Showing posts tagged “elections”
Sam Wardle ·
16 Mar 2010, 9:46 AM ·
1 Comment
After a forum for Democratic primary candidates for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Richard Burr, Durham For Obama activists voted overwhelmingly to support local attorney and political newbie Ken Lewis.
Lewis, not to be confused with the former CEO of Bank of America, pulled in nearly 58 percent of the 182 votes counted. N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall came in a distant second with 32 percent. Former N.C. Sen. Cal Cunningham managed just 8 percent, and Lumberton attorney Marcus Williams, less than 2 percent.
Susan Harris and Wilma Ann Worthy received no votes. Neither candidate attended the event or returned questionnaires to Durham For Obama.
Since no candidate snagged an outright 70 percent of the vote, Durham For Obama will withhold its endorsement. But the results—though unscientific to the extreme—hint at who has the most pull with the state’s progressive, activist Democrats.
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Durham, Durham County elections, Ken Lewis
Samiha Khanna ·
6 Oct 2009, 9:48 PM ·
1 Comment
As expected, Durham City Council incumbents Howard Clement and Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden will continue to the general election Nov. 3 in bids to retain their respective council seats, according to unofficial primary results posted Tuesday night by the county’s Board of Elections.
But against whom? Clement, who is seeking his 7th term in Ward 2, may not know his competitor until provisional ballots are counted Friday.
Clement secured 60 percent of the votes, so it’s clear he will continue to the Nov. 3 election to seek his 7th term on the Council. But it’s almost too close to call a runner-up.
With all but the provisional ballots counted, newcomer Matt Drew is in the lead for second place in Ward 2, with 725 votes, or 12 percent. Just behind him is Sylvester Williams, with 634 votes. A mere 91 votes separate these two candidates, and there are still about 100 provisional votes that won’t be counted until Friday, said Mike Ashe, director of the Durham County Board of Elections.
Traditionally, the provisional ballots tend to mirror the same pattern as the overall vote, Ashe said, in which case Drew looks like he still will make it past the primaries to face Clement in the election. But we can’t be sure until Friday, and though the numbers will appear complete, they also won’t be official until Monday’s canvas, Ashe said.
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Durham, Durham County, news, politics City Council, Clement, Cole-McFadden, Drew, elections, primaries
Joe Schwartz ·
4 Aug 2009, 12:56 PM ·
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Carrboro mayoral candidate Amanda Ashley owes more than $20,000 in unpaid child support and has served jail time because of her failure to pay, according to Orange County court documents.
In February 2007, Ashley, formerly known as Richard before she began living as a woman, owed $22,522.42 for the two children she had with her wife, Madelyn Ashley. The couple is now divorced.
In late 2006, an Orange County judge found Ashley in civil contempt because she had not paid child support; she served 13 days in the Orange County Jail until she paid $1,500 in support to be released.
“I’m not perfect, I admit I had a problem with the payments when I was not working,” says Ashley, who lost her job at The Chapel Hill News in 2003 when the paper downsized. “It’s all a matter of public record. It’s nothing that I’m hiding from. I’m not hiding from the fact that I was in arrears and that I’ve now maintained payment.”
Ashley, who now works at Phydeaux in Chapel Hill, says her period of unemployment lead to a “depression-related breakdown.”
“I was not a productive citizen, so to speak. I lost my home. I was living with friends, and I got behind,” says Ashley, who describes herself as a “translesbian, Wiccan, feminist” on her MySpace page. “I was simply not in a position to take care of myself for quite some time.”
Given the reduction in her income, in 2007, Ashley, 53, was ordered to pay $439 a month, down from $650. Judge Alonzo Coleman also stipulated that Ashley’s wages be garnished and credit be reported.
Ashley told the Indy that she’s been forthright in paying child support since the amount was decreased. Ex-wife Madelyn Ashley, who declined to comment for this story, says she receives payment about once every three months. The case file bears out her assertion: Orange County Child Support Enforcement filed two cases in September and October 2008 for Ashley’s failure to comply with the support order.
