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Money in some form — whether it’s tax, business incentives or county spending — is shading the race for two at-large seats on the Board of Commissioners.

Two Democratic candidates already hold seats in Guilford County, but two Republicans and a Libertarian hope to replace them in the fall at-large race.

If both Republicans win and another Republican takes District 4, the power of the Board of Commissioners would swing away from Democratic control.

But the money looms just as large as the politics. While the national economy falters and Guilford County recovers from more than a decade of manufacturing job losses, economic development and taxes are likely to remain top issues for candidates this fall and beyond.

Add in a quarter-cent sales tax and expected property tax rate increases linked to $651 million in bond referendums approved by voters in May, and finance takes top billing in the 2008 election.

The at-large race includes incumbent Democrats Paul Gibson and John Parks, Republicans Larry Proctor and Wendell Sawyer and Libertarian Paul Elledge.

Parks typically supports incentives coming before the board, while Gibson takes them on a case-by-case basis. Proctor said he is more interested in bringing down the property tax rate to lure business. Sawyer opposes incentives. Elledge would rather spread the incentives around more.

“I’m not in favor of giving them to a few select corporations,” Elledge said.

Then there’s the issue of a quarter-cent sales tax, which was slammed by nearly a 3-to-1 margin in elections last May. Board members have put it before voters again this fall.

This time they pledge to use the expected $16 million in added revenue for school-construction payments and say that, if the tax passes, the money will help keep property taxes down.

Parks, Gibson and Proctor support that sales tax and the hope that it could help pay down construction debt while averting a property tax rate increase.

Elledge and Sawyer oppose the sales tax increase.

Whether it comes through the property tax or sales tax, the county is likely to face some type of tax increase in the next year.

“We’re trying go deliver the services as best as we can and doing more with less,” Parks said.

More with less, indeed. Michael Halford, the county’s budget manager, planned this year’s budget to have no sales tax revenue increase. Moreover, after annual inflation figures into the budget, the county must make its dollars stretch even further.

Even with those pressures, Sawyer still hopes to hold down, or — like Proctor — reduce the property tax rate.

“My purpose is to try to rationally and reasonably save the tax rate,” Sawyer said, adding that he wants to see an itemized budget for cuts, “and save taxpayers heartache if there’s a recession here and the economy gets worse.”

Figures from campaign finance reports may provide an indication of how the candidates differ and how they are running their campaigns.

Neither Elledge or Sawyer plan to break the $3,000 funding level that the state requires to file finance paperwork. Elledge is using door-to-door campaigning.

“I got some yard signs and I’ll put them out as soon as the rain lets up,” he said Thursday.

Sawyer is relying on his name recognition as a local attorney and former N.C. senator for votes.

He’ll put up some yard signs, but he’s avoiding most election forums, which he says are not very productive.

“The name identification I’ve got now is pretty solid,” he said.

His father, like Gibson’s, was a longtime county politician. Sawyer’s father was a state senator and held other offices. Gibson’s dad was Guilford County’s sheriff in the 1980s.

Gibson has about $10,000 to spend on the election, based on the latest filing in July. Fellow incumbent Parks has roughly $20,000. Neither has spent much money yet.

In the past month, campaign signs for both have gone up, and the incumbents have hit several election forums.Proctor, on the other hand, has dipped heavily into his roughly $20,000 balance.

He’s got seven billboards, 5,000 yard signs, and handouts, he said.

And as November approaches, he and the other at-large candidates are expected to really begin campaigning — at forums, fall festivals and community get-togethers.

“I’m somewhere just about every day,” Proctor said.

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com