482-4418
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
50*
Chowan voters to help decide District 3
Race pits two
Tarboro Dems
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Part of last year’s redis
tricting, Chowan County
now finds itself inside the
political boundaries of
state senatorial District
3 and outside previously
held District 4. Local vot
ers are seeing for the first
time a pair of candidates
Jenkins Armstrong
otherwise popular to their
westerly neighbors.
Voters here will now have
a May. 8 Democrat primary
voice in the District 3 race
that pits 10-year incumbent
Clark Jenkins against re
tired educator Florence
A. Armstrong, both of
Tarboro. Barring no suc
cessful write-in-candidate,
next month’s victorious
Democrat will have a clear
path to the state legislature
since no other challengers
have filed for the seat.
This is not the first time
Armstrong, 65, has at
tempted to unseat Jenkins.
In 2010, she finished a dis
tant third to Jenkins and
behind runner-up Frankie
Bordeaux. Armstrong said
her then challenge became
lost in a highly-charged
match-up between Jenkins
and Bordeaux.
“It was like I wasn’t in
the race,” said Armstrong,
adding that she chose to
stay out of the political
fray between the male can
didates. “I didn’t consider
myself a winner or loser. It
was a learning opportunity
for me and I’m a stronger
candidate this time.”
Jenkins, 64, poses a long
political resume. Prior to
his decade-long tenure as
senator, he served 10 years
on the board for the N.C.
Department of Transpor
tation, including a stint as
chairman of DOT’S appro
priation committee.
“During my tenure as
chair we funded and built
the Windsor bypass, Eliza
beth City bypass and com
pletion of U.S. 64 to Colum
bia,” Jenkins said.
He further touts his
senatorial sponsorships
as key to building a prison
in Bertie County, the East
Carolina Heart Center at
the Brody School of Medi
cine at East Carolina Uni
versity as well as ECU’s
dental school. He also co
sponsored for the School
of Pharmacy at Elizabeth
City State University Jen
kins contributed to secur
ing state funding for the
expansion at Domtar plant
in Plymouth.
See DISTRICT 3,7A
First
Fridays
starting
May 4
Taking place of
Music in the Parks
From staff reports
Destination Downtown
Edenton and the Chowan
Tourism Development
Authority are teaming up
to present First Fridays
as a replacement event to
the popular Music in the
Parks.
Starting on May 4, from
5:30 to 7:30 p.m., downtown
visitors will have the op
portunity to enjoy shop
ping while being treated
to live music on Broad
Street.
Jennifer Harriss, DDE
executive director, said
that the new event replac
es the 14-year-old Music in
the Parks summer series'
in an effort to generate
more activity on Friday
evenings. Music in the
Parks was held on Sun
days when the majority of
merchants are closed.
Harriss said that First
Fridays would still offer a
time to enjoy great music
while encouraging shop
ping downtown in the
evenings, and merchants
staying open after 5 p.m.
“We think it’s going to
be a lot of fun for every
body,” Harriss said.
Harriss said that DDE
had asked merchants to
stay open after normal
business hours on a vol
untary basis. She said that
some businesses such as
the Soda Shoppe and the
Edenton Coffee House had
already agreed to do so.
Nicholls said that or
ganizers are enthusiastic
about the possibilities
that this new event will
pffer.
“We are looking for
ward to this year’s First
Fridays experience as a
great way for everybody
to enjoy wonderful en
tertainment, .dining and
shopping in the downtown
area,” Nicholls said.
Entertainment at the
May 4 First Friday will
include the music of the
John A. Holmes High
School Jazz Band and
acoustic guitarist/song
writer Clay Willis of
Edenton.
©2009 The Chowan Herald
Alt Rights Reserved
Blazing a campaign trail
. .. >■
s
PHOTO BY RITCHIE E. STARNES
Chowan County Board of Commissioners chairman and GOP secretary of state challenger Eddy Goodwin stands between
campaign signage that has been erected across the state promoting his candidacy.
Statewide race poses challenges
Goodwin aims to become
1st GOP secretary of state
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
His Southern accent with a twist
of Chowan twang helps get a folksy
stump started.
“They say ‘you’re not from
‘round here are you boy?’ But, it
sets me apart,” said a grinning
Eddy Goodwin, looking to squeeze
as much optimism as he can out of
a grueling schedule that has him
blistering state highways most of
the week. As Goodwin embarks on
his pursuit of becoming the last
Republican standing from a log
jam of four challengers in the May
Decision
2012
of
8 primary
for the
office of
secretary
state, he’s
the
learned
meaning of road warrior.
