Suspended sheriff absent from Columbus County Candidates Forum

Five candidates were present for the Columbus County Candidates Forum on Thursday night at Southeastern Community College.

October 6, 2022

Sydney Bouchelle,

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — Five candidates were present for the Columbus County Candidates Forum on Thursday night at Southeastern Community College.

Barbara Featherson, candidate for Columbus County Board of Commissioners; Charles Graham, candidate for the 7th Congressional District; Quinton McGee, incumbent for district court judge in Judicial District 13; Jason Soles, candidate for Columbus County Sheriff; and Edward Squires, candidate for Columbus County Board of Commissioners.

One candidate was noticeably absent — Jody Greene. Greene is the incumbent for the office of sheriff in Columbus County. He was suspended from his position on Tuesday after racially-charged comments he made on a phone call in 2019 surfaced.

The comments made by Greene were not directly mentioned at the forum, but the candidates were asked questions about making sure their constituents were treated and represented equally.

“We have to attack it. We can no longer lay it undercover and act like it’s something blowing over. We know we have a race problem here and we have to make sure we attack it. We’ve got to make sure we cut the snake’s head off the top,” Edward Squires said.

“We have to be a leader. You cannot pick and choose who you will respect and who you will not respect,” Barbara Featherson said. “You respect all mankind because we all want the same thing: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

Jason Soles, Greene’s opponent in the sheriff’s race, was asked how he would regain the trust of the community if he were to be elected.

“The sheriff should represe– should…should represent all people. The sheriff needs to be out in these communities talking to the people, listening to each and everyone’s concerns,” Soles said. “You’ve got to have an open-door policy. If you can’t listen, you can’t make that happen.”

WWAY did reach out to Greene for comment but did not hear back.