Many Moving Pieces in Establishing Who Will Serve as a Beaufort County Commissioner | Eastern North Carolina Now

   As expected, Commissioner Hood Richardson crushes his competition, but with a twist.

   The least talked about race in the Beaufort County elections may very well be the most important - the race for 4 seats on the Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners. Whenever there is a commissioner race in Beaufort County it always gets interesting.

   Why?

   It is the sheer weigh of the "Limited Voting" process, a weight that has plagued Beaufort County since 1992, which limits each voter to just one vote for all the county commissioner seats available in each two year election cycle. What this intended election method forces from this weary electorate, here in Beaufort County, is that each serious voter must concentrate their vote on the candidate that they feel will best represents their vision of good government.
Beaufort County Commissioner, and leader of the Republican primary ticket, Hood Richardson, at the Beaufort County Board of Elections, checking out the early vote returns, May 8, 2012, with his granddaughter, Violet Jean: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
The unofficial, and relative, vote total percentages for the Republican nominations for the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners: Above.
   That intended result, by the originators of this convoluted election method, was never more apparent than evidenced by the results of this election, on this day. Folks, of widely diverse socioeconomic / demographic backgrounds, were driven to the polls by a number of ancillary sociopolitical issues: two separate sales tax referendums - one county, one state - and the Defense of Marriage Amendment.

    The vote totals for county commissioner, since it is a single - shot expression of intent, well represented the aforementioned turnout demographics. I did not see it at first blush, probably because I did not realize that the diverse turnout was so profoundly large, but the commissioner vote totals, for the Democrats and the Republicans count commissioner candidates, well symbolized the referendum voting initiatives - like a mirror.
Rick "the one" Gagliano (left), here sitting with his wife, watches the vote totals come in, as Tom Payne (standing right) calls out the totals: Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage

   First the Republicans:

   Stan: "Hood, why are you not crushing McRoy (well established, and well documented RINO county commissioner)? You're only up by a few hundred votes.

   Hood: "Oh, we told folks to spread the votes around to the other Conservatives running, and it looks like they are doing pretty well."

   Stan: "Yes, I do hold your self-imposed magnanimity in high regard; however, after everything this guy stands for, which is actually nothing, you needed to crush him. Yeah, how about this Hood? Jay McRoy: a candidate, a politician, a county commissioner - about nothing."

   I really don't think Hood got the "Seinfeld" reference. He is not wired that way. However, and remarkably, Hood jump-started me on thinking about this whole team concept, and that concept actually broadened my political concept, on this one complex issue that I have earlier alluded to - many folks came to the polls, this day, for very different, diverse reasons, and for their various, and personal purposes, they were a loosely connected team of sorts. They were the, often unknowing, collective of a concept, and while that is mostly what elections are about, I have never seen it at this level for a primary election.

   For the Republicans, there was a huge benefit from the strong primary turn-out: We got a good indication of what the Republican party public expects from their candidates, and it was expressed loudly - 'we want conservative county commissioners.'
It was a tough night for some candidates - that is what elections are all about. David Daniels (left) with Republican candidate for county commissioner, Larry Britt (right), who was hoped to have given Beaufort County Commissioner Jay McRoy "a run for his (political) money," literally see "the writing on the wall:" Above.     photo by Stan Deatherage
   All four winners in the election held themselves out to be Conservatives; however, no voter with near half of a functioning brain would consider Jay McRoy to be Conservative, so lets get real here, and fully understand that 3 of the 4 winning nominees: Dondi Dixon and Gary Brinn are potentially Conservative in proven principles in governing, and Hood Richardson - well ... he has earned his Conservative stripes many times over, and is beyond all reproach in this life.

   The massive voter turn-out, for all "parties," in this collective social experience, was predominately due to the referendum items on this ballot, and most especially the Defense of Marriage Amendment to the North Carolina Constitution. While the vote was actually not that close, both sides were completely committed enough to their cause to get the vote out, and it served well to capture the political pulse in Beaufort County.

   Now the Democrats

   For the Democrat county commissioner candidates, that political pulse was decidedly, and inarguably liberal, as evidenced by their leading candidates in this primary election. Two Democrat candidates, Wayne Sawyer, Lloyd Balance ran as moderates, with Candidate Wayne Sawyer placing a distant fourth, and Candidate Lloyd Balance not "making the cut."
The unofficial, and relative, vote total percentages for the Democrat nominations for the Beaufort County Board of County Commissioners: Above.
   The top three Democrat candidates, in this county commissioner race, have proven that they are extremely liberal in their approach to governing, and have no understanding, whatsoever, of any other method of governing. This is proven and well documented. Beaufort County Commissioner Jerry Langley, former Beaufort County Commissioner Carolyn Harding and Beaufort County School Board Member Robert Belcher actually make my case that these aforementioned referendum initiatives brought out more political "polar opposites" to pick their political positions, and politicians. Therefore, it was a tough night for Democrat moderates.

   With so much that is so important for Conservatives, who wish to limit government's reach, and with so much on the political line for Liberals, who wish to extend that reach, this November general election will draw a big crowd to the polls, and consequently will determine this nation's future, at this critical time. I hope to see all of you there once again.