Only the soft voice of a travel
ing companion breaks periods of
white line fever that ensures his
accurate arrival at the next stop.
“One of my best friends and cam
paign consultant is that woman’s
voice inside my GPS,” Goodwin
jokes.
Kenn Gardner of Raleigh, an
other GOP candidate for secretary
of state, said his GPS quit while
navigating his way in this neck of
the woods.
“I knew my chances of finding
Deadwood (restaurant) in Bear
Grass was absolutely nil unless I
found a nearby Walmart,” Gardner
recalled..
Goodwin adds that he’s driving
roughly 2,200 miles a week while
out of town about four nights a
week. One swing had him in Ra
leigh, Greensboro, Winston Salem,
Asheville, then back to Winston Sa
lem, Wilmington, back to Raleigh,
and Roanoke Rapids before home.
“It’s been quite a journey,” Good
win said. “I’ve been in places that
I would never had been if not for a
statewide campaign.”
Fellow GOP challenger Michael
Beitler of Guilford County agrees
that the statewide tour takes its
See CHALLENGES, 2A
Tea Party sponsors first candidate forum
Halt candidates
attend, skip
By REBECCA BUNCH
Staff Writer
Five candidates and
about 40 voters seized the
opportunity to attend last
Thursday night’s non
partisan candidate forum
hosted by the Edenton
Tea Party.
Alex Kehayes was the
lone Chowan County
commissioner hopeful
in attendance while his
Republican challenger
Tim Phelps chose not to
attend. Congressional
hopefuls Frank Palombo,
vying for U.S. Rep. Walter
Jones’ District 2 seat on
i
the GOP ticket and Demo
crat Dan Whittacre chal
lenging G.K. Butterfield’s
District 1 took advantage
of the opportunity. Of the
four races represented
at the forum, only one
was represented by two
mm Hamm jzmm
opposing Republicans -
Edenton’s Bob Steinburg
and Currituck County’s
Owen Etheridge - who
are slated for a May 8
showdown as the GOP
challenger for the newly
drawn N.C. House, Dis
rhulU BY KllUrllt t. blAKNtS
Congressional District 2
hopeful Frank Palombo (l-r)
chats with Bob Steinburg,
center, and Democrat Dan
Whittacre, who is attempt
ing unseat incumbent Rep.
G.K. Butterfield from North
Carolina’s First Congressio
. nal District, at a candidate
forum held last Thursday
and sposnored by the Eden
tonTea Party.
trict l.
On the subject of edu
cation, Steinburg and
Etheridge presented sim
ilar platforms.
Steinburg said school
See FORUM, 3A
M PLAT DAY
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Hog Fest
set for
weekend
From staff reports
Fun will be the order
of the day this weekend
when the annual Hog Fest
takes place at the Ameri
can Legion Fairgrounds
in Edenton.
Presented by Smith
field and endorsed by the
Kansas City Barbeque So
ciety (KCBS), the events
get under way Friday and
continue through Sunday
afternoon.
Cook teams and judges
will be coming from as
far away as Florida, Ten
nessee and Pennsylvania.
“We have 34 teams signed
up to participate this
year,” said organizer Roy
Murray.
The Hog Fest will be
open to the public from
4-10 p.m. on Friday after
noon. Cornhole boards
will be set up for play and
the Anything Butt Con
test that features desserts
will get under way. There
will be a DJ playing mu
sic and barbecue plates
for sale.
Saturday will feature a
full day of events from 9
a.m. until 1 p.m. including
a craft show, a car show
and children’s games.
“Kids who plan to par
ticipate in the tug of war
should bring a change of
clothes as there will be
a water pit that will be
muddy,” said E.C. Top
pin, contact person for
the event. Toppin serves
as local post adjutant for
the American Legion.
KCBS competition judg
ing begins at 11:30 p.m.
Live music will be head
lined by Out in the Cold
starting at 3 p.m.
Sundays events are
scheduled to include a
motorcycle show from
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a
Gospel music show from
noon until 4 p.m.
KCBS judging begins
at noon with awards be
ing presented at 4 p.m.
People’s Choice judging
starts at 2 p.m. Tickets
for those wishing to par
ticipate as judges in the
People’s Choice event
will be available starting
at 9 a.m. Sunday morning
for $10 each; those wish
ing to participate must be
in line and ready to take
part in the taste testing at
2 p.m.
Entry fee for Hog Fest is
$3 or two non-perishable
food items that can be
donated to the food pan
try, however, starting on
Saturday at 3 p.m. the ad
mission cost will rise to
See FESTIVAL, 2A