By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
The revaluation of all real property in Beaufort County is the No. 1 issue facing the county, a commissioner candidate said.
The county hasn’t conducted a state-mandated revaluation in eight years, said Jerry Evans.
Evans is one of four Democrats seeking his party’s nomination to run for three available slots on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners.
The two major parties will select their nominees in the May 4 primary election.
The commissioner nominees will face off in the Nov. 2 general election.
Evans, a Washington real-estate agent, said he has 30 years of real-estate experience.
Citing that experience, he said he believes he can help people out with the revaluation more than some other commissioner candidates.
“With the looming real-estate revaluation and the potential for dramatic increases in residential tax bills, I honestly believe that my experience in business and particularly in the local real-estate market will enable me to work for you to ensure the Beaufort County commissioners adopt a revenue neutral tax policy,” Evans told the Beaufort County Democratic Women recently.
Asked which, if any, county services need to be funded a higher level, Evans said he wanted more time to examine the county budget and assess program funding.
“I don’t know of any at a higher level,” he replied. “I really haven’t sat down and studied the budget in depth yet. I don’t really want to make a judgment about you need to cut here or cut there when I haven’t studied the budget.”
He said he has a copy of the budget.
“I want to make sure it makes sense to me,” he added.
After an interview, Evans called the Washington Daily News, mentioning Beaufort County Schools and the sheriff’s office in a follow-up voice mail.
“If anybody needs any money obviously the sheriff’s department does,” Evans said in the voice mail.
During the interview, Evans said he’s concerned that the county is still ranked as a Tier 1 county by the N.C. Department of Commerce.
The tier ranking system affords counties access to certain favorable grant terms and tax credits.
Tier 1 counties are considered the poorest in the state.
Tier 1 counties are losing population and businesses, Evans indicated.
“Right now let’s just stabilize who we’ve got here and take care of them,” he commented.
Evans was asked what the commissioners can do to spur economic growth in the county.
“We’re so far off the beaten path, I’m not sure exactly what we can do right now because industry is struggling so much,” he replied.
He advocated advertising to attract relocatees from the Triangle and other areas.
“I’m not sure those people realize where Washington and Beaufort County is,” he stated.
He said he wants to concentrate on businesses that are here and work on drawing people into the community.
“The biggest thing is just getting people to come to Beaufort County,” he said.
BOX:
Jerry Evans
Age: 61.
Address: 324 Sunnyside Drive, Washington.
Occupation: owner of Century 21 The Realty Group in Washington and part owner of Century 21 The Realty Group in Greenville.
Education: Attended Chowan College and Pembroke State University, majoring in psychology.
Immediate family: Wife, Brenda; also, has two sons.
How long a resident of Beaufort County: Has lived in Washington for 39 years.
Experience as an elected official: None.
Other relevant experience: A past president of the Washington Yacht &Country Club, president-elect of Rotary, board member of the Beaufort County Board of Realtors.
Last book read: “Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success,” by John C. Maxwell.