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2/31/99 **P0
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Democrats Sweep Brunswick County Elections
BRUNSWICK
COUNTY
ELECTION
RESULTS
(Contested Races Only)
County Commissioner
District 1
tsDon Warren (D) 11,621
Joseph Brust (R) 9,538
District 3
? Wayland Vereen (D).. 11,168
Robert Slockett (R) 1 0,270
District 4
?7bm Rabon Sr. (D).... 12,174
Patricia Young (Ft)... 9.211
Board Of Education
District 1
G5US9 'OK. 10 657
Janet Pope (R) 10,549
District 3
William Carter (D) 10,117
i/BiU Fairtey (R) 11,109
District 4
? Donna Baxter (D) 11,915
Pete Barnette (R) 9.317
Register Of Deeds
?Robert Robinson (D) .11,716
Arthur Knox (R) 10. 190
loiri uisi.
?f/j R.C. Soles (D) 11,933
Jim Whitworth (R) 8,854
R. Hollembeak (L) 828
NC House, 14 Dist.
?(/j D. Redwina (D)..... 12,432
t/Dewey Hill (D) 9,810
Randy Sullivan (R) 8.085
Governor
sJamesB. Hunt (D)Z.11, 519
Jim Gardner (R) 9,442
Scott Mclaughlin (U 1.245
U.S. Hofirse Of Reps,
?ft) Charles Rose (D). 12, 537
Robert C. Anderson (R).8,867
Marc Kellev (L) 579
U.S. Senate
(i) Terry Sanford (D) 10,019
?laucrt Faircioth (R) ...10,606
Bobby Yates Emory (L).. 1,1 18
President
? Bill Clinton (D) 10,176
(1) George Bush (R) 8,833
Ross Perot (Ind.) 3,347
Key. D-Democrat; R-RepuWican;
(.-Libertarian; l-lncumbent
Inside...
Birthdays 2B
Business News 8C
Calendar of Events 9A
Church News 8A
Classified 1-8C
Court Docket 12C
Crime Report 13A
Entertainment 4-5B
Fishing 9C
Golf 9B
Obituaries 8A
Opinion 4-5 A
People In The News 4B
Plant Doctor 4B
Sports 6-12B
Television Listings 10-1 1C
BY SUSAN USHKR
Brunswick County Democrats
were determined not to lose out on
what appeared to be their best op
portunity in recent years: a strong
party ticket at both the national and
stale level combined with voters in a
mood for change.
Rallying to a call last spring by
Chairman W.A. (Bill) Stanley Jr. for
party unity and team effort, local
Democrats delivered the vote
Tuesday night.
"We've got a Democrat for presi
dent, a Democrat for governor and
Democrats in (local office). Ain't it
fun!" a jubilant-sounding Rep. E.
David Redwine said before leading
about 200 party faithful in a brief
rendition of "Happy Days Are Here
Again" at Democratic Headquarters
south of Bolivia.
Local Democrats' victory celebra
tion began early Tuesday night.
Several, hundred party members,
many of them county natives, gath
ered at the headquarters south of
Bolivia to eat together, collect door
prizes and watch state and national
returns on wide-screen TV.
A three-man team ? Jimmy
Moore, Tom Simmons and Rex
Gore ? posted results faxed from the
election center in Bolivia on a large
board and announced them over the
. public address system with a run
ning commentary.
Pearly Vereen of Exum wasn't
surprised that county results echoed
those of a mnck election at Wac
camaw Elementary School Tuesday,
where Democrats swept every seat
on the ballot from the county to the
White House.
A former county commissioner
and former county employee who
was fired from his job under a
Republican administration, Vereen
had predicted a Democratic sweep
Tuesday.
"It's the economy," he said.
"People are concerned. Did you
know soybeans are the same price
they were in 1957? Something's got
to change."
Onlookers attributed the Demo
cratic Party's local success to a com
bination of factors that included
concerns about the economy and a
desire for change, as well as a more
attractive national ticket and lots of
"teamwork" by local party mem
bers.
"We worked extra hard to bring
the Democrats together," said Dem
ocratic Party Chairman W.A. (Bill)
Stanley Jr. "They haven't been in
the past few years. We had better
communication and we invited
everybody to participate; we didn't
exclude anyone."
A public "tired of a Republican
administration from the White
House on down" helped, he said.
