Shake-up on county board

Caldwell County voters voiced their displeasure at last year's tax increase and sent a clear signal for change Tuesday, ousting two incumbent Republican county commissioners.

The triumvirate of Clay Bollinger, Ben Griffin and Rob Bratcher - who joined forces to run as a group - easily defeated sitting commissioners John Thuss and Faye Higgins and three other candidates.

Meanwhile, Barbara Weiller received the most votes of any commission contender to pace the Democratic field, followed by Randy Church and L.C. Coonse.

The six surviving candidates advance to the Nov. 4 general election. The top three vote-getters in that poll will join Democrats Don Barrier and Ron Beane on the five-member board.

In final vote totals, Bollinger - a retired business owner - collected 4,251 votes (23.3 percent), while Realtor and developer Griffin had 3,648 (20 percent) and textile company supervisor Bratcher polled 3,442 (18.9 percent). Former Cajah's Mountain council member Bill Oxford finished fourth with 2,015 votes (11 percent).

Thuss was a distant fifth with 1,497 votes, while Higgins had 1,452. Business owner Arnold Wilson (1,297 votes) and mechanic Steven Fekete Jr. (649) rounded out the field.

On the Democratic side, former school board member Weiller - boosted by strong turnout in her party's presidential primary - racked up 5,901 votes (30 percent). Church - a former Lenoir Fire Department chief and Caldwell County Sheriff's Office deputy - had 5,013 votes (25.5 percent).

Retired high school teacher Coonse had 4,499 votes (22.8 percent), outpacing retired paramedic Timothy Shore (2,220 votes) and retired truck driver Jerry Coffey (2,068) for the third spot on the ticket.

Touting their years of business experience, Bollinger, Griffin and Bratcher centered the focus of their campaign against the 22.2-percent tax increase the commissioners, including Thuss, approved in June 2007 to correct a budget shortfall. At the same time, they attacked Higgins for supporting several construction projects, including the new Human Services building that is being built near the Sheriff's Office.

Higgins countered by noting that she had not voted for the tax increase, while Thuss said the spending, which included the Caldwell Early College and the Appalachian State University Center at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, was needed to improve education in the county.

“We told voters what we planned to do,” said Bollinger as he watched the returns in the City-County Chambers at the Caldwell County Offices in Lenoir. “I think they believed us. I think our message got through. We can make a difference, and we will make a difference if we can get in there as a group.”

Bollinger said going forward he and his fellow Republican candidates will continue to stress their experience in the private sector.

“We're still going to have the pretty same message, to run the county like a business,” he said. “We'll grant money on needs, not wants and personal desires.”

Weiller also has pointed to her years of business service as a retired accountant and bank financial officer. But she has no plans to run as a group with her fellow Democratic candidates.

“I've always run on my own and on my own ticket,” she said. “I'm just humbled by the support that I have received. I have said over and over again that I plan to be an advocate of the people.”

According to the Caldwell County Board of Elections, 15,850 of the 51,209 registered voters (31 percent) participated in the primary vote.

McHenry, Johnson hammer opponents

Republican U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry and Democratic newcomer Daniel Johnson rolled to victories in Tuesday's primaries and will square off in the November general election.

A two-term incumbent from Cherryville, McHenry racked up 67 percent of the 10-county vote that includes Caldwell to easily outpace Newton attorney Lance Sigmon in a race that had grown increasingly contentious as the election date neared.

Sigmon, who largely self-financed campaign, had criticized McHenry for comments the congressman had made at a Republican dinner about a security officer during a visit to Iraq. McHenry also drew Sigmon's fire for posting a video on the Internet showing where rocket shells had landed within the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad. The video was removed from McHenry's congressional Web site after consultation with defense officials.

In response, McHenry's campaign threatened a lawsuit over a Sigmon television advertisement that touched on both issues.

However, McHenry touted his conservative credentials and maintained a huge fundraising advantage to cruise to the easy victory. With most precincts reporting, McHenry had 34,154 votes to Sigmon's 16,800.

In Caldwell County, McHenry collected 4,624 votes (70.3 percent) to Sigmon's 1,955 (29.7 percent).

On the Democratic front, Johnson - a decorated Navy officer and former prosecutor making his first run for office - turned back retired Hickory businessman and engineer Steve Ivester.

Johnson totaled 40,658 votes (60.2 percent), while Ivester had 26,860 (39.8 percent). The Caldwell results showed Johnson with 5,223 votes (70.9 percent) and Ivester with 2,147 (29.1 percent).

44th: Cates to face Jacumin

In the Democratic primary for the 44th N.C. Senate District, Jim Cates defeated Danny Hefner to earn the right to face incumbent Republican Jim Jacumin. Cates collected 11,122 votes in the district that includes Caldwell and Burke, while Hefner finished with 6,237 votes. Cates gained 3,803 votes in Caldwell County (53.4 percent), and Hefner polled 3,316 votes (46.6 percent).

Printer Friendly Version

E-mail this story to friend