Newspapers / Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.) / Jan. 1, 2004, edition 1 / Page 7
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. _ ' U__lZ L+ ' . ?? "? - ? ? f? rr-t ? File Photo Earline Parmon, left , shares a laugh with Denise Hartsfield and Larry Womble during a news conference in front of the Forsyth County Board, of Elections in October 2002. Parmon from page A I ments are a reflection of the respect Parmon has already earned in Raleigh. "She has distinguished her self among the freshman class. Sheois very tenacious. She is very concerned and very dedi cated to people in her district," he said. "She is going to be-even better in the years to come."1 From the grassroots Parmon is no wine-and cheese politician, a fact of which she is proud. Working for those on the bottom of the soci etal totem poll is in her blood. Parmon was roped into political involvement before she could even vote. Local labor and civil rights champions Mazie Woodruff and Velma Hopkins took a teenaged Parmon under their wing. Hopkins and Woodruff recruited Parmon to be the first black co-chair of the Forsyth County Parent-Teacher Council when Parmon was 18. That led to Parmon taking an active role in voter registration and precinct politics. She was in college when she and others decided that they wanted to recruit a black candidate to run for alderman in the mostly white Southeastward. "Someone told us about a schoolteacher who lived in Sky line named Larry Womble. So I gave him a call," Parmon recalled. Womble was reluctant at first, Parmon said, but agreed to run. The race was so tight it led to a runoff. Womble eventu ally lost, although four years later he would win the seat. The loss was a tough lesson for Par mon but one she believes she needed to learn. "It was an ugly, ugly cam paign." Parmon said. "I got my first lesson of what real cam paigning was like." As Parmon's political star rose, so did her visibility in the Forsyth County Democratic Party. She was chosen to be a delegate at national conven tions. and in the early 1980s, she did the unimaginable by becom ing the first African-American chairm'an of the county party. But Parmon's elation over mak ing history was short-lived. She fell out with party bigwigs because she says she refused to hold her tongue and merely play the role of the party figurehead. "People who elected me thought that I could he told what lo do and how to do it," she said. Parmon was asked to step down, hut she refused. Although she is still a loyal Democrat, she admits the party lost a bit of its luster for her after the incident. She thinks the local party has never been all too enthusiastic about her as well. Parmon served 1 2 years on the Board of County Commissioners without ever facing any real opposition in elections. Her primary and general elections for the House in 2002 were wake-up calls. "1 knew 1 was not the favorite in the House race of the party structure or of the business structure. My support has always come from the grass roots level," she said. Battle lines Although she was an active participant in local politics for more than three decades by the time she was elected to the Board of County Commission ers, Parmon said she never wanted to be a candidate. In her mind, she was an activist. She liked knocking on doors and getting others excited about issues and candidates. Politicians, she thought, were cut from a different mold than she. "I have been known as one that did not girdle my speech. I would call it like it was, which was not necessarily a good attribute for running for public office," she said. "I felt that peo ple who got elected compro mised too much." Parmon said she learned when to speak up and when to extend a hand of compromise. She recalls her political battles as vividly as any decorated gen eral. But she said she knew which battles to fight and when to lay down her weapons. Lessons in compromise came her first week on the Board of County Commissioners, when she held back her vote for board chairman for the Republican who would agree to push through a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The fighter in Parmon is still very much alive. She has been perhaps the member of the Black Legislative Caucus that has been most critical of Gov. Mike Easley's refusal to even discuss the possibility of a death penalty moratorium. Easley has denied requests by the caucus to meet and discuss the topic. Par mon has said publicly that black voters should not forget about the governor's reluctancy when they cast their ballots in November. Parmon said getting a moratorium passed is more important to her than stepping on Ihe very big toes of the gov ernor. "To some people it may be a political risk, but I think at times integrity is more important than political risks," she said. '"^>is is an important issue to step out front on." Like Easley, Parmon also will be on the ballot in Novem ber, trying for the first time to win re-election to the House. Her general election