Candidates running in this year’s municipal elections in Hope Mills gathered at the town’s Recreation Center on Saturday for a forum organized by the Cumberland County Democratic Party. The candidate forum—described as an open discussion—provided residents an opportunity to engage with candidates running for office and ask questions.
Myron Pitts, opinion editor and columnist for The Fayetteville Observer, acted as the moderator for two 45-minute sessions, with each candidate having two minutes to answer pre-written questions and 60 seconds for rebuttals.
Pitts selected 11 pre-approved questions from a large glass bowl. Questions ranged from how they would promote transparency to their experiences balancing a budget, and each candidate had the opportunity to deliver a closing statement.
This election cycle features a large field of candidates, with 11 of the 12 scheduled candidates attending the forum: Lisa Tremmel, Ronald Starling, Commissioner Joanna Scarola, Karen Saracen, Hope Page, Todd Henderson, Mayor Jessie Bellflowers, Grilley Mitchell, Commissioner Bryan Marley, Cynthia Hamilton and Commissioner Elyse Craver. Candidate Mark Hess was absent.
The candidates nearly outnumbered the 15 attendees present at the event’s start. Mayor Jessie Bellflowers expressed surprise at the low turnout and said he expected more people, but told CityView he viewed it as a sign that the town is content.
“That tells me one thing, the people are okay,” Bellfowers said. “Or, either people don’t care. If they were concerned, they would be here and bring their questions with them.”
Todd Henderson, Bellflower’s mayoral challenger in this year’s election, suggested a different reason.
“That’s the reason I keep talking about relationships—being able to talk to and connect with people. I think that’s where the issue lies. We need to show that we can engage with people in a courteous and non judgemental way. The more connections we make, the more people will want to show up,” Henderson said.
Cynthia Hamilton, a candidate for Hope Mills commissioner, echoed Henderson’s sentiments about community connections.
“I believe the low attendance stems from past experiences with meetings,” Hamilton said. “It seems that no matter what citizens say, the perception is that the board has already made up its mind, and public hearings or comments are merely formalities. A good example is our taxes and the four-year staggered terms.”
Erika Burns of the Cumberland County Democratic Party told those in attendance they were welcome to write down their questions, noting those with personal attacks would be vetted.
A question at the forum appeared to have missed this process. Pitts drew a question from the audience directed at Craver regarding her recent censure by the board. The censure, issued the previous week, stemmed from alleged discriminatory comments made by Craver that other commissioners said were contrary to the board’s principles and beliefs. The question asked if Craver wished to clarify her alleged statements.
“This is under investigation right now, so I’m not at liberty to say,” Craver responded. Pitts then proceeded to the next question for the candidates.
Near the end of the forum, Burns apologized to Craver, saying the question should not have been asked at the event.
“We already know what happened and we are not here to ask those questions,” she said. “That question was not vetted by us, so please accept my apology.”
A couple notable political guests were in attendance—N.C. Rep. Frances Jackson, who represents District 45, and Cumberland County Board Chair Kirk deViere. At the start of the forum, Jackson welcomed everyone.
DeViere told CityView he also attended the candidate forum in Spring Lake.
“I think it’s always important what’s happening in towns like this. It’s important to hear what candidates are saying. These are boards we are going to have to work with and it’s always great to hear different opinions and views.
“Local smaller-town politics is personal. It’s about that pot hole in the street, that subdivision they’re building and about whether their trash is getting picked up,” deViere said.
The forum was livestreamed and can be viewed on the town’s Facebook page or the Cumberland County Democratic Party’s Facebook page.