Ashley says Phydeaux “forgot to send the check” withheld from her salary. “My boss neglected to send the check. Child support services didn’t have the courtesy to give us a phone call. We went through this court thing that we didn’t have to because they didn’t have the courtesy to give me a phone call. We sent the check, and it’s not a problem.”
Nonetheless, Ashley pledges to push forward as a viable mayoral candidate. “The fact that I did have a depression-related breakdown which incapacitated me for awhile shows that I’m human and that I can recover from a bad situation,” said Ashley, who is running against two-term incumbent Mark Chilton and challenger Brian Voyce.
Ashley says she has consulted therapists throughout her life due to depression. She took medication after a severe episode in late 2003 and has since turned to meditation, light therapy and diet. Through treatment she says she’s been “depression-free for quite some time.”
“The issue of my ‘genderism,’ so to speak, has always been in the background of my life,” she says. “It wasn’t until following the separation and divorce that I began transitioning full time.”
The transition continues. Ashley says she has not had gender reassignment surgery, adding, “If someone gives me $80,000, I’ll think about it.”
For now, the campaign continues with a push for a population cap and maintaining a green and urban environment as top planks.
“I don’t think that those things in the past would directly relate to what ideas I am presenting,” she says. “The voters have an opportunity to look at and decide for themselves whether they want to go in that direction.”
Carrboro, Orange County, politics elections
Matt Saldaña ·
17 Jul 2009, 3:36 PM ·
2 Comments
At the final hour–literally–Durham’s election field expanded by two candidates, before closing at noon today:
-Durham County Republican Party Secretary John Tarantino filed to run against incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden, and Donald Hughes, in Ward 1.
-Darius Little filed to run in Ward 2 against incumbent Howard Clement, and three other challengers, after the Herald-Sun ran a story in today’s paper on his lengthy rap sheet (registration required).
In his campaign filing (PDF, 72 KB), Little discloses that he has been convicted of a felony, which Little also confirmed in an interview with the Indy. Public records databases indicate that in 2006, Little was convicted of obtaining property by false pretenses and obstructing justice, both felony offenses. The Indy is obtaining court records to confirm Little’s criminal record.
Little says his life experience “reflects [his] ability to understand the homeless, the underrepresented, the middle class, as well as the upper class.”
Meanwhile, Tarantino told the Indy he has “specific areas of concern … as a homeowner, regarding the image of Durham,” but declined to elaborate further.
Check back for updates.
Durham, politics darius little, elections, john tarantino
Lisa Sorg ·
17 Jul 2009, 12:18 PM ·
1 Comment
If elections are the ultimate (sur)reality show, Susana L. Dancy, who filed for Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board, is qualified to at least run for office. In Season 1 of the Fox Reality TV show, “Worlds Apart,” Dancy, her husband, Jim Rogalski, and their three children, Marshall, Taylor and Helen, “are transplanted from their pristine new home in an upscale section of Chapel Hill to live in a communal longhouse with the Tinsang family of the Iban tribe in the remote jungles of Malaysia,” the show’s Web site reads. It goes on:
“Emong Tinsang and his wife, Sendie, greet the Dancy-Rogalskis with a pig that Jim must sacrifice in order to ward off evil spirits – and the adventure begins. Susana, the only breadwinner at home, grapples with the domestic responsibilities expected of her, as Jim comes face-to-face with his mid-life crisis. Marshall and Taylor are thrust into the world of Iban manhood, and little Helen serves as the voice of reason when the family has a heated discussion. New rituals, animal sacrifices and a shamanist culture test the Dancy-Rogalskis both physically and spiritually, while a cockfight, a naming ceremony and an American birthday celebration bring them closer as a family and to the Iban tribe.”
Sorry we missed it.
Until yesterday, it appeared that the Carrboro Board of Aldermen contest was going to be a snoozer, with three candidates running for three seats. Well, rise and shine: Sharon Cook who serves on the planning board and ran unsuccessfully for a board seat in 2007, is vying again for an alderman seat. She lives in the Highlands neighborhood of north Carrboro, which was forcibly annexed by the town in 2006, angering many residents in that area.
