Local races take center stage in Rockingham County candidate forum

State and local candidates at a Rockingham County forum focused on practical county issues such as public safety, mental-health capacity, school funding and local economic development.

Sam Page (running for North Carolina Senate and finishing a long sheriff career) emphasized public safety and in-district representation, saying he would "listen, act with honesty and integrity" after 27 years as sheriff. Page told the audience he supports regional inpatient mental-health capacity and would back a facility in the district. "We need a regional mental health hospital for inpatient care in this district," Page said.

Seth Woodall, a candidate for the General Assembly’s House seat, prioritized teacher pay, infrastructure (water/sewer, broadband) and local workforce development. He pledged to pursue federal and state grants and to work closely with appropriations committees.

Sheriff candidates focused on crime reduction and agency culture: Darren Wright promised to "change the culture," free deputies to do their work and build relationships with outside agencies, while Brian Harbor emphasized pay and morale, and recommended creating a county task force and better interagency coordination. Wright told attendees he would "resign or quit" if he could not deliver on crime reduction promises.

County commissioner candidates debated tax policy and county services. Kevin Southern, Greg Ziegler and Paul Wilson emphasized emergency services, personnel pay, and cautious revenue-neutral budgeting. Candidates differed on the casino question: most opposed bringing a casino to Rockingham County and criticized lack of transparency in prior zoning efforts.

Kelly Stanfield Carter, a 29‑year veteran of the clerk of court's office, explained the clerk’s functions (traffic, criminal, estates, adoptions) and framed experience as the key qualification to run that office. She also described the county’s transition to the Tyler Odyssey/Enterprise Justice system and the accuracy challenges that entail.

The forum combined policy discussion with candidate pitches and local priority-setting, underlining issues likely to shape local turnout: school funding, jail and mental-health capacity, and emergency-services budgeting.