Wednesday, July 21, 2004
. LXXI, No. 28
Published in historic Edenton... The South ’s prettiest town.
Single Copies 50(
S Transformer only spark in primary
State, local
races yield few
surprises
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
An election-morning power
outage didn’t close the polls in
Edenton or Chowan County
Tuesday.
Only a small percentage of the
county’s registered voters went
to the polls for the primary elec
tions.
Only four precincts and absen
tee ballots had been counted at
New supervisor braced for election
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
Imagine sitting down at your
desk, first day on the job, and
you’ve got three weeks to pre
pare for a year’s worth of toil.
It’s what Rennie Harrington
has been living since becoming
Chowan County Board of Elec
tions Director July 1. Har
rington, 22, replaced former
elections chief Rebecca Lowe,
who took a job with the Wakg
County elections board in
June.
Harrington says it’s a bap
tism by fire. But the Lewiston
Woodville native isn’t new to
voting days. She was a precinct
worker for four years in Bertie
County.
Since 1 was seven,” she said
Monday, “politics and the po
litical process have been fas
cinating to me.”
Fascinating enough for her
to graduate from UNC-Pem
broke with a degree in politi
cal science. Less than 24 hours
before her first election,
Harrington appeared ready to
Photo for The Chowan Herald by Bud Weagly
County Manager Cliff Copeland (center) talks with County
Commissioner George Jones, Social Services Director Ben
Rose and Building Inspector Holly Colombo during a 25th
anniversary get-together honoring him late last week.
Edenton Post Office planning renovations
BY EARLINE WHITE
Staff Writer
The Edenton Post Office will
be redirecting traffic and relocat
ing the collection boxes in the
parking lot during the week of
July 20. Because of the safety is
sues involved with both auto and
pedestrians, these revisions are
essential to the current lot’s
smooth operation. '
■ Rather than enter beside the
post office building, drivers will
go into the lot by way of the
driveway closer to the Edenton
Visitor’s Center. Collection boxes
will be located closer to the build
ing for quick drop off as one et
press time — Center Hill,
Wardville, Rocky Hock, and
Yeopim. East and West
Edenton had'fftrt.
Chowan’s lever voting
machines don’t use electric
ity, elections official Mildred
Vanterpool said Tuesday,
shortly after power was re/
stored. Voting continued on
schedule, Vanterpool said.
Incumbent county com
missioners Ralph Cole,
Harry Lee Winslow.and
Jerry Downum were all un
challenged in the primary.
Republican Bill Gardner
Jr. and Democrat Dossey
Pruden also were unchal
lenged in the District 2 com
Photo for The Chowan Herald by Bud Weagly
Rennie Harrington, new Board of Elections Supervisor
experiment with a day of bal
lots and nervous calls from
candidate’s camps.
The rush-up to July 20 was
almost over.
“It’s been very hectic,” she
said. “The people in Chowan
County have helped me to
its. The new exit will be the path
nearest the post office.
“We have had so many close
calls,” said Jackie Kretzer, Acting
Supervisor at the Edenton Post
Office. “Cars come in so quickly
causing people to rush up the curb
rather than be struck. During
times of high traffic there are of
ten cars backed up into the road.
This renovation is more for the
safety of the citizens than any
thing,” Kretzer said.
Postal Funds will provide
money for labor in which to com
plete the project. Maintenance
people from the Field Maintenance
See POST OFFICE On Page 3-A
missioners race for the seat be
ing vacated by George Jones.
Libertarians John Sams
(District 1), Robin Sams (at
large) and George Bradham
(District 3) were also all unchal
lenged.
Also in Chowan County, U.S.
House candidate G.K. But
terfield outpaced four Demo
crats in his bid to replace
former 1st District Rep. Frank
Ballance, who stepped down in
June before completing a 2
year term. Former Pasquotank
County Commissioner Sam
Davis III picked up less than a
third of the votes cast to finish
second.
Greg Dority, one of two Re
learn quickly.”
Harrington wasn’t sure if
North Carolina Sen. John
Edwards’ presence on the
presidential ballot (he is presi
dential hopeful John Kerry’s
vice-president nominee) would
create record turnout.
