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GREENSBORO - Education and economic development dominated the conversation at a Guilford County commissioner candidate forum held this morning at the Greensboro Downtown Marriott.

Candidates for At Large commissioner included Democratic incumbents John Parks and Paul Gibson along with Republican challenger Larry Proctor, who is the current Guilford County Planning Board director.

Board of Commissioners Chairman Kirk Perkins, a Democrat, appeared with Republican challenger Eddie Souther in the District 4 race.

Most of the candidates generally supported both major issues, but had different ways to get there.

"I would reinforce the economic incentives," Parks said about the money often given to large businesses to locate facilities within the county, such as Honda Aircraft Company and FedEx.

Gibson does not have a consistent record of supporting incentives offering a tax rebate for jobs, but said he is working with Commissioner Steve Arnold on a plan to offer incentives to small and medium-sized businesses.

To ensure future economic growth, Proctor suggested cutting the county's budget.

"The first thing we need to do is get control of the excessive spending of the taxes," he said, but didn't offer much detail on what that excessive spending meant.

District 4 candidates got a chance to set themselves apart form one another in a rematch of the 2004 election.

"The higher the taxes, the harder it is to expand business," Souther said, referring to the county's property tax rate. He hopes to increase vocational training in the county's high schools in order to make a more attractive job pool.

Though the board sets the funding level for Guilford County Schools, they typically do not involve themselves in the day-to-day programs and operations of the schools, leaving that to the school board.

Perkins pointed to his record and one-term experience as a commissioner as the major difference between his opponent. He's been on a board that usually grants incentives to businesses that want them.

"By welcoming companies to the county and welcoming expansion in the county, it shows a pro business bias," he said.

Candidates who missed the forum included At Large Republican candidate Wendell Sawyer and At Large Libertarian candidate Paul Elledge.