Hometown Forums

Through its annual Hometown Forum Series, IOPL raises awareness of key issues by bringing newsmakers to communities across the state.

In 2025, the series will feature four public forums focused on Health Care and Health Insurance—covering topics such as access, affordability, rural health, and the policy landscape shaping our future. These events will bring together elected officials, policy experts, and stakeholders for balanced and substantive conversations. Spectrum News 1 Anchor and host of InFocus, Sarah Rudlang, joins us as moderator of each event.

The 2025 Hometown Forum Series is sponsored by the Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) & HCA Healthcare.

Format & Audience

Each forum features two elected officials (one Republican, one Democrat) and two policy experts. Panelists have one minute for initial responses, followed by a moderated rebuttal and cross-question period.

Forums are free and open to the public. Spectrum News will air these forums twice on the following Sunday of the forum, as well as being available on Spectrumlocalnews.com.

The Healthcare Regulatory Environment in North Carolina
(Johnston Community College)

• Sen. Jim Burgin
• Sen. Gale Adcock
• Secretary Devdutta Sangvai, NC DHHS
• Josh Dobson

Is Free Healthcare Really Free?
(Duke University)

• Rep, Grant Campbell
• Rep. Sarah Crawford
• David Larson
• Dr. Nathan Boucher

Medicare, Medicaid, and the Private Insurance Markets
(Meredith College)

• Rep. Tim Reeder, MD
• Rep. Carla Cunningham
• Ben Popkin
• Rebecca Cerese

Pharmaceuticals, PBMs & Drug Pricing
(Louisburg College)

• Sen. Benton Sawrey
• Rep. Maria Cervania
• David Smith
• Brent Talley, PharmD

Superintendent of Public Instruction
(East Carolina University)

• Mo Green
• Michele Morrow

Commissioner of Labor
(Johnston Community College)

• Luke Farley
• Braxton Winston

State Treasurer
(Greensboro College)

• NC State Representative Wesley Harris
• Brad Briner

The UNC Admissions Decision: What’s Next?
(Vance-Granville Community College)

• NC State Representative Vernetta Alston
• Irving Joyner, NC Central Law
• Kenny Xu, Color Us United
• George Leef, The Martin Center for Academic Renewal

School Choice in NC
(The Dennis A. Wicker Civic Center)

• NC State Senator Benton Sawrey
• NC House Representative Zack Hawkins
• Dr. Lauren Fox, The Public School Forum of North Carolina
• Marcus Brandon, CarolinaCAN

Teacher Pay & Licensure
(Meredith College)

• NC State Representative Ashton Wheeler Clemmons
• Brenda Berg, Best NC
• Jill Camnitz, State Board of Education
• Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith, The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity

Education Finance
(Benson Conference Center)

• NC State Senator Michael Lee
• NC State Senator Jay Chaudhuri
• Mitch Kokai, The John Locke Foundation
• Alexandra Sirota, The NC Budget and Tax Center

NC’s 4th Congressional District
(Durham)

• NC State Senator Valerie Foushee (D)
• Courtney Geels (R)

NC’s 14th Congressional District
(Charlotte)

• NC State Senator Jeff Jackson (D)
• Pat Harrigan (R)

NC’s 13th Congressional District
(Cary)

• NC State Senator Wiley Nickel (D)
• Bo Hines (R)

NC’s 11th Congressional District
(Asheville)

• NC State Senator Chuck Edwards (R)
• Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara

Capital Punishment
(UNC Greensboro)

• Representative Pricey Harrison, NC House 61
• Former Representative Paul “Skip” Stam, NC House 37
• David Huffman, Retired Catawba County Sheriff
• Elizabeth Hambourger, Center for Death Penalty Litigation

The Role of a Prosecutor
(Wake Forest School of Law)

• Jim O’Neill, Forsyth District Attorney
• Ben David, Pender County District Attorney
• Nelson Bunn, Executive Director, National Association of District Attorneys
• Ron Wright, Wake Forest School of Law

Police Reform
(Wake Tech Community College)

• Senator Amy Scott Galey, NC Senate 24
• Senator Mujtaba Mohammed, NC Senate 38
• Kerwin Pittman, Emancipate NC
• Sheriff Clarence F. Birkhead, Durham County

Juvenile Justice
(NC Central School of Law)

• Representative Abe Jones, NC House 38
• Former Representative Tom Murry, NC House 41
• Adam Sotak, NC Child
• Dorothy Hairston Mitchell, NC Central School of Law, Juvenile Law Clinic

Lieutenant Governor (Concord)
Mark Robinson, North Carolina State Representative Yvonne Holley

State Superintendent of Public Instruction (Raleigh)
Catherine Truitt, Jennifer Mangrum

Commissioner of Labor (Goldsboro)
North Carolina State Representative Josh Dobson, Wake County Commissioner Jessica Holmes

State Treasurer (Sanford)
State Treasurer Dale R. Folwell, CPA, Ronnie Chatterji

Should North Carolina Expand Medicaid? (Lexington)
Former State Representative Nelson Dollar, Roy Lenardson (Foundation for Government Accountability) Wayne Goodwin (Executive Director, NC Democratic Party), Brendan Riley (NC Justice Center)

Healthcare Affordability and Access (Salisbury)
NC Rep. Carla Cunningham, former NC Rep. Bill Brawley, Jordan Roberts (John Locke Foundation) Brendan Riley (NC Justice Center)

Issues in Rural Healthcare (Greenville)
NC Senator Jim Perry, NC Senator Don Davis, Tina Gordon (North Carolina Nurses Association) and Dr. Chelley Alexander (Brody School of Medicine)

Delivery of Medical Services (Henderson)
NC Representative Donna McDowell White, NC Representative Terry Garrison, Greg Griggs (NC Academy of Family Physicians), and Jordan Roberts (John Locke Foundation)

Should the process be changed to fill judiciary vacancies? (Salisbury)
NC State Senator Paul Newton (District 36), NC State Senator Floyd McKissick (District 20)
Wayne Goodwin (Executive Director, NC Democratic Party, Brent Woodcox (Special Counsel, General Assembly)

Should voters be required to present a photo ID before voting? (Washington)
NC State Senator Erica Smith (District 3), NC Representative David Lewis (District 53), Donald Bryson (President/CEO, Civitas Institute), Kareem Crayton (Executive Director, Southern Coalition for Social Justice)

Should an eight-member Bipartisan Board of Ethics and Elections Enforcement be established to administer ethics and elections law? (Clayton)
NC Representative David Lewis, NC Senator Dan Blue, Allison Riggs (Senior Attorney, Southern Coalition for Social Justice), and Dallas Woodhouse (Executive Director, NC Republican Party)

Should the income tax rate in North Carolina be reduced to a maximum allowable rate of 7%? (Gastonia)
NC Representative Kelly Alexander, NC Senator Dan Bishop, Chris McCoy (Americans for Prosperity), and Brian Kennedy (NC Budget and Tax Center)

Should NC increase the state’s role in financing local school construction? (Rocky Mount)
NC State Senator Rick Horner (District 11), NC State Senator Erica D. Smith (District 3)

Should shared performance pay play more of a role in NC teacher compensation? (Newton)
NCAE President Mark Jewell (NC Association of Educators), NC State Representative Craig Horn (District 68)