Republican W.R. "Skeet" Von Harten, vice chairman of the council, and Democratic challenger Reuben Greene met at the Technical College of the Lowcountry forum looking for an Election Day win in the mostly Burton district.
Von Harten said building the $29 million high school north of the Whale Branch River goes against the county's comprehensive plan, intended to guide growth decisions.
"It flies in the face of the demographics that have been developed," he said.
Greene said he supported the high school during his time on the school board, before retiring in 2002, and he supports it now.
"People are trying to run that part of the district and don't even live there," he said. "You don't live in Dale, but you seem to know what Dale needs."
With some property owners showing sticker shock at property values reassessed for the first time in six years, Greene said he supports a 20 percent cap on property reassessments.
"We need a tax cap to protect property owners from politicians and developers," he said.
The cap would mean a home that was valued at $100,000 last year and reassessed this year at 200,000 would be taxed at $120,000.
The General Assembly ap-proved the cap in June, but Gov. Mark Sanford has yet to sign the cap into law.
Von Harten said he opposed the cap, favored by some local Republican legislators, because he expects a negative impact for the residents of Burton.
"All that does is shift the tax burden to the lesser valued properties," he said. "Those that will be damaged far out weigh those that will benefit."
On the 1 cent capital project sales tax referendum on the ballot Nov. 2, Greene said residents can't afford it and shouldn't have to.
The sales tax would collect $122 million over no more than five years to pay for 33 primarily road and park improvement projects.
"We can't afford any more taxes," Greene said. "Let the state take care of it."
But Von Harten said state or federal money isn't coming for needed local road improvements.
"They're not building (the roads) and we need them," he said.
A question submitted by an anonymous audience member asked Von Harten to defend campaign contributions he received from southern Beaufort County developers.
Von Harten said the contributions were unsolicited and that a council member makes countywide decisions.
"I serve and represent everybody," he said. "Not just District 9."
The forum was hosted by The Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce, The Black Chamber of Commerce, The League of Women Voters of Northern Beaufort County, and the American Association of University Women of Beaufort.
It will be shown with the state House of Representatives District 124 candidate forum on WJWJ-TV at 6:30 p.m. Thursday and Oct. 28.