Co-Editor in Chief Ella Sullivan breaks down all the candidates running in the 2020 Board of Commissioners elections. Three out of five seats are up for re-election this year. Chatham County residents can vote on all districts; however, only Districts One, Two and Five are up for election this cycle. District Three’s Diana Hales and District Four’s James G. “Jim” Crawford will remain on the board.
Board of Commissioners District One
Karen Howard
Democrat
Howard was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in 2014, although she previously served on the Chatham County Board of Education. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.
Howard was born in New York and spent part of her childhood in the Bahamas. In college, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgetown University and a LLB in Law from the University of Buckingham. In 1992, Howard was called to the Bar of England & Wales and The Bahamas Bar.
Currently, Howard serves on the Board of Directors for the Chatham Arts Council. She is also the board’s liaison to the Board of Education, Chatham County Partnership for Children, Community Child Protection Team, Child Fatality Team, Central Piedmont Community Action, Juvenile Crime Prevention Council, Library Advisory Committee, Cardinal Innovations Central Community Mental Health, County Commissioner Advisory Board for Cardinal Health and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Howard can be contacted at karen.howard@chathamnc.org.
Jay Stobbs
Republican
Stobbs has never run for the Board of Commissioners before, but he ran for the District 54 N.C. House of Representatives seat and lost to Democrat Robert Reives in 2018.
Stobbs is the Republican challenger in the District One race. He is a graduate of West Point and served as a colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. For six years, Stobbs also worked at Northrop Grumman as a nuclear weapons effects specialist. In 2005, he moved to Chatham County.
Running as part of the Chatham County Republican Party under the slogan “Vote 3 for change,” Stobbs hopes to increase the number of veterans on the board. He along with fellow Republicans Jimmy Pharr and Andy Wilkie are all veterans. The key issues felt by all three of the Republican candidates are restoration of the Veterans Memorial in front of the Chatham Historic Courthouse, repeal of county-wide zoning, reduction of property tax and reduction of spending.
Stobbs can be contacted at ctestobbs@gmail.com.
Board of Commissioners District Two
Mike Dasher
Democrat
Dasher was first elected in 2016 to the Board of Commissioners. During his time on the board, he has served as board chairperson.
Dasher is a 14 year resident of Chatham County after moving to North Carolina from Ohio at the age of 12. Dasher graduated from Barton College with degrees in Political Science and Finance. He served with Habitat for Humanity through the AmeriCorps and later went on to work with nonprofit affordable housing providers in the Triangle. Currently, he owns a small business that develops and builds residential properties.
With his campaign, Dasher hopes to “move Chatham forward.” He is currently the liaison to the Alcohol Beverage Control Board, Appearance Commission, Transportation Advisory Committee, Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization, Board of Social Services, Triangle J Council of Governments Smart Growth Committee, Board of Elections and Orange-Chatham Joint Planning Task Force.
Dasher can be contacted at mike.dasher@chathamnc.org.
Jimmy Pharr
Republican
Pharr is the Republican challenger for District Two.
Pharr is a 45 year resident of Chatham County. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in physical education administration and recreation administration. He also graduated from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Masters of Divinity and Christian Education. Pharr also has a Broker in Charge License. He was also a staff sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. Collector’s Corner, Jimmy Pharr’s Mobile DJ Service and Pharr Properties are also all owned by Pharr. Currently, Pharr is a Bible professor of the Old and New Testament at Central Carolina Community College’s Lee and Chatham campuses.
Pharr is also running under the slogan “Vote 3 for change” with Stobbs and Wilkie. He also feels key issues are restoration of the Veterans Memorial in front of the Chatham Historic Courthouse, repeal of county-wide zoning, reduction of property tax and reduction of spending.
Pharr can be contacted at ctepharr@gmail.com.
Board of Commissioners District Five
Andy Wilkie
Republican
After Walter Petty’s resignation in 2019, Wilkie was appointed to the Board of Commissioners. He is the incumbent Republican for District Five.
Wilkie has lived in Chatham County for his entire life. After graduating from Chatham Central High School, Wilkie joined the U.S. Army Reserves serving as a paratrooper and parachute packing instructor at Fort Bragg during the Vietnam War. While serving, he started college part time at Appalachian State University, later graduating with a degree in social science. After graduation, he served as a Head Start health coordinator for several N.C. counties. For 34 years, Wilkie owned a store in Sanford. He founded Project Help, a non-profit serving the homeless in Sanford, and created a scholarship fund for high school seniors that continues to award funds annually to four Chatham Central graduates in honor of a classmate who died in the Vietnam War. As a retiree, he maintains his family farm. Currently he is a member of the American Legion while formerly being a member of the Lions Club, Chatham County Historical Association and Chatham Arts Council.
Wilkie is the only incumbent Republican running for the Board of Commissioners and is also running under the slogan “Vote 3 for change” with Stobbs and Pharr. Restoration of the Veterans Memorial in front of the Chatham Historic Courthouse, repeal of county-wide zoning, reduction of property tax and reduction of spending are also Wilkie’s key issues. Currently he serves as the board liaison to the Adult Care & Nursing Home Committee, Agriculture Advisory Committee, Chatham Trades, Enhanced 911 Committee, Local Emergency Planning, Recreation Advisory Committee and Research Triangle Regional Partnership.
Wilkie can be contacted at wilkieandy@ymail.com or andy.wilkie@chathamnc.org.
Franklin Gomez Flores
Unaffiliated
Flores is the Democratic challenger for District Five. Currently, Flores serves on the Chatham County Planning Board. After deciding to run due to the realization that the District Five seat would be going into its third unopposed election, Flores may soon become the first resident of Siler City elected to the Board of Commissioners in 20 years.
Flores is a 26 year old resident of Siler City who immigrated to Chatham County at five from Guatemala. He graduated from Jordan Matthews High School among the top ten students of his graduating class. In 2016, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in biology with the support of the Scholars’ Latino Initiative. Currently, Flores works as a heavy equipment operator at Sealing Agents Waterproofing. Flores is a registered Democrat running Unaffiliated due to being unable to file for the primary because of legislation passed in 2019; however, the Chatham County Democratic Party has put their support behind Flores.
If elected, Flores is interested in increasing affordable housing, promoting responsible growth by following Chatham’s Land Use Plan, advocating for equitable pay for equitable jobs, protecting immigrants’ rights, supporting quality education for all, seeking the diverse perspectives of Chatham’s citizens and providing responsible, collaborative leadership.
Flores can be contacted at info@franklinforcommissioner.com.
The 2020 Board of Commissioners election is on Nov. 3. Mail in voting and early voting have started. To find polling locations and your sample ballot, visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections One-Stop Voting Sites and Voter Search.