"It's the way they think: the rich get
richer and the poor get poorer, while
we Democrats put the people first."
While the county party hasn't yet
rebuilt to its tormer strength iocaiiy,
Stanley is predicting a brighter fu
ture for local Democrats.
"We've got a party rebuilding.
It's not built but it will be stronger.
We've got better organization and
structure, more membership and
more enthusiasm."
STAff" PHOTO* BY SUSAN USHER
VOTERS COME IN all heights and pants styles, as Jon Barbee learned Tuesday morning at Shallotte
Precinct. Jon was waiting as his father, Michael Barbee, 35, voted for his first time.
Three Democrats Win
County Commissioners' Seats
BY ERIC CARLSON
Democrats won a clcar majority
on the Brunswick County Board of
Commissioners Tuesday with victo
ries in all three district races.
The newly elected commissioners
will replace three incumbents who
chose not to run for re-election and
will step down from the all
Republican board.
Shallotte insurance agent Don
Warren took the District 1 scat by
defeating retired school superinten
dent Joseph Brust of Ocean Isle
Beach.
In the closest of the three races.
Yaupon Beach propane dealer and
former one-term commissioner
Waylon Vereen won the race to rep
resent District 3 over retired re
search chemist Bob Slockett, also of
Yaupon Beach.
Tom Rabon Sr., a retired post
master and real estate broker from
Winnabow won an easy victory over
businesswoman Patty Young of
Winnabow for the District 4 com
missioner's post.
According to unnofficial totals re
leased by the board of elections
Tuesday night. Warren took 18 of
22 precincts for a 2,083-vote win
ning margin over Brust. Verecn won
16 precmcis to lop Slockett by 898
votes. Rabon defeated Young in all
but two precincts to gamer a 2,963
vote victory.
While all three new commission
ers agreed that the Democratic
Party's presidential victory helped
their causc, none thought it was a
major factor in the local sweep of
county board races.
"I can't say it was just c cattails. I
don't read that much into it,"
Warren said shortly after the last
precinct tally was announced.
"I think the Democrats benefitted
from the general mood of the coun
try and the focus on the economy,"
Warren said. "But I also think the
people here rcccgnizcd that we had
a strong slate of candidates. It was a
good ticket."
Warren said he doesn't have a
firm agenda for his first months in
office. He said he wanted to "sit
down with (County Manager) David
Clegg and lake a good look at the
budget."
He noted that it was "interesting
liming" for the board of commis
(See ELECTION, Page 2-A)
Zoning Plan
Passes First Vote 3-2 On Election Eve
BY ERIC CARLSON
On the eve of an election that wiil
replace three of its members, the
Brunswick County Board of Com
missioners Monday voted 3-2 in fa
vor of a zoning ordinance, raised the
salaries of all county workers and
left consideration of a proposed
leash law to the incoming board.
As expected. Chairman Kelly
Holden voted with commissioners
Gene Pinkerton and Jerry Jones to
approve a zoning law that would
regulate land use in unincorported
areas of Brunswick County.
Commissioners Frankie Rabon and
Donald Shaw voted against the mea
sure.
Because approval of the law was
not unanimous, it must be voted on
again at a iater meeting. Koiden saiu
he would ask the board to approve
the zoning law again Nov. 16, the
last regular meeting for him and out
going commissioners Pinkerton and
Rabon.
If approved at that meeting, the
zoning ordinance would go into ef
fccl July 1. The new board would be
responsible for setting up the appa
ratus to implement the ordinance.
Several commissioners candidates
have expressed reservation about the
law and one has publicly said she
would vote to repeal it.
The question of zoning was put to
a vote in a non-binding countywide
referendum las! year. when it was
endorsed by a two-to-one margin.
Police Seeking Suspects
In 2 Shallotte Robberies
BY DOUG RUTTER
Shallotte policc are investigating
two armed robberies of local busi
nesses that occurred within 2 1/2
hours of each other Sunday night
and early Monday morning.
The Market Express convenience
store was robbed at gunpoint just be
fore 2 a.m. Monday, and Hardee's
fast food restaurant was held up
around 10:35 p.m. Sunday. Nobody
was injured.
Shallotte Police Chief Rodney
Gause said he doesn't think the two
robberies are related. But the Har
dee's robbery may have been com
milled by the same man who robbed
a Subway shop in New Hanover
County earlier Sunday night.
