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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
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Magazine inside’today’s paper
50«
Straight-party ballots doom local GOP
Goodwin loses
statewide race
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Strong Democratic voter
turnout, especially straight
party ballots, proves costly
for local Republican candi
dates.
Home base wasn’t kind
to several of Edenton
Chowan’s contested GOP
candidates vying for local
and state races. No local
Republican candidates
were victorious in Chowan
County where 2,484 voted
straight ticket for Demo
crats, compared to 1,300 for
Republicans. Those local
defeats " left Republicans
questioning their home
support and the perils of
straight party voting.
Chowan County Board
of Commissioners’ Chair
man Eddy Goodwin who
was seeking to unseat vet
eran incumbent Democrat
Elaine Marshall not only
lost statewide by more than
300,000 votes, but failed to
carry Chowan County On
election night, the tally
showed he lost Chowan by
three votes. Further can
vass, however, revealed.
that he tied the Democrat
with 3,625 votes.
Goodwin took the local
slight personal in light of
the commissioners’ ac
complishments when the
county faced fiscal peril,
calling it a “real slap in the
face.” In addition to help
ing rescue the county from
the brink of bankruptcy,
Goodwin referred to his
military service as further
proof of his sacrifice.
“If you can’t carry your
home county, what does
that say about you?” Good
win said on election night.
“It hurts if you can’t carry
your own county, but I put
myself out there. But the
people have spoken loud
and clear, and that’s it.”
Goodwin had opted to
forgo a re-election bid for
commissioner, instead
hoping to become the next
secretary of state. He was
the top vote getter in the
May primary out of four
seeking the GOP nomina
tion. After a call for a run
off, Goodwin was again
victorious.
See BALLOTS, 2A
STAFF PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH|
Commissioner-elect Greg Bonner (left) talks with voters at the
East Edenton precinct on Election Day alongside Republican
challenger Earl Willis.
Shooting
suspect
turns
' self in
From staff reports
One of three suspects
wanted in a drive-by shoot
ing has surrendered to po
lice.
Jerod Montrey “Trey”
Littlejohn, 28, turned him
self in to Edenton police last
Tuesday (Nov. 6), according
to police Chief Jay Forten
bery Once he heard about
the warrants for his arrest,
Littlejohn surrendered at
the police
depart
ment,
Fortenbery
said. He
was jailed
under a
$20,000
bond, but
has since
been released after posting
bail, the chief added.
Littlejohn has been
charged with discharging
a weapon into an occupied
dwelling and felony conspir
acy to discharge a weapon
into an occupied dwelling.
Two other men wanted
in connection with the Hal
loween shooting remain
at large. Police continue
to look for Darrell Levon
Boyce, 36, and Mykel Cam
eron Vanterpool, 28, for the
Oct. 31 shooting at the cor
ner of Oakum and Albemar
le streets. Police recovered
18 shell casings at the scene
and discovered that gunfire
also pierced a house, bar
bershop, and two vehicles.
Although there was a crowd
at the scene, no one was
hurt in the shooting.
Various blocks along
Oakum Street have been
marred by recent shootings
whereby stray bullets have
struck other residences and
cars.
Littlejohn could be a key
figure in at least two of the
shootings. In addition to his
current charges, his resi
dence was one of the homes
struck by gunfire in a previ
ous shooting. Fortenbery
said it’s unknown when the
residence was struck. He
added that there is no cred
ible evidence whether Lit
tlejohn’s suspected involve
ment in the latest shooting
was retaliation for a prior
shooting. .
©2009 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
Dems Winborne, Bonner, Rountree post wins
Elliott returns to
school board
By RITCHIE STARNES
Editor
Democrats made a
clean sweep in all of the
county’s contested races,
sending two commis
sioners, and a register
of deeds to elected office.
In a non-partisan school
board race, a registered
Democrat defeated a reg
istered Republican for an
at-large seat.
Voters were especially
kind to incumbents. Em
mett Winborne defeated
Republican Ron Cum
mings 1,355 to 952 for Dis
trict 1, Seatl on the Board
of Commissioners.
