Johnston County — The two Republicans and two Democrats seeking their parties' nomination for county commissioner are touting their experience.

In District 2, incumbent GOP commissioner Ray Woodall hopes his record over eight years of service will be enough to earn him four more years. Challenger Ted Godwin, a longtime executive with Kenly Savings Bank, thinks his experience in the banking industry would make him the “stronger voice” for Johnston taxpayers.

“I think we probably share a lot of the same values,” Godwin said of Woodall. “But I think that, in certain votes, I might have taken a little bit different stance.”

For his part, Woodall, 70, said he’d like to return for a third and perhaps final term to tie up some loose ends. Woodall represents County Commissioners on the board of Johnston Memorial Hospital, and he’d like to see JMH complete its bed tower in Smithfield and a medical center in Clayton.

“It makes me feel good to see how these projects are taking shape and how we’re starting to attract more and more doctors to our county,” Woodall said. “I think Johnston Memorial is becoming a hospital of choice.”

Woodall said he’d also like to lobby the General Assembly to take better care of senior citizens in Johnston and across the state. And locally, he plans to focus on issues such as mental health and school construction.

“I’d like to try to get the schools caught up to our growth so that we can eliminate some of those mobile classrooms,” he said. “That was one of my big things in running for election the first time. I feel like we still haven’t made too much progress in that area.”

That issue also concerns Godwin, who said he would like the opportunity to investigate how the county might be able to stretch tax dollars further to help pay for school construction and other needs. “I wouldn’t be in favor of paying any more taxes right now,” he said. “But I’m also not naďve enough to say I’m never going to vote for an increase. It just depends on the situation. Like my competitor, I am conservative and don’t believe in raising taxes until we’ve exhausted all means of getting all we can out of what we have.”

Democrat Donald Byrd, a real estate agent who served on the county’s Blue Ribbon Committee on growth, said he hoped to become a watchdog over growth if elected to the Board of Commissioners. In the meantime, Byrd, 47, said voters should know that he too is against raising taxes without proper cause.

Byrd said he was disappointed with the way the current board had handled growth in Johnston. “Twice in recent years they’ve formed committees to study growth and yet haven’t really done anything with the results,” he said. “We’ve got so many issues surrounding the growth in our county that need to be addressed, and I think I can help do that.”

“I also think we’ve got to do a better job with the money we’ve got,” he added. “We need to make sure we’re spending it correctly. When building schools or buying land, we have to make sure we’re getting the best deal we can and that schools are built as cost-effectively as they can be. We also need to work with the DOT and state leaders about roads. In everything, we need to make sure we’re planning for the future.”

Democrat Glenn McLamb is also vying for the seat held by Republican DeVan Barbour. He could not be reached last week for an interview.