Our Informer

Most of the officeholders in the Hickory and Unifour areas are getting a free ride in the 2008 elections. In Catawba County, the drought extended to the Democratic Party which was unable to field any challengers to all-Republican incumbents. The exception, of course, is the 10th Congressional District where incumbent Patrick McHenry faces primary and general election opposition. In the primary, Lance Sigmon, a Newton attorney, will challenge McHenry. Democrats Daniel Johnson and Steve Ivester will vie for the Democratic nomination.

State Senator Jimmy Jacumin of Connelly Springs will face one of two Democrats: Jim Cates of Morganton or Danny Hefner of Lenoir. State Sen. Austin Allran and Catawba Commission Chair Kitty Barnes will battle for the seat in the GOP primary. And in the fall, incumbent Rep. Walter Church Sr. and Republican Hugh Blackwell will be in a re-match. Same is true for incumbent Rep. Ray Warren and former Rep. Mark Hollo. Rep. Mark Hilton and Rep. Mitchell Setzer again have free rein.

Across North Carolina, it’s a different story. While high profile legislators—Sen. Marc Basnight, Sen. Tony Rand, and Rep. Bill Owens–have no opposition, most others are having to prepare for primary or general election contests. Even black legislators, who usually do no have opposition, have competition. Among them are Alma Adams of Greensboro and Mary McAllister of Fayetteville who were investigated over money-handling issues.

LOBBYIST SEARCH: Catawba County and Hickory are interviewing candidates for a lobbying contract. The focus is on high-profile Raleigh firms, including Womble-Carlyle which has some of the most lucrative accounts in the state. The lobbyist for the recent sessions of the General Assembly was Don Beason who abruptly closed down his practice after becoming ensnared in the Jim Black investigation.

WHO’S ON FIRST? Polls show that North Carolina voters prefer Barack Obama and John McCain. Both lead in their respective parties by significant margins which will be measured in the May 6 North Carolina primary. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue continues to lead Treasurer Richard Moore by 12 percentage points.

PERDUE IN HICKORY: Lt. Gov. Perdue will be in Hickory April 2 for a fund-raiser which is being coordinated by her committee headed by Lyndon Helton. Also on the committee are Steve Neuville, Rachel LeClair, and Hugh Boyer, and Paul Fogleman.

Catawba County Democrats are energized and better organized than in decades. Yet with the filing deadline one week away, no candidates from the party have stepped forward to challenge incumbent county commissioners, state legislators or courthouse officeholders. A young energized Daniel Johnson is preparing to face off with a Republican opponent for the 10th District congressional seat–be it Lance Sigmon or Rep. Patrick McHenry. But it appears that local governments will be controlled totally by Republicans.

The GOP is sharply divided in the county. Supporters of Sheriff David Huffman are lining up behind attorney Lance Sigmon of Newton who seems to be ready to wage an aggressive campaign against McHenry. But he,too, has an uphill battle in Catawba County. The Hickory Daily Record in its headlines never refers to Sigmon by name: he’s “McHenry’s Opponent.” The HDR prints McHenry news releases verbatim.

Since the 2006 campaigns of Lyndon Helton, Steve Hunt and Clem Geitner, the state Democrats have expressed an interest in helping legislative candidates. But they can’t find anyone to bring them to the party.

ANOTHER LOOK AT SCHOOL CONSOLIDATIONS: Public support for three school systems in Catawba County could be justified when one looks at the challenges in Wake County. Angry parents in Cary have asked the city to create a separate school district to avoid busing of students across the county to achieve “economic diversity.”
Creating a new school district would require legislative approval and that is not likely to happen.

Now the argument has shifted to the ideal size for school districts and accountability of administrators. The chair of the Wake County School Board has made it clear that she alone will interpret the meaning of “neighborhood schools.” Wake County is the fastest growing in North Carolina and must accommodate 6,800 additional students each year.

MECKLENBURG DYNASTY: Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory this week filed to seek the GOP nomination for governor. Charlotte State Sen. Robert Pittinger has filed for the office of lieutenant governor. Having two contenders for the state’s top elective offices has upset some Eastern North Carolina Republicans. It didn’t help when McCrory said he was running to help bring state attention to Charlotte needs.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Shelby was identified as a city with a dynasty. With a population of less than 12,000, Shelby sent a U.S. Senator, a governor, and Speaker of the House in the political landscape–all at the same time.

Younger voters are heading to the polls and establishing new trends, according to figures from the State Board of Elections and the Catawba County Elections Board. The state board is reporting that in the past three weeks, new registrations added 25,811 as Democrats, 20,447 as Unaffiliated, and 18,125 as Republicans. State Director Gary Bartlett estimated that 60 per cent are under 40 years of age and “a huge chunk” are 18-30 years old. Some observers are calling this the “Obama phenomenon.”

