Mariel Williams
editor@mitchellnews.com
A small crowd of local Democrats and interested voters gathered at Riverside Park Saturday to eat ice cream and meet area candidates.
N.C. Senate candidate Frank Patton “Judge” Hughes III, N.C. House of Representatives candidate John Ford, and Mitchell County commissioner candidate Jan Hamilton all briefly addressed the crowd.
Congressional candidate Caleb Rudow was scheduled to appear, but Mitchell County Democratic Party Chair Eddie Gouge said that the party had been informed by their insurance company that they could not get liability coverage for the event if they hosted a federal candidate, so Rudow had to cancel.
Hughes teaches history at McDowell High School in Marion, and he said that this was a key factor in making a decision to run for office.
“As a schoolteacher, I was tired of our taxes being pulled out and paying for private schools, and seeing my colleagues lose their jobs due to funding,” Hughes said prior to his speech. “If we want to do anything, like reduce crime or reduce drug addiction or reduce abuse — anything like that, [depends on] education.”
Hughes lives in Avery County. He said if elected he would like to work to protect are health care infrastructure, such as restoring local maternity wards in Mitchell and Avery counties.
“People in this region definitely need access to health care,” he said.
Hughes said that if elected he will advocate for everyone in the district, regardless of political affiliation.
“We really need a senator who will come out to local events, will answer phone calls and will listen to the constituents,” he said. “And that’s the kind of senator I want to be.”
Ford said he believes the most important issues in the 2024 campaign season are democracy, affordable health care, good jobs and living wages and public education.
“And I’ll be fighting for them,” Ford said. “And it’s more important on the local level — from the school board, from the city council, to the county commission, on up to the state offices — that’s where it counts, because that’s where the common feel it the most. … It starts at the local level.”
Ford, a former chair of the Mitchell democrats, emphasized that while national elections are important, it’s essential to remember the impact of local and state governance.
“That’s where the rubber hits the road,” he said.
Ford retired as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and has lived in Mitchell County for 14 years. Ford, 83, noted that he is actually older than President Joe Biden, whose age was a controversial issue before he decided not to run again.
“So therefore, I have a lot of experience,” Ford said.
Ford said that while Mitchell County has leaned Republican for some time, he has hopes that political trends are changing.
“We have a pretty solid Republican base, but things are changing, we think,” he said. “And we wish them all the best — they’re all our neighbors.”