Democrats
Hold Uneventful Convention
BY ERIC CARLSON
There were plenty of handshakes,
campaign promises and pep talks,
but no open disagreements Saturday
afternoon as the Brunswick County
Democratic Party met for its annual
convention in Bolivia.
Party Chairman Roney Cheers
told the gathering that he was "a lit
tle disheartened" to see a number of
precincts not represented, but was
otherwise pleased with the outcome.
During the business meeting,
Moses Stanley was elected third
vice president as a replacement for
Leo Hewett, who died last year.
The members selected 37 dele
gates to the Democratic Party Dis
trict Convention on May 14 at
Bladen Community College and the
state party convention in Raleigh on
June 11.
Democrats declined to endorse a
resolution repealing the law that al
lows convicted criminals to choose
imprisonment instead of probation at
the time of sentencing.
Rep. David Redwine told the
group that defendants frequently
take advantage of early release poli
cies in the overcrowded prison sys
tem to avoid lengthy probation peri
ods. The bill now under considera
tion in the N.C. House of
Representatives would also require
that criminals who choose a prison
sentence would lose their drivers li
cense and any occupational licenses,
Redwine said.
Keynote speaker for the event
was Stan Smith, former paster of the
Camp United Methodist Church and
a self-described "lifelong Democrat"
who reviewed the accomplishments
of his party's past leaders and told
the group to uphold the principals
for which they stood.
'i remember the words of George
Bernard Shaw that Sen. Robert
Kennedy used to use in his stump
speech," Smith said. "You see things
wm
STAFF PHOTO BY ERIC CARLSON
RONEY CHEERS, chairman of the Brunswick County Democra
tic Party, addresses the group 's annual convention on Bolivia Sat
urday afternoon.
as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream
things that never were and say,
'Why not?' Those words are the
hallmark of the Democratic Party."
Beginning with President Frank
lin Roosevelt's "New Deal" pro
grams, Smith said Democratic presi
dents have continually upheld those
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traditions. As examples, he cited
President John Kennedy's dream of
putting a man on the moon and
President Lyndon Johnson's civil
rights efforts and "Great Society"
programs.
Smith praised President Jimmy
Carter for beginning the Mideast
peace process and strengthening re
lations with China.
"Now we have another Southern
Democrat in the White House who
inherited domestic chaos and a
health care system in crisis and is
doing his best to address those prob
lems," Smith said. "He belongs in a
long line of Democratic leaders who
have asked, 'Why not?'"
Smith urged fellow Democrats to
build on the party's strengths, "to
uplift the less fortunate" and to sup
port programs aimed at improving
health care, education and the status
of elderly Americans.
"We all need to look around us
and see what needs to be done and
ask ourselves, 'Why not?" Smith
said.
Several candidates seeking the
Democratic Party's endorsement in
the May 3 primaries spoke to the
convention, including sheriff candi
dates Jerry Dove, Ronald Hewett
and John Marlow; Don Warren and
Randy Stanley, District 1 county
commissioner; Tom Rabon Sr. and
Tom Simmons, District 4 commis
sioner; Michael Ballard and Bill
Sue, District 5 commissioner; and
school board candidates Bud
Thorsen, District 1; Clara Carter and
Polly Russ, District 2; and Donna
Baxter, District 4.
Also appealing for support were
District Court Judge Candidates
Tom Aldridge and Wayne Long and
State Senate candidate Ron Taylor.
The convention observed a mo
ment of silence for Kathryn Yelton,
the wife of County Manager Wyman
Yelton, who was killed in an Easter
Sunday automobile wreck on
Interstate 40 in Durham.
It was announced that the total
number of registered voters in
Brunswick County stood at 32,131,
including 18,558 Democrats, 11,244
Republicans, 2,318 unaffiliated and
11 Libertarians.
Letter Carriers
Food Drive To
Benefit Needy
City and rural carriers in the
"284" postal code areas will hold a
food drive on Saturday, May 14, to
benefit the Food Bank of Coastal
Carolina.
The drive is a joint effort of the
National Association of Letter
Carriers, the National Rural Letter
Carriers Association, the U.S. Postal
Service, the AFL-CIO jn?J United
Way.
Letter carriers will pick up non
perishable food donations left beside
mailboxes as they deliver the mail.
The food will be given to the food
bank in Wilmington to help families
in need throughout the area. The let
ter carriers will be assisted by stu
dents at UNC-W.
The drive will be conducted si
multaneously across the country by
the National Association of Letter
Carriers.
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