A one-stop early voting station and regular board of commissioners meetings in Saluda were two ideas proposed last Thursday by candidates for Polk County commissioner and sheriff at a forum hosted by the Saluda Center (formerly the Saluda Senior Center).

Six of the eight candidates for commissioner participated in the forum: Ray Gasperson (Incumbent, D), Margaret Johnson (D), Tommy Melton (Incumbent, Unaffiliated), Ted Owens (R), Benny Smith (D) and Warren Watson (Incumbent, Unaffiliated). Tom Pack (R) and David Moore (R) were unable to attend because of prior commitments, but they sent statements to be read at the forum.

Current Polk sheriff Donald Hill (D) and challenger Nathan Shields (R) also participated.

Several of the questions audience members posed to candidates dealt with the relationship between Polk County government and Saluda township.

To a question asking what the county does for Saluda, Owens replied, Those of you who live in Saluda Township, if you walked up and asked me what you get for your county taxes, Id be hard put to tell you.

He said the joint water authority the county and towns are working on currently would be a big benefit to Saluda, and that the county recreation department needs to do more in Saluda.

Many of the candidates agreed that a Polk County water authority would help Saluda, which currently buys its water from Hendersonville and therefore has no control over costs or other issues.

Melton suggested that the county board of commissioners should hold its regular meeting in Saluda at least once every two months. He said meetings could also be held periodically in Sunny View and possibly Green Creek.

A one-stop early voting location in Saluda was another idea supported by several candidates.

Saluda deserves a one-stop voting area in the next election,&bsp; Smith said.

Johnson and Gasperson said the county should find ways to support tourism in Saluda and the area in general.

Sheriff candidates also handled questions about Saluda services. Asked whether the sheriffs office has enough manpower to assist Saluda with patrol coverage, Hill said, Not really.

He described the system in use now for patrols, and said the departments ability to handle Saluda calls depended on where the most activity was at any given time.

Shields suggested improving that coverage through restructuring, including putting investigators on patrol with deputies.

Other issues stressed by all candidates included the importance of economic development bringing businesses to Polk County.

The first thing we have to do is to become more business friendly, Owens said.

Watson and Melton talked about how expensive land prices are in the area and how that hampers economic development. They said the cost of land makes it difficult to create affordable housing to help working people be able to afford to live here.

All candidates agreed that they did not expect to have to raise taxes. Gasperson said with the construction of the DSS building under way now, the county should have no immediate construction needs, so a tax increase should not be needed.

Hill said the countys biggest drug problem right now is illegal pills. He said cooperation between law enforcement agencies is necessary to fight the drug problems. He also said he would like to see the sheriffs office increase its involvement with schools.

Shields agreed that the sheriffs office needs to increase its visibility in the countys schools. He said children should see law enforcement officers as their advocates, not as the enemy.

The forum ended with a meet and greet session that gave residents the chance to talk with candidates directly.

The election will be held next Tuesday, Nov. 2.