League of Women Voters to host Catawba County Commissioner forum
By Sam Kirk
The League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley (LWVCV) will host a forum for Catawba County commissioner candidates on January 29th at the Newton Public Library.
The forum will take place between 6:00 PM and 7:30 PM. According to the LWVCV, all seven Republican candidates for county commissioner have been invited to the event.
“There are only three candidates running in the Democratic Party for this race, so they all advance directly to the general election,” the LWVCV said in a press release. “As a result, this forum will focus solely on the Republican primary candidates.”
The event will be held in “question-and-answer format.”
“Written questions will be solicited from the audience at the event,” the press release reads. “The public can also email questions by January 23 by [visiting the LWVCV website].”
The event is open to the public with limited seating and will be livestreamed on the LWVCV’s website.
The seven Republican candidates on the ballot for Catawba County Commissioner are (in order of registration) Sherry Edmonds Butler, Eric Dunn, Dave Fontana, Jay Moore, Cole Terrell Setzer, Nicholas F. Bellomo Jr., and Marla G. Thompson.
There are three seats on the Catawba County Board of Commissioners up for election in 2026. The three Republican candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election on March 3rd will progress to the general election on November 3rd.
According to the LWVCV’s website, “League of Women Voters of Catawba Valley (LWVCV) is a local nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering voters. The League does not support or oppose any political party or any candidate.”
Update. Thanks to NC State Representative Mitch Setzer Bankhead Road has been worked on by DOT. Thank you Rep. Setzer for this quick action—could have saved lives.
Catawba taxpayers who live down Bankhead Road will not be able to attend until DOT clears our street. Bankhead is a very dangerous sheet of ice. Many have called DOT to ask for salt and ice scraping, but nothing yet. Lots of people are trapped in their homes and can’t get out because of very unsafe conditions on Bankhead Road. Help!