Since January 1, the Catawba County elections board has recorded 1,069 new registrations: 325 Democrats, 389 Republicans, and 355 unaffiliated. At both the state and county level, unaffiliated registrations are running second. Since Feb. 1, there have been 369 new registrations in Catawba, with Democrats leading: 135 Democrats, 118 unaffiliated and 116 Republicans. County officials also report a surge in young voters, many of them African-Americans.

Catawba County now has 97,618 registered voters: 30,370 Democrats, 45,464 Republicans, 21,754 unaffiliated. Unaffiliated registrations are growing faster than others and with Democrats represent 53 per cent of the total registrations.

OVER REACTION: Lamar Mitchell, director of the Champions of Education program, said that last week’s comments about a reaction from Rep. Mitchell Setzer were an exaggeration of what occurred. Setzer did call to question the Chamber’s participation in an education conference sponsored by Catawba County Democrats. Mitchell said Rep. Setzer was not angry but said he had been contacted by “another legislator.” (Presumably Mark Hilton).

TIME IS NOW: Eight years ago at a City of Hickory retreat, Councilwoman Sally Fox said she envisioned Hickory becoming a “sustainable city.” Now sustainability is moving to the forefront. During a conference for textiles executives this week in Charlotte, which included Carolina Mills Chairman George Moretz, forward-thinking executives were explaining the need—the necessity—to reduce the carbon footprint. “There is no business to be done on a dead planet,” one of the speakers allowed, quoting famed environmentalist David Bower. Developing alternate energy, recycling, and moving away from petroleum and fossil fuels are all involved in sustainability. Promoting whole foods, i.e. the farmers market also figure into the equation. Mrs. Fox was ahead of the curve.

The City of Hickory and Alexander County comprise the 88th N.C. House District. Rep. Ray Warren is the first Democrat to represent the area in over four decades and Republicans aren’t happy. But many GOP party members also aren’t thrilled with the idea of Mark Hollo of Taylorsville returning. So word is being spread there will be a GOP primary fight for the district seat, with opposition to Hollo coming from Hickory.

Warren now is the incumbent and has been responsive to the needs and issues of the district. As a former sheriff, he is expected to carry Alexander County in the fall and he has won support from some Republican and unaffiliated voters in Hickory. Hollo has been a protégé of Rep. Mark Hilton of Conover who has bragged about getting Hollo elected. Word is that Nelson Dollar, a Locke Foundation Republican from Raleigh, will manage Hollo’s 2008 effort. In the meantime, Democrats are talking to potential candidates to oppose Hilton.

10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: Two-term incumbent Patrick McHenry may be scrambling to hold his U.S. House seat this year. He is facing a knock-down primary with attorney Lance Sigmon of Newton who is taking off the gloves. An email newsletter from news@norman this week attacked McHenry for declining to debate Sigmon. “He can run but he can’t hide,” the editor said. He continued: “What is he afraid of? He will have to answer tough questions about his integrity? He will have to answer tough questions about his personal life? He will have to answer tough questions about his unwavering support of disgraced former congressman Tom Delay?”

After the primary could be facing military hero Daniel Johnson who has raised over $100,000 and who has the attention of the national Democratic congressional committee. Johnson also has a primary with Steve Ivester, also of Hickory. At a luncheon meeting in Hickory Thursday, Tony McEwen, 10th District chair for Democrats, said polls are showing Johnson is poised to defeat McHenry. He also disclosed that former John Edwards campaign aides are signing up with Johnson.

STRAW POLL: Hundreds of Democrats from the nine counties of the 10th District are expected to converge on New April 12 for a rally and a straw poll. The $10 per head event will feature a lunch and a straw poll on leading state races and the presidential race.

TEMPER TANTRUM: People are talking about an outburst that came from Rep.Mitchell Setzer of Catawba last week. Reportedly, Setzer unloaded his fury on Lamar Mitchell, director of the Champions of Education which was one of the sponsors of a program to explore educational priorities for the state and county. Other sponsors were the Lenoir-Rhyne College Democrats, the Catawba County Democratic Party and the Young Democrats. People who know Setzer were surprised, as he purports to work with both parties. Setzer’s outbursts are not frequent but they have been seen in the halls of the Legislature.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Somebody should give her some red slippers so she can click her heels and say ‘Take me back to Kansas..” State Senator Kay Hagan who is running against Elizabeth Dole for the U.S. Senate seat. Dole was raised in Salisbury but spends most of her time at her Washington home with her husband, former Sen. Robert Dole who represented Kansas.