“I was happy and hum
bled, and glad to win,”
Winborne said. "I appre
ciate the support of the
people that voted for me
and their confidence in
me.”
Winborne, one of two
farmers on the board,
spent election day picking
cotton while his opponent
handed out political cards
at the precincts. He ex
pressed no regrets about
his absence then, adding
CHOWAN HERALD PHOTO BY REBECCA BUNCH
Register bf Deeds incumbent Sue Rountree (left) campaigns at the West Edenton precinct last
Tuesday. Rountree defeated political newcomer Jackie Laverty.
that voters already know
before then who they’re
going to vote for.
“I really don’t think it
cost me any votes,” Win
borne said. “People have
to understand that serv
ing as a commissioner is
not my living. I still have
to make a living.”
Even with the respect
able showing, Cummings
said from the Rocky Hock
precinct last Tuesday that
he really didn’t expect
a victory on his maiden
voyage in politics.
“I thought I’d get my
name out there for the
first time and then make
a serious run at it next
time,” Cummings said.
In another race for
commissioner that guar
anteed a political new
comer, former Edenton
police chief Greg Bonner
outpaced Earl Willis by a
nearly 3-1 margin for Seat
1, District 3. One day after
the election, Bonner was
all smiles.
“I feel great. “I am
happy that the voters sup
ported me and want me to
represent them,” Bonner
said.
Bonner credited his
tenure as police chief as
proof to his commitment
to community and sound
decision making.
I’m \tery aware of how
local government oper
ates,” he added. “I believe
that with the job experi
ence I’ve had that I can sit
at the table with the other
commissioners and I can
make decisions that will
be in the best interest of
the community.”
In his second defeat in
See ELECTION, 3A
Second run proves victorious for Steinburg
PHOTO BY RITCHIE STARNES
N.C. House Republican-elect Bob Steinburg (left) greets a family
after they voted at the West Edenton precinct on Election Day.
Victory overcomes a
nasty, costly campaign
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
As supporters file into his Gran
ville Street home and help them
selves to a smorgasbord resting
on the dining room table, he alternates
between sitting and walking with a
phone pressed to his ear, sometimes
one at each.
For much of election night, Repub
lican Bob Steinburg bounced between
anxiety and cautious optimism. It was
clearly more nervous when Chowan
County was first to report vote totals
that showed he had lost his home
county by 133 votes. Two years earlier
he also lost Chowan in an unsuccess
ful bid to upset incumbent Tim Spear,
D-Washington.
A dejected Steinburg sat stunned
by the news that he had not carried
Chowan where he lives and maintains
a civic presence.
“I just sat here numb. Again, I live
here,” Steinburg said. “If I’d lost
Chowan, it was indicative that it was
going to be a dogfight.”
Right after Chowan’s numbers came
in, Steinburg’s campaign consultant
called to inform the 64-year-old candi
date that he would be victorious. This
See STEINBURG, 3A
Land enticed early Albemarle settlers
Area unstable prior to
Edenton’s founding
By RITCHIE E. STARNES
Editor
Prior to the founding of Edenton
300 years ago, settlements in the Albe
marle began as early as 1653 when the
region was “fairly wild.”
That was the description given by
Marty Matthews, adjunct history pro
fessor at the N.C. State University and
Curator of Research at the Division
of State Historic Sites for the N.C. De
partment of Cultural Resources, while
explaining the early attempts to settle
the area of what’s now known as Eden
ton. In an effort to lure settlers here, or l
to a raw frontier, it had to be qppeaK
ing.
“A lot of the people (that ended up
here) had not been landowners in Eng
land. It was an opportunity for a bet
ter way of life," said Linda Eure, site
manager for Historic Edenton Visitors
Center.
See SETTLERS, 3A
•'! V-1>.
MAP COURTESY OF N.C.
CULTURAL RESOURCES
A1657 map
shows the home
of Nathaniel Batts,
the Albemarle’s first
white settler. His
house is marked at
the fork of the two
rivers on the right
If you look closely,
you can see a house
drawn at the fork.
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