By Ben Rappaport
For the first time in modern history, Republicans will hold a majority of the seats on the Scotland County Board of Commissioners.
Democratic incumbents John Alford and Darrell “BJ” Gibson lost their seats on Election Day to Republican challengers Tanya Edge and Jeff Shelley, respectively. An open at-large seat vacated by Whit Gibson, who is an unaffiliated voter, was filled by Republican Ed O’Neal.
The unofficial election results mean Republicans will have a 5-2 advantage on the board, shifting the balance of power in what was once a reliably Democratic county. The change highlights a larger move to the right in rural southeastern North Carolina, where Democrats long ruled county commissions and school boards.
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In Scotland County, 40% of residents are Black. With the defeat of Alford and Gibson, who are both Black, the board will consist of five white commissioners and two Black commissioners — Clarence McPhatter and Darwin “Duke” Williams.
In nearby Bladen County, Republicans swept the ticket. In the county commissioners’ race, Republican David Gooden unseated Democratic incumbent Mark Gillespie, earning 29% of the vote in a four-candidate contest. The other Republican on the ballot, Ray Britt, also earned a higher vote share than Gillespie.
Scotland County had one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the state, with 64% of eligible voters casting a ballot, compared to 73% statewide, unofficial results show. This year’s turnout in Scotland was more than 3 percentage points lower than 2020.
In all three Scotland County commissioner races, the margins between the candidates were nearly identical, with Republican candidates winning 53% of the vote to the Democrats’ 47%.
Gibson, who has been a commissioner for four years and serves as the chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party’s Rural Caucus, said he believed his party lacked unity and vision “from the top down.”
“I don’t in any way think it was an individual candidate,” Gibson said. “I don’t think the voters necessarily wanted me specifically out of office; they wanted the Democrats out.”
Alford, who has served as a commissioner for 20 years, did not respond to multiple phone call requests for comment for this story.
Gibson said the Scotland County Democratic Party did not work collectively to lift up its local candidates, leaving them to work in silos. In contrast, he said, political yard signs across the county urged voters to support all three Republican commissioners.
“I know myself and I know I do a lot to serve this community,” said Gibson, a pastor and a board member for the local NAACP and Habitat for Humanity. “But this makes clear that my leadership is not what the community wants.”
Republicans in Scotland County ran on a platform of lowering local property taxes and bringing more industry to the county.
Scotland County has the highest property tax rate in the state at 99 cents per $100 valuation. It is the only county that still has a “school-floor tax,” a state mandate implemented during school integration in the 1960s that sets a minimum for county commissioners to spend on local schools.
One of the poorest counties in the state, Scotland’s 5.6% jobless rate in September was the highest in the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Shelley, an entrepreneur and lifelong local resident, said the tax and unemployment rates have been a “continuous anchor dragging Scotland down for a long time.”
“With the first Republican majority I can remember,” he said, “I think we have a real shot to get something significant done on that front.”
O’Neal, a retired military officer, agreed.“This election was all about change, all over this country and here in Scotland County,” he said. “Now we have a responsibility to get to work and do what’s right for the residents here.”
Edge did not respond to multiple phone call requests for comment for this story.
The new board will face a growing fiscal shortfall in the county. Voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot measure that would have increased the local sales tax by one-fourth of a cent. Officials said the hike would have generated roughly $1 million annually for the county. Sixty-three percent of voters opposed the referendum.
Shelley and O’Neal both supported the measure and said they were disappointed it failed because it had bipartisan support.
“It’s no secret this county needs to find a way to grow its revenue,” O’Neal said. “I’m disappointed this failed but we will work diligently in the budget sessions to make up for it.”
“The unfortunate reality is that ‘tax’ is a dirty word, especially in Scotland County,” Shelley said. “I know we needed the money, but to be honest I didn’t expect it to pass.”
While the new commissioners in Scotland County will face challenges, Shelley said making history means being held to a higher standard.
“We’re up for the task,” he said, “and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves.”