The Shallot te Hardee's was
robbed around 10:35 p.m., after the
restaurant had closed for business.
Five employees were cleaning up,
said Gause, when a black man fol
lowed an employee who had been
talcing out trash through a rear door
into the restaurant. The robber
pulled a gun and ordered the em
ployees to get into a walk-in cooler.
He then stole an undetermined
amount of cash and fled.
Employees described the suspect
as a clean-cut black man in his late
20s, about 6 feet 3 inches tall and
weighing 175 pounds. He had a light
complexion.
Workers told police, the man was
wearing a purple hat and a white
shirt with purple trim. He was carry
ing a gun thai appeared to be a
chrome- or nickei-piaieu, .3S-caliucf
revolver.
While police were investigating
the Hardee's robbery, Gause said the
Market Express was robbed at gun
point around 1:58 a.m. Monday.
A black man thought to be in his
early 20s entered the convenience
store and picked up a soft drink and
candy bar. He walked to the counter
and pulled a gun out of his back
pocket and demanded money.
Gause said the cashier told police
the man appeared to be holding a
small chrome or stainless steel auto
matic handgun.
(See ARMED, Page 2- A)
'?'?*. ' . ~ V-'/A" ??'?'' ?*.'/ ?
POLICE SKETCHES depict suspects in Sunday's armed rob
beries. On the left is what police believe the robber of Hardee's
looks like; on the right is the Market Express suspect.
Numerous public hearings were held
to collect imput before drafting an
ordinance. After a series of joint
public workshops the law was re
viewed at a public hearing.
Still, several people at Monday's
meeting complained that the law
was hastily considered and rushed
into law without sufficient citizen
imput.
"Evidently it's too late to recon
sider this," said Rabon before the
vote. "I want to go on record against
it. It will be a tremendous burden on
poor people in the county and will
take away privileges we have en
joyed for years and years."
After the vote, Holden said he felt
that the Zoning Board of Adjust
ment, which will consider requests
to modify the law, should be com
prised of residents of the county's
unincorporated areas. Other com
missioners voiced support for the
idea.
Some zoning opponents have
charged that the ordinance was
drafted to benefit resident of towns
that already have zoning at the ex
pense of rural residents who don't
approve of the law. In the referen
dum, zoning received its widest sup
port from municipal precints.
Employee Get Raises
On another issue, after hearing the
results of a study of county positions
and pay scales, the commissioners
voted unanimously to raise employ
ee salaries to at least the minimum
amount recommended by a study of
similar positions across the state.
The recently completed study was
conducted by David M. Griffith and
Associates of Raleigh at the request
of the commissioners.
In addition to the raises suggested
by the study, the board voted to in
crease by 2.5 percent the salaries of
employees whose pay scale was
within statewide norms and whose
positions were not recommended for
an increase.
Although the study recommend
no pay raises for department
heads? the highest-paid county em
ployees ? the board voted to give
them the 2.5 percent increase.
The raises were in addition to a
2.5 percent salary hike approved by
the board at its final budget work
shop June 8. County Manager David
Clcgg estimated the increases would
cost the county about 5300,000.
Money for the raises was included in
the 1992-93 budget pending comple
tion of the salary study, Clegg said.
The commissioners also agreed to
implement the recommendations of
an in-house salary study of the sher
iffs and register of deeds depart
ments. Both elected officials asked
not to be included in DMG study.
The in-house study conducted by
the county finance department, like
the DMG study, used statewide data
to establish average salaries for sim
ilar sheriffs department positions. It
recommended salary increases that
would bring the pay scale in line
with state norms.
Most sheriffs department pay
raises ranged between 6 and 10 per
cent, primarily for lower paid
deputies ana detectives. Employees
not recommended for an increase
were given the 2.5 percent raise.
Leash Law Tabled
In the board's last action before
adjourning, commissioners voted 3
to 2, with Holden and Pinkerton dis
senting, to table consideration of a
county leash law.
Holden had asked the board to
vote on the proposed ordinance it
(See ZONING, Page 2-A)
pmm
Feathers And Bones
STAFF PHOTO IV EMC CAftLSON
With their plumed hats flaring and trombones glistening, the West Brunswick High School Band
marches toward the Holden Beach Bridge in the Festival By The Sea parade Saturday morning. More
festival photos and stories, inside.