In Cary, Philip Scarsella, a controller at NeoNova Network Services in RTP, has filed to run against incumbent Julie Robison for an at-large seat on the town council. Meanwhile, District A has a new candidate, Lori Bush, whose Twitter page says she has an “insatiable curiosity for intersection of technology, public good, and fun.” John Harvilla Jr., a member of the Western Wake Republican Club, is running in District C.
Bonner Gaylord has competition in Raleigh City Council District E, and will face fellow planning commissioner Waheed Raq, Haq, who also was appointed to the N.C. Ethics Commission by Gov. Mike Easley in 2003. Because we know you’re wondering, Raq was born in Pakistan, but became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2002. He received his master’s degree in engineering from N.C. State University.
Carrboro, Cary, Chapel Hill, Raleigh, politics elections, Jim Rogalski, John Harvilla Jr., Lori Bush, Philip Scarsella, Sharon Cook, Susana Dancy, Waheed Raq, Worlds Apart reality show
Lisa Sorg ·
16 Jul 2009, 11:53 AM ·
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There are 24 hours left until the deadline for candidates to file for the 2009 election, so expect a last-minute trickle of additional names on the ballots.
Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton has a challenger, Amanda Ashley, who, according to her MySpace page, is a Wiccan feminist graphic artist. She works at Phydeaux.
Three incumbents have filed for Chapel Hill Town Council: Ed Harrison, who has served on Council since 2001 and has the distinction of living in the part of Chapel Hill that is in Durham County (don’t make us explain the strange annexations). In addition, Laurin Easthom, who was first elected to Council in 2005, filed, as did Jim Merritt, who was appointed to fill Bill Thorpe’s seat after Thorpe died last year.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, politics Amanda Ashley, Ed Harrison, elections, Jim Merritt, Laurin Easthom, Mark Chilton
Matt Saldaña ·
15 Jul 2009, 12:31 PM ·
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Donald Hughes has made good on his promise to run for Durham City Council, filing today to challenge incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden in the Ward 1 race.
In addition, Ward 3 Councilman Mike Woodard picked up a challenger on the 2009 ballot: Allan Pollak, president of Chapel Hill-based IT company Noah IT.
All Durham incumbents up for re-election–including Mayor Bill Bell and Ward 2 Councilman Howard Clement–now face challengers in the 2009 election.
Durham, politics allan polak, Cora Cole-McFadden, donald hughes, elections, Mike Woodard
Matt Saldaña ·
13 Jul 2009, 11:35 AM ·
8 Comments
Cary resident Lois Nixon announced her campaign today for Wake County Board of Education in District 9. As of 11 a.m., Nixon had not yet filed.
In a press release (DOC, 40KB), Nixon listed her experience as former director of Wake County Keep America Beautiful, and a certified environmental educator.
Meanwhile, Durham Ward 2 Councilman Howard Clement has a third challenger–relative unknown Sandra Howell, who filed this morning.
Also, Bull City Rising is reporting that Donald Hughes will challenge City Councilwoman Cora Cole-McFadden for Ward 1 in Durham.
Hughes, a frequent speaker at city and county meetings, is the son of former Councilwoman Jackie Wagstaff. As BCR notes:
Wagstaff herself lost a re-election bid for Council in 2001 to Cole-McFadden — the very candidate her son finds himself challenging eight years later.
Hughes has spoken passionately on a wide range of topics, including education and jobs creation. He sided with developers during the contentious April 13, 2009 vote on whether to conduct a public hearing to change Jordan Lake’s boundaries in order to accommodate a 164-acre mixed-use project, citing the potential for an increased tax base. Oddly, Hughes said that since Durham does not currently use Jordan Lake as a drinking-water source, the lake’s water quality should not be factored into the county’s decision. Durham purchased water from Jordan Lake during the 2007-08 drought.
