Majority may shift on board

A win by one of the Democratic challengers in the Forsyth County Commissioner's race would give the Democrats a majority on the board, which has long been dominated by Republicans.

In District B, three Democratic challengers -- Nancy Young, Jimmie Ziglar and John Gladman -- are facing two Republican incumbents -- Richard Linville and Gloria Whisenhunt.

Dave Plyler, a Republican, is also trying to regain a seat on the board after losing his place there in 2006.

The board has seven members. Four commissioners represent District B, which covers the western, northern and eastern parts of the county and two represent District A, which covers the central part of the county, including much of Winston-Salem.

One commissioner is elected at large.

The four District B commissioners are all Republicans.

The economy, education, the need for greater transparency and more cooperation between city and county officials are major issues in the race.

Young is running for public office for the first time. She said she entered the race after becoming concerned about the county's direction. Young was the communications and public-relations director for what was then known as Sara Lee Corp. from 1984 to 1998. The company is now Hanesbrands Inc.

There needs to be more cooperation and communication between the commissioners and city government, as well as the commissioners and the local school board, Young said. And there needs to be more input from all citizens, not just community leaders.

"We have a tendency sometimes to think, ‘We know what's best for you' and we don't ask you what's best for you," she said.

Young said she is also concerned that the commissioners are perceived as distant from people in the surrounding towns of Forsyth County.

People in Clemmons, Walkertown and Belews Creek sometimes feel that they aren't well represented by the commissioners, Young said.

The commissioners' briefing sessions, which are held at 2 p.m. every Thursday, are inconvenient for working people to attend, she also said.

Ziglar, a retired dentist who served three consecutive terms on the board of commissioners in the 1970s and 1980s, said that he was moved to run for office again because he's concerned that the commissioners are not good stewards of public money.

He is also worried, he said, that there is not enough communication between the commissioners and other elected officials.

When he was a commissioner, the board met several times a year with the city and surrounding town councils to talk about common issues and concerns. As far as he can tell, that doesn't happen, he said.

He is also concerned, he said, with the lack of time commissioners spend talking to the school board and the school administration and with the board's commitment to public health.

"I'm concerned about our mental-health and public-health facilities," he said. "I'm not sure we're spending enough money there."

Gladman, the assistant director of social services for the Salvation Army, said that he, too, is concerned about the lack of cooperation among the commissioners and other public officials and that he wants more oversight and transparency from county government.

He has never run for public office before, but he said that his job at the Salvation Army gives him a window on the struggles of working people.

He said would like to bring more citizen participation to government.

If he is elected, Gladman said, he would propose that the commissioners hold quarterly meetings with citizens similar to council members' Talk of the Town meetings.

He also thinks that the time the commissioners hold their briefing sessions is inconvenient, he said.

Some of the commissioners have served too long and have become complacent and arrogant, he also said.

Last summer when the town of Lewisville requested that the board grant it "extraterritorial jurisdiction," Whisenhunt, the board's chairwoman, refused to put the request on the agenda, he said.

ETJ, as it is called, gives a municipality the authority to regulate planning and zoning within two miles of its limits. Refusing to even hear the request didn't sit right with people in Lewisville, Gladman said.

Whisenhunt, who has served on the board since 1996, said that when the ETJ request came to her, she polled the board and only one commissioner wanted to hear the issue.

She said she was against the proposal because it would give the Lewisville Town Council authority over people who have no vote in Lewisville's elections.

She also said that the accusation that the board of commissioners is aloof and that it doesn't meet with other elected bodies in the county is false, she said.

"I don't know how we could be any more transparent," Whisenhunt said. "Every meeting we have is televised. We have a public (comment) session every meeting."

She also defended the timing of briefing sessions. The sessions need to be held during the work day when county staff members are available to answer questions, she said.

Whisenhunt said she is in constant contact with Superintendent Don Martin as well as Mayor Allen Joines and other mayors around the county.

