Elections 2004

SCHOOLS	VOTERS	COMMISSIONERS
Collins unseats Layton as Rogers wins. Also: Voters approve $49.5 million bond issue for facilities. The Union County Board of Education will have two new faces after a longtime incumbent was edged out in one district and a political newcomer scored a big win in the at-large race. Dennis Layton, board vice chairman and a member since 1992, lost District 5 to retired teacher John Collins by only 425 votes, unofficial results said. "I anticipated a close vote, but not losing," Layton said Wednesday, "I'm very disappointed." "He (Collins) had a good group of people he was networking with. That Marvin/Weddington area is very politically active," Layton said. Layton said he will miss working with Superintendent Jerry Thomas and the board, and said he's known Collins for years and believes he'll do a good job. "He'll need a bigger e-mail inbox," Layton joked. 11.04.04	Long waits greet voters at Marvin school. Several residents said the polling place should have more machines. A book of word games, some snacks, a broken lawn chair and three and a half hours after they got in line to vote, Tracy Bower and her children walked out of Marvin Elementary School with "I voted" stickers. And she was among the lucky ones. Many of the more than 3,900 voters of this fast-growing precinct just across the Mecklenburg line spent more time waiting to exercise their democratic rights. Union County Elections Board Director Shirley Secrest said some voters waited more than five hours for one of the precinct's six voting machines Tuesday. The reported 67 percent turnout was not a record for Union. Nearly 75 percent turned out for the 1984 presidential race, Secrest said. 11.04.04	Lane and Pressley swamp their Democratic opponents. GOP continues dominance of the 5-member board. The moment Roger Lane knew his winless streak in running for the Union Board of County Commissioners was at an end didn't come Tuesday night. It was two weeks ago when hands once cold to him started seeking his embrace. "Some people who hadn't been very friendly with me suddenly started to be very cordial," Lane said Wednesday. "I have to remember that the whole time I'm there." Still, the retired Air Force veteran and teacher said scoring the most votes in a four-way race was "quite rewarding." Lane received 37,571 votes, according to unofficial returns. Fellow Republican Kevin Pressley won the second open seat on the board, with 35,897 votes. 11.04.04
COMMISSIONERS	SCHOOLS	VOTERS
Pressley, Lane win county seats With all but one precinct reporting, Republicans Kevin Pressley and Roger Lane seemed to have insurmountable leads in the race to become the next county commissioner. Both Pressley and Lane had more than 33,000 votes, while Democrat challengers Max Melton and Franklin Deese garnered 18,851 and 16,732 respectively. If the results continue to hold form, Pressley and Lane will join Hughie Sexton, Richard Stone and Stony Rushing on the board. Pressley said after several months of campaigning it feels great for the race to finally be over. 11.02.04	School bond passes, Collins, Rogers elected The wait for results went late into the night, but once the numbers came down, Kim Rogers and John Collins were welcomed as the new faces on the Union County Board of Education, joining incumbents John Crowder, Tripp Helms, and Carolyn Lowder. With the changes coming to the board in January, Helms said some adjusting can be expected with the new blood. Rogers, who ran for one of two at-large seats, said it was the issue of communication that connected with the voters. "In the West, I believe it was addressing the growth, and in the East it was concern over equity." she said. "But more than anything I think it was about opening communication up." 11.02.04	Polls overwhelmed by turnout People waited in line for upwards of one, two, three and even four hours to cast their votes across the county Tuesday. Voters in the Marvin, Weddington and Waxhaw areas had some of the longest waits with polls needing to remain open for several hours past the 7:30 p.m. closing time because those people were already in line and state statute guarantees them the right to cast their vote. Former Board of Election member Darren Greene said the large number of voters put strains on the board of elections and the 12-year-old voting machines. 11.02.04
COMMISSIONERS	State Wide	VOTERS
Candidates for Union offices report finances. Melton, running for county board, leads all in money raised. After a slow start, most of the candidates for Union County's elected offices stepped up campaign fund-raising efforts, their latest reports show. Union County Board of Commissioners candidate Max Melton led all candidates, raising more than $23,000 between July and the first three weeks of October. That brings the Democrat's total contributions to $24,635. Much of the $19,180 he spent this period went to advertisements and signs. Melton is trying to become the first Democrat on the county board in more than a decade. He served on the board in the late '80s. Republican Roger Lane collected the second most this period, with $11,161. More than half, $6,000, came from a loan to himself. 10.28.04	Candidates react to newly nonpartisan races. Republicans trumpet party ideals; Democrats focus on track records. RALEIGH - For the first time this year, candidates for North Carolina's two highest courts are appearing on ballots without party labels -- and the two major parties are taking radically different approaches to the new order. Republican judicial candidates are making a concerted effort to identify themselves with the party and to make known their stances on key issues. Meanwhile, Democrats seeking two seats on the state Supreme Court and three Court of Appeals seats are stressing their experience and resumes, not ideology. 10.31.04	Early voting may boost grass roots DURHAM -- With Election Day having morphed into an 18-day Election Period, political activists are debating what effect the change will have. Some think the widespread popularity of early voting could shift political influence from expensive media campaigns to grass-roots efforts that bring out unlikely voters. Others believe the same people will vote, just at more convenient times. But for local boards of elections, early voting means more work, more money and a more complex process, said Mike Ashe, director of the Durham County Board of Elections. "This presidential season has been very expensive for the Board of Elections," Ashe said. "Having said that, democracy is priceless. Money well spent." 10.30.04