Copeland celebrates 25 years on
the job as Chowan Co. manager
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff Writer
One of the first projects Cliff
Copeland supervised as Cho
wan County manager was re
pairing the roof at the old
courthouse on East King
Street.
A quarter century later,
Copeland is again supervising
work at the 237-year-old colo
nial landmark.
“It’s turned out to be a 25
year project,” Copeland joked
Tuesday, nearly a week after
celebrating his 25th anniver
sary as the county’s head ad
ministrator.
The Duke University gradu
publicans seeking to win
Ballance’s seat, appeared to
easily defeat fellow challenger
Jerry Williford with a 6-1 mar
gin of precincts reporting..
Dority and Butterfield were
also on the ballot for a chance
to fill the vacant U.S. House
post until January, when the
newly elected congressman is
sworn in. Butterfield held a 50
vote margin at press time.
Finally, in the District 4 state
Senate race, incumbent Robert
Holloman held a 60-vote lead
over his nearest challenger,
Patricia Ferguson, a former
Bertie Couhty commissioner.
Results will be official July
27.
The primary (elections were
originally scheduled for May.
The date was pushed back to
mid-summer, a fact Har
rington said could slow turn
out. Many voters could be out
of town on vacation, she said.
Still, Edwards could spark
added interest, she said Mon
day.
A U.S. Senate race — to fill
the seat Edwards is vacating
— and special election to fill
the seat vacated by Rep.
FrankiBallance in June was
also part of the process. Re
publican Greg Dority and
Democrat G.K. Butterfield
squared off to temporarily
fill that seat. Both were also
in the primary race, seeking
to face off again in the Nov. 2
general election.
.Harrington said she and
other elections officials
could rest later in the week!
The fine-tuning was about
complete late Monday after
noon.
“We’ve worked out all the
problems,” she said. “Every
thing is set to go.”
ate declined to take credit for
the county’s reemergence as a
cornerstone of northeast
North Carolina. He cited’
county department heads —
including Phyllis Cranford
and Gail Forehand — and
county clerk Nancy Morgan
when he referred to Chowan’s
growth in recent years.
“They deserve the credit,”
he said, “not me.”
He also gave credit to the
boards of county commission
ers he has worked with since
1979.
“They have allowed manage
ment to oversee the day-to-day
operations of the county,” he
said.
Staff photo by Sean Jackson
A blown transformer was responsible for Tuesday
morning's power outage which left homes and businesses
across Chowan County without electricity for about one
and a half hours. Voting machines in Chowan County, which
are not powered by electricity, were not affected.
Power outage
vexes county
BY SEAN JACKSON
Staff. Writer
Edenton residents and busi
nesses were without power for
more than an hour Tuesday
morning after a VEPCO trans
former blew.
Town Manager Anne-Marie
Then there’s the cooperative
spirit between the county,
Town of Edenton, and state
government. Specifically,
Copeland said Edenton Town
Manager Anne-Marie Knight
on has helped foster a town
county union.
“Anne-Marie has really been
a major asset to me over the
years,” he said.
Knighton, too, said her gov
ernment counterpart has been
good to deal with.
“I.just feel blessed to have
had the opportunity to work
with him all these years,” she
said. “He’s just such a sea
soned manager and he has
taught me so much in how to
Church Street
up
■■■■■■ -:
Broad Street
Knighton said workers from
the Virginia-based power com
pany were working on the East
Freemason Street transformer
when it went down. The town
receives its power through
VEPCO’s system, she said.
See POWER On Page 3-A
learn the pulse of a commu
nity. That kind of stuff you
don’t learn in a textbook.”
Copeland didn’t have any
complaints about his career
Tuesday.
“It’s been 25 good years,” he
said.
But will he hang around an
other decade or more?
“T don’t have as many
projects and goals ahead of me
as I have behind me,” he said.
Future goals do include see
ing that the proposed Hayes
and Sandy Point subdivisions
“get started in the right way.”
He also wants to stick
around long enough to see
See COPELAND On Page 3-A
INSIDE THIS WEEK
Red Hat
Ladies
at the
ballpark
_,1-B
Puppy rescue
frees nine
from barn __4-A
Bridging the gap
at White Oak._1-C
Evans Funeral has
new owners_5-C