County candidates prep for election

Almost half of the seats on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners will open up this election season and pressure is mounting as more candidates announce their bids for the seats.

The seats held by Barry Jacobs, Earl McKee and Alice Gordon will be up for election. Jacobs, the current chair of the board, and McKee, the current vice chair of the board will both seek reelection, while Gordon will retire after 24 years of service.

The filing period for candidates will run between Feb. 10 and Feb. 28. Bonnie Hauser and Mark Marcoplos, both Democrats, have stepped forward to announce their candidacy.

Hauser will seek the at-large bid currently held by Jacobs, while Marcoplos looks to unseat McKee in District 2.

Once these candidates formally file for office, a long campaign remains ahead until the primary on May 6. The nominees from their party will then progress until the general election on Nov. 4.

Because a Republican hasn’t held a position on the board since at least 1968, the candidates plan to focus their efforts on the primary.

Bonnie Hauser, long-time former president of Orange County Voice, a self-identified city girl in a rural home, and a former consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, said she believes her experiences make her the best candidate for the future of the county.

“I have a forward-looking view,” she said.

“I have a vision of how the county could look in the future, which is a sharp contrast from the status quo.”

Hauser said she recognizes Orange County must plan for a changing future that includes an aging population. She emphasized building trust while fostering collaboration. She said she wants to give voters a choice about continuing to support the status quo.

“I don’t think I have all the answers, but I think that I have better questions,” she said.

Jacobs said he hopes to keep his seat so he can continue working with the towns of Orange County to come up with innovative solutions for local school districts.

In his 10 years of local government experience, Marcoplos has held a variety of positions, ranging from Orange County Economic Development Commission to two-time chair of the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.

“I think my experience in so many different arenas gives me a much wider understanding to form creative ways to mold a better future for our county,” he said.

Marcoplos said he knows that strategic decisions must be made as the state legislature starves municipal budgets.

“Everything must be done in the context of limited money — creatively and wisely,” he said.

McKee said he is running for re-election because he also wants to continue working out budget problems in local school systems and finding new ways to fund public safety departments.

Other candidates could throw their hat in the ring until the closing of the filing period on February 28.

city@dailytarheel.com