The race for the Republican presidential candidacy has captured the nation’s attention, but residents of Alamance County are preparing for a more local election.
Mark Hopp and Jeremy Teetor recently announced their plans in the Burlington Times-News to run for Alamance County Board of Commissioners. Filing for local and state political offices is scheduled for February, and the election for the Alamance County Board of Commissioners will be in November.
While Hopp and Teetor are the only individuals who have announced their candidacy, three spots are scheduled to open on the Alamance County Board of Commissioners.
Hopp, a Republican candidate, is running for the first time. Teetor, a Democrat, is running for the second time after losing to Tom Manning in the 2010 elections.
Both candidates said economic issues play a large role in their planned policies for Alamance County.
Teetor said he intends to address the educational roots of the economic situation in order to increase the number of jobs.
“Alamance County is historically known for its textile industry, and a lot of those jobs have gone away for various reasons,” Teetor said. “Some people have struggled to make an adjustment, and the only way we can help is to educate workers in a way where they can pursue fields outside of textiles.”
Teetor also said he aims to bring more companies to Alamance County to increase the number of jobs. An increase in education level attracts more employers, according to Teetor.
Hopp is also looking to focus on the economy of Alamance County for his platform. He plans to reduce the regulation of local farms.
Food Sovereignty, a movement in the United States that Hopp said he favors, supports passing a bill exempting food grown, harvested, sold and consumed in the same community from FDA regulations, which in turn increases sovereignty for local farmers.
If a farm only functions within the boundaries of a single community, an outbreak is confined and easily remedied, reducing the need for FDA regulations, Hopp said.
“When you see regulation, what happens is the small guy can’t keep up with the regulation, and they either go out of business or they sell out to a bigger guy,” he said. “That is what we are seeing in this country as a whole —consolidation of industries into larger corporations.”
With local farms under less regulation, they can stay in business while offering more jobs, according to Hopp.
While the candidates are preparing their platforms concerning economic issues, a recent state amendment may force Hopp and Teetor to delay their campaigns.
The controversy surrounding the wording of a North Carolina amendment regarding the definition of marriage postpones completion of the ballot, influencing the date of both the primary and general elections in Alamance County.
This would have a “trickle-down effect” on the election for the Board of Commissioners. The primary election could be as late as August with general elections in November, Teetor said.
Hopp said he fears that a delay in filing for candidacy may cause more people to decide to join the race.
Delayed filing will not affect voting in the national elections in North Carolina.