The candidates running in Tuesday’s Democrat and Republican primaries for the Cherokee County Council District 7 seat may have diverse backgrounds, but they agree on one thing — the issues.

Generating jobs for the county is the top priority whether Democrat or Republican. Tracy McDaniel, Dennis Stroupe, Donnie Smith and Brad Upchurch are running for the GOP nomination. The Democrat ballot is a little less crowded with three candidates, including Thomas Moss, Clay Greer and William Wilson.

The special election will fill the unexpired term of James Batchler, who died in August.

McDaniel called the county’s rising unemployment rate his top concern.

McDaniel said he wants to re-examine the county’s incentive packages in hopes of attracting more industries and jobs to the area.

McDaniel works in his family’s construction business and was educated locally at Blacksburg High School and Limestone College. He and his wife, Karen, have two children.

Recruiting new industries also tops Stroupe’s to-do list.

“We have to take an aggressive approach,” Stroupe said.

That aggressive approach means tax incentives for industries, he said.

Stroupe also favors improvements to the county’s infrastructure to attract business and improve the quality of life for residents.

Stroupe, who is married with three children, works for Duke Energy and serves as the second vice-chairman of the Cherokee County Republican Party.

Upchurch is a lifelong resident of Blacksburg who has served in a supervisory position with UPS Freight.

Upchurch, who describes himself as a fiscal conservative, listed job creation as his top goal if elected to council.

Upchurch is married with four children. He said job loss has a chilling effect on the community, including on education.

All three candidates will be battling a seasoned politician in Smith, who is serving his third term on the school board.

“My main concern in the county is jobs,” Smith said. “We need to hold onto the industry we have. We need to do our best to draw more industry into the county.”

Smith served as school board chairman in 2007 and represents District 4 in Blacksburg.

Smith worked as a contractor for many years and helped oversee two multi-million dollar school building programs during his three terms on the school board.

Semi-retired, Smith works as a project estimator for Hoke Construction in Shelby, N.C. He will run for the council post while continuing to serve on the school board.

On the Democratic side, Moss brings a varied background as a 26- year employee at Hoechst Celanese and a small business owner.

He said his top issue is “to work aggressively to increase the workforce” and to improve the county’s infrastructure.

Greer is employed in the Blacksburg Public Works Department and also serves as Blacksburg’s fire chief.

The 35-year-old Blacksburg native and father of two believes that local governments should work together to attract jobs to the area.

Wilson is a resident of Blacksburg who is a partner in a pressurewashing business. He was unable to be reached for this story.

As for the proposed countywide airport, which would be located in District 7, several candidates said they support it while others needed more information before making a decision.

McDaniel, Greer and Smith said they need more information on the airport’s annual operating costs before taking a stance on the issue.

Stroupe and Upchurch believe an airport is needed to stimulate economic development.

If the top vote-getter in the Democrat and Republican primaries fails to pick up a majority of the vote, a runoff will be held Tuesday, Nov. 24.

THE CANDIDATES

REPUBLICANS
Tracy McDaniel
Dennis Stroupe
Donnie Smith
Brad Upchurch
DEMOCRATS
Thomas Moss
Clay Greer
William Wilson