Guilford County Candidates Outline Priorities, Raise Reappraisal Concerns Before March 3
Guilford candidates say 2026 reappraisal has residents on edge as the county primary arrives March 3; early voting began Feb. 12 at sites like Craft Recreation Center and ends Saturday.
Residents and candidates in Guilford County are focused on the 2026 property reappraisal as the county primary arrives Tuesday, March 3, 2026. Early voting opened Feb. 12 at locations such as Craft Recreation Center on Yanceyville Street, where a Greensboro News & Record photo shows Claude Garner casting a ballot, and early voting "ends on Saturday" ahead of the primary.
WFMY News 2 collected on-the-record answers from "dozens" of local candidates and reported that the county's updated property valuations have "heightened anxiety about affordability." WFMY also clarified, "The county’s updated property valuations are not the same thing as the property tax rate - the current Board of Commissioners will vote on the rate later this summer during the budget process."
Guilford County Commission candidates are making reappraisal and affordability central to their campaigns. Walter T. Johnson III, running in District 7 in his first run for elected office, described himself as a "longtime teacher, mentor and community servant" and said, "I don't want to be a politician. I want to be a servant." Johnson told WFMY, "I don't think many people were prepared for the percentage of an increase," and listed District 7 challenges as "affordable housing issues," "blight from rundown strip malls," and "economic development." The Board of Elections filing report lists Walter T. Johnson III at 1408 PHIFER-LUTHER CT in the District 07 entries.
Alysa Kassay, seeking the District 6 commission seat, cited 40 years in federal service as central to her candidacy and said, "After 30 years… I said to myself, this is not the government that I want to work for anymore." Kassay framed affordability as a campaign focus, saying, "I went to McDonald's yesterday… and I spent $30… it's ridiculous," and "It's insane how expensive things have become."
The Guilford County Board of Elections Candidate Filing Detail Report (excerpt dated Monday, December 22, 2025) records additional local candidates and contact details. At-large Democratic entries visible in the excerpt include Greg Drumwright, 4 CLUBVIEW CT, mailing 3116 NORTHLINE AVE., campaign phone 336-587-6062, email ELECT@GREGDRUMWRIGHT.COM, filing date 12/2/2025; Amy Woodard Kemp, 3017 DUFFIELD DR, mailing PO BOX 10463, campaign phone 336-587-3300, email ELECTAMYKEMP@GMAIL.COM, filing date 12/1/2025; and Toby Andrea Hedgepeth, 749 CANNONADE DR, mailing PO BOX 124, campaign phone 336-908-2852, email TOBY4GUILFORD@GMAIL.COM, filing date 12/1/2025.
District-level filings in the excerpt show Lisa Michele McMillan running in District 07 at 201 N. MURROW BLVD. 5122, campaign phone 336-338-8616, email INFO@ELECTLISAMCMILLAN.COM, filing date 12/9/2025. Republican M. (Don) Brown is listed with a residence of 8012 WILLOW BRANCH DR, campaign phone 704-605-3320, email DON@BROWNFORNC.COM, filing date 12/1/2025.
School-board primaries are limited but consequential this cycle. WFDD reported that nonprofit leaders Irish Spencer, Michelle Linster, and Sherry Walker are running in the only school-board primary races. WFDD named incumbent Khem Irby as the District 6 holder since 2018 and noted she received endorsement from the Guilford County Association of Educators and is identified as the board president of Parents Across America. Chris Gillespie, Irby's Democratic primary opponent, briefly served on the school board in 2015 and runs a nonprofit called The Bridge. WFDD also reported that Ebony Burnett received a GCAE endorsement in the District 4 contest.
U.S. Senate filings visible in the Board of Elections excerpt include Daryl Trent Farrow, residence Jacksonville, campaign phone 757-735-4907, email FARROW07@LIVE.COM, filing date 12/5/2025; Justin Edward Dues, residence Concord, filing date 12/18/2025, email DUES4CONGRESS@GMAIL.COM; and Roy Asberry Cooper, 1209 PARK DR, mailing PO BOX 1190, campaign phone 919-673-7115, filing date 12/3/2025, email ATIILGHMAN@ROYCOOPER.COM.
Voters in Guilford County will cast ballots on March 3 while Commissioner candidates continue to debate how to respond to the reappraisal and how the county should balance affordability, development, and revenue. The Board of Commissioners will set the property tax rate "later this summer during the budget process," making the primary and the summer budget vote the two decisive events that together determine homeowners' tax bills.
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