange County and surrounding counties to ensure that we grow within the limits of our water resources and that we develop a mass transit system to make travel easier and ensure that we have clean air to preserve the health of our citizens. It is crucial that we address the issue of good wages and affordable housing to ensure that we have communities with diversity and that all employees can live near their jobs. It is crucial that we maintain the high quality of our educational system to ensure that the next generation will be successful both in their careers and within their community. Land use planning is a tool which can be used to help in all these areas.