The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5. In-person early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 17 and the lone contested county race is for the District 1 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

Democratic incumbent Carolyn Faines is seeking re-election and faces opposition from Republican challenger William Heitman. 

Carolyn Faines

Carolyn Faines probably has some stories she could tell from her 20+ years in public education. For the past five years, Faines has taught business at Bunn High School in Franklin County, but education is something that takes up a lot of space in her head and her heart.

But she’s got room as well for Vance County and the people who live here, many of whom – like her – have been here their whole lives.

She has master’s degrees and is currently pursuing credentials to become an administrator, but she’s also been a bus driver, teacher assistant, a data manager, a bookkeeper within public schools.

“Education has always been a big part of my life,” she said. “I believe in education. love teaching – it’s one of my passions.”

Faines is the District 1 incumbent on the Vance County Board of Commissioners, first elected in 2016. She also is the founder of I Believe God Outreach Church in the Williamsboro community.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – “I think eight years is entirely too long,” she said. Faines said she initially backed the revenue-neutral budget, but ultimately determined that the county had so many projects that needed to be funded, so she voted for the 10-cent tax increase during the budget process.

“I felt like there were things that needed to get done,” she added.

Jail – “The jail is in a bad shape,” Faines said. It is run down, she continued, and said that something needs to be done to improve conditions.

“Regardless of the reason they’re there, they’re still people,” Faines said.

Fire study – “We are still in a lot of discussion,” Faines said, noting an upcoming joint meeting later this month with the public safety committee and the fire safety committee.

“We make sure that our people are safe, as we look at redistricting, (as we) look at our volunteer fire departments (and) Golden Belt.”

She said she’d love to see all fire departments have 24/7 coverage. “To me, that would be wonderful,” she said. “Taking care of our citizens is first.”

Faines said she loves her role as a county commissioner and she said she keeps people top of mind with every vote and every decision she makes.

“The policies that I vote on are what I believe will help the people of Vance County,” she said.

“My heart is in it – that the people get what’s best. I love it because this is where I was born and raised…and I’m glad to be a part of the Vance County team.”

William Heitman

William Heitman has lived in Vance County for just over a decade, having moved from Durham and putting down roots on four acres of land in the northern part of the county.

“There are good people here…I have good neighbors,” Heitman said during an interview with WIZS News, recorded for broadcast on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“After I retired, I decided I wanted to try to give something back,” he said. So he threw his hat into the ring to represent District 1 on the county board of commissioners.

He’s a newcomer to politics, and describes himself as a conservative. He feels the management skills he honed during his years as a pilot, flying 747 jets all over the globe, will be useful if he’s elected. He retired with the rank of captain.

“As a captain on a 747, you have a crew – sometimes a double crew -,” Heitman said. “You have to manage people” and keep them focused on the task at hand.

He said he knows how to take, and accept, responsibility to have good outcomes.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – Heitman said he’s in favor of changing the revaluation from every 8 years to every 4 years. “I’m sure it worked well for many years,” he said. He is not in favor of bringing evaluators from more urban areas like Raleigh and Cary to a rural area with no local oversight.

“There weren’t local people taking care of local people,” he said, adding that he would not have voted for the property tax rate that commissioners approved.

“I would have voted against it, absolutely,” he said.

Fire study – Heitman said he’ll need to do a little more research into the status of the fire study. “I have caught wind of this fire issue that the commissioners wanted to take a county funded fire department and put it back to a volunteer fire department…there are, I’m sure, other parameters to take into consideration.”

Since he’s retired, Heitman said he’ll have the time needed to get out into the community, talk to people and get the facts.

Jail – The current situation with the jail is another matter for further research, and Heitman said he’s interested in taking a look at the current facility, and talk to law enforcement officials like the sheriff and police chief to find out what the needs are.

If he’s elected, Heitman said he’s going to be looking into where taxpayers’ money is being spent. “This is where I have to get in there and start digging,” he said.

He also is keen to work on the county-wide problem of littering, citing roadside trash from fast-food restaurants that folks toss from their cars.

He said he wants residents to take more pride in their county. Tourists and lake visitors would take away a better impression of their time in the county. But first, he said, it’s important to “change people’s attitudes towards where they live.”

“I have ideas and ideals,” Heitman said, “that I want to make Vance County better, a destination for people to come and visit, and leave feeling good about it.”

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