in 2002 was especially nasty. Her Republican challenger. Vernon Robinson, attacked Parmon on many fronts, including LIFT Academy, the charter school Parmon founded and ran for 15 years. The school shut down in 2000 when its charter was yanked by the state's Office of Charter Schools. As Robinson pounded away. Parmon, the lifelong fighter who rarely held her tongue, did something uncharacteristic: She held still, refusing to do what she called "gutter politics." "I just did not feel 1 wanted to win at any cost," Parmon said. "People know me. 1 have been a public figure all my life. I go to church here in this com munity. I shop at the East Win ston Food Lion. My kids went to church here." Womble said Parmon won fans and votes by keeping on the issues and away from a political fight. "You have those people who are doomsday sayers and skep tics, but she has proven her crit ics to be wrong. She rose above all of that. She met those issues head-on. She did not try to run or escape," Womble said. Parmon - a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grand mother who turned 60 in November - said there is no room in her heart to hold hard feelings, not even against Robinson and the Democratic Party. "There are no permanent enemies, just permanent inter ests," she said. Although she has grown from a naive teenager with political stars in her eyes to a seasoned politician who knows how to get things done. Parmon is not ready to proclaim that she has come full circle. She says she is still learning and working on issues that will have a real impact on the people of the 72nd District and beyond. Bryant from page A / Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, was established as part of the N.C. Judicial Reform Act last year. The financing act stipulates that each individual contribu tion from at least 350 voters cannot exceed $500. Bryant's toraf" fund-raising, which" rnu^l be completed by the May 4 pri mary. cannot exceed $66,(HX). She also will have to abide by other fund-raising and spending restrictions, including not receiving money from political action committees (PACs), which are the vehicle many organizations use to participate in the political process at the local, state and federal levels. This new campaign finance process changes the method of electing judges on the state Court of Appeals and Supreme Court to nonpartisan elections. Bryant has been an appellate judge since being appointed by Gov. Mike Easley in 2001. She became the first woman and the first African-American prosecu tor for the 13th Prosecutorial District in 1982 when then-Dis trict Attorney Mike Easley appointed her to the position. "We are elected by the peo Butterfield pie. and. while I've been fortunate to have two con secutive appoint m e n t s , that is very unusual," Bryant said. In 2001 . Bryant was one of three black judges to run for Biggs state court seats, including Judge Loretta Biggs and state Supreme Court Justice G.K. But terfield. Bryant suffered a disappointing loss to Judge Ann Marie Cal abria in the last election despite receiving more than a million votes. Gov. Easley reappointed Bryant to a seat before she left the court. Biggs and Butterfield also lost their races. "It's important to have diversity on the court. There are two black judges on the Court of Appeals, and we now have none on the state Supreme Court," said Bryant. "We have so many diverse cases coming up to the Court of Appeals, and'f thilft ' - it's helpful to have a diverse papel of judg?r%"Vear the cases. I think that's a part of equal access to justice." Running a statewide judicial campaign, said Bryant, poses many challenges such as getting her name and face out to voters in all corners of the state. After the last campaign, she said, many voters in Wake County didn't even know that she was black. ? If her campaign ends up to be a success and she remains on the court, Bryant wants voters to ' know that she will try to make a difference. "I've been a public servant for most of my legal career. I've always worked hard at every task before me and I continue to work hard on the Court of Appeals and 1 will work hard as a candidate." said Bryant. A COMMUNITY UNITED God Bless America "With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of dispair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to ? transform the jangled discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together..." Bring Us | Together As One Join Us For The Third Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast Monday, January 19, 2003 8:00 a.m. , Anderson Center Winston-Salem State University A multicultural celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's legacy ... bringing all people together as one ... to move our city forward ... positive ... upbeat ... united! Free and open to the public You must call 722-8624 to make reservations. Seating is limited Make your reservations by January 15, 2003 The Chronicle
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