As Election Day nears, Brunswick County residents pack forum to hear from candidates

SUPPLY, NC (WWAY) — Brunswick County residents gathered Sunday afternoon at the Cedar Grove Community Building to hear from candidates seeking federal, state and local offices ahead of the election.

Among those attending was candidates Kimberly Hardy and Maad Abu-Ghazalah, who are running for North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District. Republican U.S. Rep. David Rouzer, the incumbent, was invited but did not attend.

Candidates for the Brunswick County Board of Education, County Commission and state legislature also answered questions from voters, with public education and access to affordable health care among the key topics.

Education candidates discussed ways to retain students and teachers in Brunswick County Schools.

Brian Rupp, a Democratic candidate for the school board’s District 5 seat, said identifying successful programs and expanding them could help improve outcomes across the district.

“If we can figure out where we succeed and why we are succeeding, we can replicate that throughout our entire community,” Rupp said.

Steve Gainey also emphasized expanding successful programs, while Sue Duncan, a Democratic candidate for the school board’s District 3 seat, highlighted the importance of investing in teachers and improving educational opportunities.

“When you have subject-area masters in your high school, you see the whole education area come up,” Duncan said.

Paige Morgan, a Republican candidate for the district 3 seat, called for better communication among school leaders, teachers and families to understand why students are leaving the district.

“Kids are leaving, parents are leaving, parents are upset, but why? Did anyone talk to them to ask why they left Brunswick County Schools? How can we fix that?” Morgan said.

Candidates also discussed the need to improve access to affordable health care and attract more medical professionals to the area.

Dennis Breen, a Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 17, said strong public schools are an important factor in attracting people to the region.

“If we are going to attract more people here, we are going to need these schools,” Breen said.

Rick Combes and Scott Nasiff also discussed the relationship between education and health care. Nasiff, a Democratic candidate for North Carolina House District 19, suggested expanding transportation options to help residents reach medical appointments.

“To get people to health care places, we can do rideshare programs. We can invest in programs with the state where vans can take people to doctors and such,” Nasiff said.

PFAS contamination was a major topic, with both congressional candidates calling for accountability from DuPont and Chemours over so-called forever chemicals in the Cape Fear River.

Hardy said people harmed by PFAS should not have to bear the financial burden of related medical expenses.

“Anybody who has been harmed by PFAS, their medical bills should be paid for now and in perpetuity,” Hardy said.

Abu-Ghazalah called for stronger consequences for companies responsible for illegal actions.

“They should go to jail, and that goes for corporations. They did something illegal,” Abu Ghazalah said.

Candidates also discussed Brunswick County’s rapid growth, with several calling for changes to address overdevelopment and give local officials more control over zoning.

Brunswick County Commissioner Randy Thompson warned that development pressures could worsen without additional authority over zoning regulations.

“We are at a critical state with overdevelopment. If we don’t get assistance to get control of the zoning, things might be bad, but they will get worse,” Thompson said.

County commissioner candidate Gary Woods called for a moratorium on new growth until the county secures additional authority over development.

Woods said county officials should seek permission to exercise greater control overgrowth and consider pausing development until that authority is granted.

Commissioner candidate Sarah Singer also called for a moratorium, along with an updated Unified Development Ordinance, which establishes rules for land use and development.

“We very much need an updated UDO that doesn’t just bring us up to now,” Singer said. “We need a moratorium. I have gotten pushback that we can’t do that, but I don’t believe that.”

County commissioner candidate Patti Hewett said she was concerned a moratorium could hurt local builders but agreed that rapid development remains a problem.

“It’s the fast-track builders that are hurting us,” Hewett said.

Tuesday is also the deadline for North Carolina voters to request a mail-in absentee ballot.