8A
THE NEWS-JOURNAL
Raeford, N.C.
May 5, 2010
Election
(Continued from page lA)
county,” Peterkin said. “That’s
where the blessing is. My family
I want to thank them. It’s been
overwhelming the support we’ve
got throughout the years.”
Nothing changed on the Hoke
board of commissioners goes.
Ellen McNeill, running for her
second term in office, received
the most votes with 22.8 percent.
Board chair Tony Hunt received
22.5 percent and Jean Powell
received 20.3 percent.
“I just want to say to my little
partner, she’s little in stature, she
went on the underground railroad
and she led the ticket,” Hunt said
of his partner McNeill during a
celebration at the Michael Rouse
Community Center.
The victory was sweet for Mc
Neill, who recently was involved
in a car crash while on the cam
paign trail and had several family
emergencies.
“I told everyone if I won - to
God be the glory,” she said. “So
many things have happened to
us in the last month - accidents,
sickness of all my family and my
personal sickness. If not for God,
this couldn’t have happened.
“I thank God for the opportu
nity to serve the citizens of Hoke
County,” she said. “I’ll continue to
do the best to serve the citizens of
Hoke County, not one particular
group but everyone.”
It seems as if Hunt will get at
least four more years of serving
the board as chairman.
“I thank everyone for the
confidence in us to be able to be
commissioners and help lead this
county in the direction it needs to
go with all the growth we’ve got
going on,” Hunt said.
If Powell wins in November,
she will enter her 20th year serving
in Hoke County. She previously
served 12 years as the county’s
district attorney and is seeking
her third term on the board.
“I’m extremely pleased with
being one of the three nominees,”
she said. “I hope to win in the No
vember election and look forward
to serving another four years.”
Others, however, will have to
end their political aspirations for
the time being. The fourth highest
vote getter in the three-seat race
was Joe Poole, owner of Bayonet
Golf Course, losing his first ever
election.
Poole blamed low voter turnout
for his loss. Only 17.8 percent
of the 25,928 registered voters
participated in the primary.
“We have got 900 people ruling
over 50,000 or 60,000 people,”
Poole said following his loss by
299 votes. “It’s disappointing. The
top vote getter got what percent
of registered voters?
“The Civic League and those
who stand to gain the most, they
command a very large vote - the
rest are apathetic,” he said.
Poole thanked his wife and all
of his supporters, but said it was
too soon to decide if he’drun again
in the next election after receiving
only 16.8 percent of the vote.
Other first-time candidates
in the race, Lonnie Baldwin and
Damon Williams received only
12 percent and five percent of the
vote respectively.
Everyone thought the most
closely contested race of the
evening would be the battle for
clerk of court; however, former
school board chair Russell Smith
received nearly 45 percent of
the vote.
Freshman politicians Theresa
Byrd and Michael Dial were neck
and neck throughout the evening,
with Byrd receiving 29 percent
of the vote to Dial’s 26 percent.
“You never know how those
things are going to work out,”
Smith said after his victory. “You
go out there and work hard and do
your best and hope it works out. I
Just think this is a good place for
me to be, considering the sum total
experiences I’ve had.”
Both losing candidates were
disappointed, but pleased with
the fairness of the race.
“I think it was a good race,”
Byrd said. “I’m proud of myself.
Think I did a great job for a first
time politician.
“They opened a bottle of
champagne and congratulated
me anyway,” she said of her sup
porters. “I want to wish Russell
well... I’ll be working with him
on a day-to-day basis.”
Dial, who is currently the
county’s lead magistrate, echoed
Byrd.
“I’d like to tell everyone that
offered their support in whatever
way was given, thank you, al
though I’m a little disappointed
with the outcome, I look forward
to working with Russell again in
2011 until,” Dial said. “I don’t
think there was any dirty politick
ing going on... so we can all say
we done what was right and there
was only one winner.”
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68 percent of the vote across the
district and will go on to face
the Republican contender in
November.
That candidate could be the
first ever US Congressman from
Hoke County. Tim D’Annunzio,
owner of Raeford’s Paraclete XP
wind tunnel, is still in the race on
the Republican ticket, receiving
more votes across the district than
any of his competitors.
However, D ’ Annunzio did not
receive the 40 percent necessary
to avoid a runoff, and will face
former Charlotte news personality
Harold Johnson in another elec
tion June 22.
As of press time, D’Annunzio
received 36.8 of the vote, with nine
of 10 counties reporting. Johnson
received 33 percent.
“Tm saying it’s an opportunity
for us to go head to head - Harold
Johnson and I,” D’Annunzio said
last night. “He’s relying on his
name recognition and all I’ve had
is a message.
“We are looking at it as I won
and even though we didn’t reach
40 percent I still achieved my goal
of winning an election,” he said.
State and national races
Benjamin Clark carried Hoke
County in his bid for the District
13 state senate seat, but ended up
losing the overall election, thanks
to opponent Michael Walters’
dominance in his home county
of Robeson.
Walters carried 68 percent of
the overall vote, receiving 13,321
votes to Clark’s 6,038. Still,
Clark’s 1,836 votes here pushed
him to a 54 percent lead when
the polls closed in Hoke County.
Walters, who was appointed
by the Democratic Party after the
resignation of longtime senator
David Weinstein last year, will
not face a Republican challenge
in November. He said he’d do his
best to serve both counties.
“As a business person I under
stand the importance and Hoke
County is a big part of my life,”
he said. “Tve worked in Hoke
County for the last 20 years, so
I understand Hoke County and
look forward to working with
everyone in there.
“Mr. Clark ran a clean cam
paign and I’ve got to know him and
we have respect for one another,”
he said.
There was a primary on both
the Democrat and Republican
tickets for the District 8 seat in
the US House of Representatives
currently held by Larry Kissell.
Kissell narrowly defeated
challenger Nancy Shakir here
in Hoke County with 54 percent
of the vote. He carried a larger
umiuL imIAi wMi
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