County

County Commissioner, Chatham County

District 05

Vote for: 1
Term: 4 years
Candidates: 2
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: A county commissioner is one of the members of the board that adopts the county budget, sets the property tax rate and oversees county government.

Residency district: every voter in the county votes for this seat (the district is where the member must live; State Board March 3, 2026 primary precinct results).

Candidates Compare by issue

Steve Ganley

Republican

Retired IT field service engineer

The gist

Supports electing Chatham commissioners by district, not countywide
Opposes new data centers in Districts 4 and 5
Opposes diversity, equity and inclusion materials in county government
Pledges low county taxes and scrutiny of spending and bonds
Pledges to donate his first-year pay and serve one term

More about Steve

View sources (3)

Supports electing Chatham commissioners by district, not countywide
Ganley for District 5
Campaign website · Ganley for District 5 · not2late.org
“Electing Chatham County commissioners by district—rather than at-large—centers on the fundamental principle of fair representation.”
Opposes new data centers in Districts 4 and 5
Data Center
Campaign website · Ganley for District 5 · not2late.org
“a new data center should not be built in Chatham County Districts 4 or 5”
Opposes diversity, equity and inclusion materials in county government
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Chatham County Government
Campaign website · Ganley for District 5 · not2late.org
“This material has no place in any governmental organization in this nation.”
Pledges low county taxes and scrutiny of spending and bonds
Ganley for District 5
Campaign website · Ganley for District 5 · not2late.org
“Scrutinizing county spending and bond proposals”
Pledges to donate his first-year pay and serve one term
Ganley for District 5
Campaign website · Ganley for District 5 · not2late.org
“he will donate his first year of pay to assist senior citizens. He will also only run for one term.”

Franklin Gomez Flores

DemocraticIncumbent

Real estate investor

The gist

Supports teacher salary supplements and master's pay
Supports the Chatham County Promise free community college program
Supports economic incentives on a project-by-project basis
Supports funding the county's Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Supports local rather than state control over growth

More about Franklin

View sources (1)

Supports teacher salary supplements and master's pay
Franklin's Priorities
Campaign website · Franklin for Commissioner · franklinforcommissioner.com
“Support teacher salary supplements and master's pay to retain and attract effective teachers.”
Supports the Chatham County Promise free community college program
Franklin's Priorities
Campaign website · Franklin for Commissioner · franklinforcommissioner.com
“Support the Chatham County Promise, which provides two years of tuition-free education at our Central Carolina Community College”
Supports economic incentives on a project-by-project basis
Franklin's Priorities
Campaign website · Franklin for Commissioner · franklinforcommissioner.com
“Support our Economic Incentives on a project-by-project basis.”
Supports funding the county's Affordable Housing Trust Fund
Franklin's Priorities
Campaign website · Franklin for Commissioner · franklinforcommissioner.com
“Support the funding of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.”
Supports local rather than state control over growth
Franklin's Priorities
Campaign website · Franklin for Commissioner · franklinforcommissioner.com
“Advocate for local control of growth and development; not for the State of North Carolina to determine.”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 6 issues covered in this race.