Mitchell County Sheriff candidates Dean Corn (left) and Donald Street (current sheriff) sit together at the forum and L-R: Commissioner candidates Jerry Prosser, Dewayne McKinney, Steve Pitman, Clayton Roberts, Jeff Harding and Howard Larsen at the Bakersville forum.
Candidates for Mitchell County Commissioner and Sheriff attended a candidates’ forum Tuesday, May 3 hosted by the Mitchell County Chamber of Commerce in the Bakersville Historic Courthouse.
Republican challengers Jerry Prosser, Dewayne McKinney and Clayton Roberts were joined by current commissioners seeking re-election Jeff Harding and Steve Pitman, as well as the lone Democratic challenger, Howard Larsen.
Current sheriff Donald Street was joined by challenger Dean Corn.
Due to space limitations, what follows is each candidate’s opening statement at the forum. The full forum is available to watch on commissioner Harley Masters’ campaign Facebook page, Harley Masters for Mitchell County Commissioner.
The Primary is set for May 17, but early voting is now open.
Jerry Prosser, Republican challenger
Prosser lives in the Grassy Creek area of Spruce Pine with his wife, Pam.
Prosser went to Georgia Military College and went on to become a plant manager for the Quartz Corp.
Prosser is a proponent of celebrating the unique aspects of each area of the county. If elected, he hopes to have regular meetings rotate through various areas of the county so constituents can be more involved.
He cited the need for stable jobs and industry to keep kids in Mitchell County once they graduate.
“I just hope to do the best I can for Mitchell County,” Prosser said. “The entire county has a lot to offer.”
Dewayne McKinney, Republican challenger
McKinney was born and raised in Mitchell County. He’s been married for 25 years and has two children.
He spent 23 years as a paramedic and also owns McKinney Computer Services in Spruce Pine, which has been in business since 1995 and employs seven people.
“I’m here to help the people of Mitchell County and to look into the best interests of Mitchell County,” he said to the crowd. “To focus on you all.”
Steve Pitman, Republican incumbent
Pitman has served as a commissioner for four years. He grew up in Mitchell County and earned a biological engineering degree from North Carolina State University.
He’s spent more than two decades working at Baxter Healthcare. His wife sells insurance.
Pitman said he hopes to get the chance to continue the work the board is already doing.
“I love people and I love Mitchell County,” Pitman said. “I want to see us grow. I’m really excited about where we’re at. I think we’re making a lot of progress and I want to see that through.”
Clayton Roberts, Republican challenger
Roberts is a Mitchell High and Mars Hill College graduate who has taught at Bowman Middle for the past 16 years.
He has been married for 16 years and has two daughters, which he says gives him a personal stake in the future of the county.
“It’s important that we build on the lives of our kids,” he said. “That’s our future.”
Roberts added that he hopes to see the county grow and progress.
Jeff Harding, Republican incumbent
Harding is seeking a third term as a commissioner. He and his wife Darla live in Spruce Pine and recently celebrated their 40th anniversary.
The two have two adult sons and a pair of adopted daughters. Jeff owns Harding’s Landscaping and Lawn Maintenance and Darla owns Lakeview Mercantile and Gardens.
Harding said being a commissioner takes a lot of time, dedication and sometimes, patience.
“At times, it’s a very thankful and rewarding experience,” he said. “At times, it’s a very thankless job.”
Like Pitman, Harding said he hopes to get the chance to continue the work the current board has started.
He added that he’s committed to the county both as a commissioner and a citizen.
Howard Larsen, Democratic challenger
Larsen isn’t a stranger to the race for commissioner. He has run before.
He moved to Mitchell County about 12 years ago with his wife. A retired educator, he also served in the United States Air Force.
“I’ve always spent my life in service,” Larsen said. “I’d like to continue in service and I think working with the county government and for the people of Mitchell County would be a positive way for me to contribute.”
In Larsen’s previous campaign, he cited the need for transparency. He acknowledged that there’s been improvement in that regard, but there is work to be done on other issues.
“We need to be ready in this county,” he said.
Donald Street, current Mitchell County Sheriff
Street started his career with the Mitchell County Sheriff’s Department in 1982, serving under former sheriff Coy Hollifield.
He worked his way up through the ranks and completed basic law enforcement training.
He used a portion of his statement time to remember the jail fire in Mitchell County in 2002 saying that he will “never forget” the images he saw that day.
“Whenever we do build a jail, it needs to be up-to-date and something that’ll make our people safe,” Street added.
Dean Corn, Republican sheriff challenger
Corn has more than three decades of law enforcement experience in a variety of capacities. He has worked with multiple state sheriff’s departments, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
He has two sons and a daughter.
“I’ve been serving for a long time,” Corn said. “I’d like to continue that.”
In addition to the local candidates, the forum also featured U.S. House of Representatives District 5 Republican candidates Virginia Foxx and Michael Ackerman. NC State Senate District 47 Republican incumbent Ralph Hise was also present.
Because Hise was the lone senate candidate attending, he fielded all of the questions and did not give an opening statement.
Instead of a question and answer period, Ackerman and Foxx each gave a brief campaign statement before exiting. Their statements follow.
Michael Ackerman, Republican
Ackerman is a veteran with a background in law enforcement and education. He lives in Valle Crucis with his wife and daughter.
He said that too many modern Republicans have gone lax and have let Democratic policies creep through.
“I’m sick and tired of sending the same people to Washington and nothing changes,” he said. “The last two years, we’ve had our rights stripped from us bit by bit.”
Ackerman denounced the teaching of Critical Race Theory and the enforcement of mask mandates. He added that he would be a “voice for the people” if elected.
“It’s time for change,” Ackerman said. “The battlefield has changed. The stakes couldn’t be higher.”
Virginia Foxx, Republican
Foxx knows Mitchell County well. She once served as Mayland Community College president.
She grew up in Crossnore in a poor family. She was 14 when her family got electricity and running water.
“I’ve been a worker all my life,” she said. “I’ve been a fighter all my life.”
Foxx said she loves helping individual constituents. She said the United States is the greatest country and she hopes to keep it that way.
She also promised to “fight for everyone’s freedoms” and cited her staunch pro-life stance.