“It’s been presented time and time again that this project is going to affect water quality in Durham. Durham’s water does not come from Jordan Lake; to present this as harming Durham’s water quality is false,” Hughes said at the meeting.
Hughes will kickoff his campaign on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., in the parking lot of the old Winn-Dixie at Hopkins Street & Alston Avenue, his campaign’s Facebook page has announced.
If you want a sneak preview, a commercial under Hughes’ name has been listed on YouTube, and a campaign brochure under the same name has been uploaded to scribd.com.
Cary, Durham, Durham County, Wake County, environment, politics 751 Assemblage, Cora Cole-McFadden, donald hughes, elections, Howard Clement, jackie wagstaff, jordan lake, lois nixon, sandra howell
Lisa Sorg ·
10 Jul 2009, 4:35 PM ·
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With one week down for the 2009 election candidate filings, Durham Mayor Bill Bell has a challenger, Steve Williams, a Durham native who grew up in Walltown, and graduated from St. Augustine’s College, where he received a track-and-field scholarship. His platform, which is listed on his Web site, includes crime, economic development, the environment, housing and education.
Meanwhile, a third candidate has entered the Chapel Hill Town Council race, Jon Dehart, a mortgage account representative. There are four candidates running for three seats on the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board, the most recent being J.M. (Joe Green), a UNC education professor.
And in Raleigh, District E, which until today was the lone council district without a candidate, now has one: North Hills General Manager Bonner Gaylord, who serves on the Raleigh planning commission.
Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, news, politics Bill Bell, Bonner Gaylord, elections, J.M. Green, Jon Dehart, Steve Williams
Lisa Sorg ·
9 Jul 2009, 11:48 AM ·
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Is that the sound of a cash register? First term Chapel Hill Town Councilman Matt Czajkowski has filed for mayor of Chapel Hill; like fellow mayoral candidate Augustus Cho, he has not opted to participate in the voter-owned election program, allowing them to raise large sums for their campaigns.
Czajkowski loaned himself more than $17,000 for his 2007 town council campaign.
Town Councilman Mark Kleinschmidt is also expected to run, but has yet to file.
Update at 5 p.m.: Matt Pohlman has filed for Chapel Hill Town Council. He has not enrolled in the voter-owned election program. Mark Chilton has filed for Carrboro mayor
In other Orange County filings, Gary Wallach and MaryAnne Gucciardi are running for Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board.
In Durham, the Ward 2 race got more interesting as a third candidate, Sylvester Williams, a minister, is running against incumbent Howard Clement III and Libertarian Matt Drew.
Update at 5 p.m.: Incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden has filed for Durham City Council in Ward I.
And in the No Big Surprise department, incumbent Mayor Bill Bell is running for a fifth term, effectively dousing Mike Woodard’s mayoral aspirations this year. Woodard is running for re-election to City Council.
In Wake County, candidate filings for District 7 are popping up like mushrooms after a rain: Deborah Prickett and Jerry Ballan are running against Karen Simon.
Meanwhile Rodger Koopman is running for re-election in District B and Anthony Integlia is the sole person seeking the District C seat.
Update at 5 p.m.: Chris Augustine has filed for Wake School Board District 2, bringing the candidate total in that race to four. In Cary, Jennifer Robinson will face Cynthia Sinkez in District A.
In Raleigh, incumbent Mayor Charles Meeker filed for re-election; he’ll face Mark Enloe, who also filed today. Nancy MacFarlane is running for another term in Council District A; currently, the only district without a candidate is District E.
Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, Wake County, politics Anthony Integlia, Bill Bell, Charles Meeker, Chris Augustine, Cora Cole-McFadden, Deborah Prickett, elections, Gary Wallach, Jennifer Robinson, Jerry Ballan, Mark Chilton, Mark Enloe, MaryAnne Gucciardi, Matt Czajkowski, Matt Pohlman, Nancy MacFarlane, Rodger Koopman, Sylvester Williams