VOTERS	SCHOOL BOND	VOTERS
Lines grow for early voting N.C. breaks records with 6.4% of voters done; some wait up to 2 hours to cast ballots. Lines kept growing Monday as North Carolina smashed records for early voting. More than 350,000 people, or 6.4 percent of the state's registered voters, had cast early ballots as of Monday, with four more days of early one-stop voting left. On Monday, the wait averaged an hour in Mecklenburg and topped two hours in Gaston County. Early voters in Union and Cabarrus counties were waiting 30 to 40 minutes Monday, officials there said.... 10.26.04	Click to enlarge and View Executive Summary	Nearly 8,000 new voters register Union County's registered voter population grow by some 7,800 in the three months leading up to the Oct. 8 cut-off. In addition to the 7,800 new registration, the Union County Board of Election has had to take care of 4,400 changes in voter registrations. "We have been extremely busy," said elections director Shirley Secrest. With massive voter registration efforts conducted throughout the United States in preparation for the Nov. 2 Presidential Election, Union County saw a nearly 2-to-1 advantage in Republican registration compared to Democrat and even unaffiliated. 10.22.04
Letters	Letters	State Wide HOT!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Roger Lane best choice for commissioner Character is everything. Character, integrity, ability to listen. These are several characteristics I have looked for in candidates for county commissioner. A history of helping people and a long-term commitment to Union County are two more attributes necessary for me to support a candidate.I feel that Roger Lane fits these better than any of the other candidates. 10.14.04	LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Bond package will fund needed extracurriculars As the parent of two Union Elementary students and president of the PTO board, I have become well aware of the schools' many unmet needs. Parent and community support can help to meet those needs.We have got to make healthy living and daily exercise a top priority in our schools and show our children how important it is to exercise in some form everyday. 10.24.04	How should we pay for public projects? Borrowing without OK by voters key issue A big decision looms at the bottom of your ballot. It's a 124-word sentence describing a hotly contested proposal to change the N.C. Constitution. Called Amendment One, it would allow cities and counties to pay for some public projects without first getting voter approval, by borrowing against future property taxes generated by a specific new development. Supporters say the approach is vital for the state's economic future. Opponents condemn it as a Trojan horse for corporate welfare. 10.22.04
Letters	State Wide	State Wide
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Judy Chapman's unique perspective offers a lot Judy Chapman and I have been friends for more than 20 years. She was instrumental in the formation of the N.C. Notary Association, was its first president and currently is a director. 10.21.04	Meet the candidates Republican Eddie Goodall beat Union County Board of Commissioners Chairman Paul Standridge in the primary to become the only candidate on the ballot to succeed Fern Shubert in the N.C. Senate District 35 seat. Shubert made a failed run for governor this year. No Democrat filed in time to challenge Goodall. But Cornelius "Neal" Brantley Jr. did collect enough signatures to be an official write-in candidate. 10.21.04	Write-in candidate Brantley takes on Goodall Winner will represent Union County and part of eastern Mecklenburg Even with no opponent on the ballot, Eddie Goodall isn't ready to call himself a state senator yet. Voters still have to choose him in the Nov. 2 general election. 10.21.04
COMMISSIONERS	SCHOOL BOARD	REGISTER OF DEEDS
Candidates agree on change Commissioner hopefuls all propose better communication Union Observer Article by HOWIE PAUL HARTNETT They come from different backgrounds and would bring different experiences to the Union Board of County Commissioners. But the four men vying for the two open seats on the five-member panel all say they would support the construction of the U.S. 74 Bypass. They all say they want better communication with the school board and less fighting among commissioners. They all say they would work to broaden the tax base by recruiting more businesses. 10.10.04	Growth a common thread in campaign But some of the 12 in race for 4 seats have range of other concerns Twelve candidates, including four incumbents, are vying for spots on the Union County Board of Education. At recent public forums, the candidates have discussed their ideas for alleviating school crowding and equalizing resources at schools in different regions. Some candidates are also pushing a single issue, like improving reading, technical education or communication between the board and the public. Five seats -- the majority of the nine-member board -- are before voters Nov. 2. Up for election are the seats in districts 1, 2 and 5, and two at-large seats, although the district 1 seat is held by an unopposed incumbent. 10.17.04	At issue: Restoring trust The 2 candidates have similar goals, claim valuable experience The question before Union County voters is not which candidate would cross-train Register of Deeds employees in each others' jobs and improve the office's technology. Democrat Judy Chapman and Republican Crystal Crump both have vowed to do that. But which would make those improvements and repair the public's trust in an office marred by controversy faster? Chapman, 54, says she is the answer because of her experience working in the office in the 1980s. Crump, 33, says she is the best choice because she has been in the office more recently. As a real estate paralegal, she has been in the office often over the last 14 years. 10.14.04
School Board Candidates presented at community forum. The Marvin Elementary PTA sponsored a "Meet the Candidate" forum Thursday evening in the school's multipurpose room. To a crowd of approximately 45 people, each candidate gave a review of their qualifications and enumerated their reasons for running for office. Among the attendees were two of the three incumbents up for re-election, School Board Chairman Tripp Helms (At-Large) and Vice Chair Dennis Layton (District #5), and At-Large candidates Richard Alexander, Henry Drake, Phil Gilboy, Kim Rogers, Milt Simpson and Richard Weiner, as well as candidates Vonn Stone and John Collins for District #2 and District #5, respectively.