The current board has been a good steward of taxpayer money, Whisenhunt also said.

"I think we need people who are conservative with taxpayer money, and I certainly am," she said.

Study of the budget begins in February or March and doesn't end until June. Commissioners go through it line-by-line, she said.

"I cannot tell you the endless hours that are spent on the budget," she said. "It's something that's put together throughout the year."

Linville said he agreed with Whisenhunt on the ETJ issue. He said he was uncomfortable with allowing the town of Lewisville to make decisions for people who could not elect town officials.

As the longest serving member of the board, Linville said he stands for controlled and moderate growth and for keeping spending and taxes to a minimum -- especially in tough economic times.

"I've always considered myself just an average person like everyone else," he said. He tries to apply that perspective to the decisions he makes as a commissioner, he said .

During the summer, Linville said, he became concerned that revenue from sales taxes would drop, which would mean less money for county projects.

Commissioners must try to spend the least amount they can for the things that need to be done, he said.

Plyler said that if he is elected, he hopes to bring his abilities as a consensus builder back to the board. Too often in recent years, he said, the board has acted in a partisan manner.

Sometimes the Republicans on the board automatically turn down requests for money because they say they are acting on conservative principles. Plyer said that he disagrees with that and thinks that the board should study each request on its own merits to decide what is best for the community rather than automatically saying no. Plyler first ran for the board as a Democrat in 1990 and lost. He won as a Republican four years later.

Plyler said he would encourage the board to meet with such organizations as Winston-Salem Business Inc. to help bring business into the community.

Cracking down on gang activity is also an important community issue that has been overlooked in recent years, Plyler said. If he is elected, he said, he would urge the board to provide money to the sheriff's department to fight gang activity.

He also said he would encourage community agencies to work together to channel teenagers into more positive activities and help strengthen families.

"An awful lot of what commissioners have to do involves influence and consensus building," he said.

■ Mary Giunca can be reached at 727-4089 or at mgiunca@wsjournal.com.

County commissioner

Nancy Young, Democrat

• Age: 60.

• Address: 2061 Polo Road.

• Job: Nonprofit consultant and interim director at the Advocacy for the Poor.

• Political/civic experience: First time running for public office. Chairwoman of Urban League board, chairwoman of board of Consumer Credit Counseling and chairwoman of board of Better Business Bureau.

• Top priority if elected: Create a more cooperative effort between all elected officials in Forsyth County to face the problems and opportunities that we know are coming down road.

John Gladman, Democrat

• Age: 38.

• Address: 1184 Tremont Drive.

• Job: Assistant director of social services at the Salvation Army.

• Political/civic experience: Member of Mayor's Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness.

• Top priority if elected: Provide responsible oversight for taxpayers' money through more transparency in local government.

Jimmie Ziglar, Democrat

• Age: 75.

• Address: 7940 Simmons Road, Rural Hall.

• Job: Retired dentist.

• Political/civic experience: Served three terms as a commissioner, 1976 to 1988.

• Top priority if elected: Lowest possible tax rate.

Dave Plyler, Republican

• Age: 69.

• Address: 211 Harmon Lane, Kernersville.

• Job: Semi-retired, consultant to Salem Media North Carolina.

• Political/civic experience: Served three terms as county commissioner 1994 to 2006.

• Top priority if elected: Jobs, jobs, jobs.

Richard Linville, Republican

• Age: 60.

• Address: 6321 Vance Road, Kernersville.

• Job: Farmer.

• Political/civic experience: Elected to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in 1980 and has served continuously since then.

• Top priority if elected: Wants to continue current policies, keep taxes low and control growth of government.

Gloria Whisenhunt, Republican

• Age: 62.

• Address: 456 N. Hawthorne Road

• Job: Self-employed part-time hairdresser.

• Political/civic experience: Has served continuously on the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners since being elected in 1996. Served on the Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board from 1990 to 1996.

• Top priority if elected: Improving education.