NEW HANOVER COUNTY — The primary election on Tuesday will narrow a crowded field of candidates running for the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners from six Democrats and nine Republicans to three from each party; winners in the primary will compete for three open seats in November.
Of three Board of Commissioners candidates with terms ending in 2020, only one — Jonathan Barfield — is running for reelection. Commissioners Woody White and Patricia Kusek have both opted not to seek additional terms.
All candidates in the 2020 primary were asked the same questions; candidates were not given word limits and were encouraged to broach any subject we didn’t ask about in the final two questions. Answers were edited only for typographical errors and for formatting.
All of the candidates were contacted for the questionnaire; twelve of the fifteen candidates responded to questions. Republican candidate Ricky Meeks declined to respond, stating early voting had already started. Republican candidates Frank Meares and Bill Rivenbark were contacted but never submitted responses.
Democratic candidates
Republican candidates
- Deb Hays
- Joe Irrera
- Harry Knight
- John Lyon
- Frank Meares
- Ricky Meeks
- Matt Rhodes
- Bill Rivenbark
- Skip Watkins
