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GATESVILLE – The four candidates seeking two available seats this year on the Gates County Board of Commissioners had an opportunity to address county citizens during a political forum held here Sept. 26.

Nathan Berryman, a Republican challenger for the Hobbsville District; David “Dave” Forsythe, a Republican candidate for the Sunbury District, Linda Hofler, an incumbent Democrat who represents the Hobbsville District, and incumbent commissioner Dr. Althea Riddick, a Democrat, of the Sunbury District took part in the forum.

The event, held in the Historic Courthouse, was hosted by the Gates County Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by the Gates County Index.

Each candidate was given 60 seconds to make an opening statement, 60 seconds to answer each of three questions they randomly selected, and 60 seconds to make closing remarks.

Berryman’s questions and answers are as follows:

What experience do you have for the office you are seeking?

Berryman answered by saying he is the president of an 85 million dollar company with 250 employees.

“I’m directly responsible for 250 families that depend on me to make sure the business is operating correctly,” he said. “Knowing what it takes to read a balance sheet and understand how budgets are created and maintained will be very useful for me for what I plan to do for Gates County.”

Without respect to political or business ties, what do you bring to the table that will make Gates County a better place?

“We need to be mindful of the type of growth we want,” he replied. “People move to Gates County for a specific reason and may not want the growth we see in Suffolk and elsewhere.”

What’s one thing that the county is doing well and one thing that it can do better?

“The people here are what makes this county great,” Berryman responded. “The things I’d like to see us do better are increasing the pay for our deputies. We need to look at the pay structure of those out there serving us.”

Forsythe’s questions and answers are as follows:

Why are you a better choice for county commissioner than your opponent?

“I have business leadership experience, leading a governmental organization of 3,200 people across six countries in Europe and responsible for a 3.2 billion dollar business,” Forsythe said. “After retiring from the federal government, I worked as a public works officer in a neighboring county where I managed a water treatment plant, a wastewater treatment plant, and an electrical grid. I’ve helped develop a budget. I have a masters degree in environmental engineering. I’m well suited for this position.”

How do you intend to bring more revenue into Gates County and where will it be allocated?

“The North Carolina Local Government Association holds seminars where lots of ideas are shared to small towns and we need to be involved in that,” Forsythe replied. “There are others that offer free advice to small businesses to help them get started. We should be helping those small businesses. We should be looking outside the box for ways to help them.”

What’s your top priority if elected?

“Openness, honesty, and transparency to the public,” he answered. “I have personally put in a records request for our top six officials, asking for their pay, start date, and their predecessors pay. Two weeks later after I heard nothing, I went into the office to ask why. These are public records and we should have access to them without delay or questions.”

Hofler’s questions and answers are as follows:

Question #1 regarded economic development in Gates County. She said that was very important for the county.

“We have a strategic plan in place. We are proactive as we have to be prepared for what’s coming down the road,” Hofler stressed. “I want economic development to help all citizens in all parts of the county.”

How would others describe you as a leader?

“I’m hands-on; when I take on a job I’ll do anything from the top to the bottom,” she stated. “I treat people fairly. I have a lot of compassion and offer encouragement to people to stay with the task at hand and to help them. I care about the community. I want to see us prosper.”

What do you want to accomplish during your term in office?

“Get our water system up and running with planned improvements and expansion,” Hofler noted. “The water system needs to pay for itself. Right now it’s not due to faulty water meters, but we are being proactive by replacing those meters. Broadband is another thing. We’re at 97 percent coverage now but we need to go that last mile.”

Riddick’s questions and answers are as follows:

What new businesses are on your personal wish list for Gates County?

“They are not my personal wish list, we have to recruit businesses that are a good fit for our county,” Riddick stressed. “We’ve done studies and had conversations [about business recruitment). I’m listening to what our citizens want to come here. We have to be sure that what we bring to this county has to be what the citizens need and it needs to be sustainable.”

How do you participate as a volunteer in the community and through what organizations and the roles you played.

She answered by noting her volunteer work in the Gates Partnership for Health, serves on the Juvenile Services Committee, and the Gates County 9-1-1 Committee.

“But my main role is to serve the citizens of Gates County; I will continue to serve this county whether I’m a commissioner or not,” Riddick noted,

How much time do you spend each week serving as a commissioner?

“I spend 25-to-30 hours a week, to include face-to-face meetings, meetings by Zoom, and teleconferences,” she answered. “If you don’t have the time, this job isn’t for you.”

Each candidate gave closing remarks.

“There are a lot of things that need to be done within our county, but we need to take them one at the time,” Berryman said. “As one of five commissioners, you’ve got to be able to work with your fellow board members in order to get things done. I can do that. I can say what I’d like to see, but at the same time I can listen.”

“I’d like to be the first Republican elected as a commissioner in at least the last 70 years. I’m a fair-minded leader who can handle different situations and get the job done,” Forsythe stated.

“It’s been my honor to serve as a commissioner for the past 12 years,” said Holfer. “I ask for your continued support so we can see Gates County move forward. I will serve with integrity, experience, and dedication.”

“I’m not a politician,” Riddick stated. “Politics divides and separates people. I’m a servant leader. I serve everybody in this county and treat everyone with respect. We have a 10-year improvement plan that’s funded and will help us to get this county to where it needs to be.”

Gates County Chamber President Ed Morgan presided over the forum. He was assisted by Chamber members Temperence Bryant, Cheryl Paz, Cecil Bagley, and Marie Allen.