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February 10, 2000
Vol. 68, No. 6 Hertford, North Carolina 27944
0 9 2000
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PERQUk
Weekly
Ward is challenger in state House race
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A Perquimans County com
missioner and state
Transportation Board member
has filed for the 86th House
District seat, setting up a May
showdown with incumbent
state House Rep. William T.
“BiU” Culpepper III.
Charles Ward said last
Wednesday that, while he con
siders fellow Democrat
Culpepper a friend, he feels he
can do a better job represent
ing the 86th District in the
state house.
“I just feel like I have the
experience and the back
ground to do a good job in this
district,” said Ward, 62. “I’d
rather be running the ship.”
Owner of several businesses
in Perquimans County, Ward
Local
races
develop
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The race is on.
The last week of filing for
the May election brought out
enough candidates to create
general election races for both
the school board and board of
county commissioners.
Former county commis
sioner Mack Nixon, who was
defeated in his re-election bid
in 1998, will seek to return to
that board. Nixon made the
third Democrat to file for the
office.
Present school board mem
ber Wallace Nelson was the
last to file for county commis
sioner, submitting his papers
just as the filing period closed
Mbnday at noon. Nelson is a
Republican.
With Nixon and Nelson on
board, there are five candi
dates for the three county com
missioner seats available.
Democrats seeking the office
include board chairman
Shirley Wiggins, political new
comer Randy Lassiter, and
Nixon. Running on the
Republican ticket are Nelson
and another newcomer to local
politics, Vernon Hammons.
Perquimans County
Elections Director Eula Forbes
said there will be no ballot for
county commissioner in May
. The county electoral system is
set up so that the top three
Democrats and top three
Republicans in the primary
advance to the general elec
tion. All five candidates will
therefore automatically go on
the November ballot.
The school board race took
a late interesting turn when
William E. Byrum, a popular
retired school administrator,
filed for one of three seats last
week. Byrum recently retired
as an assistant to the superin
tendent.
Another challenger also
stepped up in the filing peri
od’s waning days. Iris Byrne
signed up for a seat on the
school board.
On May’s ballot for the
school board election will be
incumbents Helen Shaw and
Tommy L5Tin Riddick, as well
as Ramona Murphy, Byrum
and Byrne. The top three vote-
takers will be seated on the
board in June.
also says that one of his
strengths is that he, unlike
Culpepper, is not an attorney
“I am a businessman,” Ward
said. “I think we have enough
lawyers in the state House.”
Ward said he’s been mulling
a run for the state House for
several months. Based on feed
back he’s received from sup
porters, he feels “pretty good”
about his chances of defeating
the three-term incumbent.
An Elizabeth City native
who practices law in Edenton,
Culpepper, 52, said he was not
surprised to learn Ward had
filed for the 86th District seat.
“I had heard some talk that
he was interested in the posi
tion,” said Culpepper, who
filed himself for reelection sev
eral weeks ago.
Culpepper said he and Ward
have enjoyed a friendly rela
tionship over the years.
Ward
“He
(Ward) has
been a good
supporter of
me in the
past,’’
Culpepper
said.
The state’s
District I
representa
tive on the
state Board of Transportation
the past four years. Ward has
two years remaining on his
third term as a Perquimans
commissioner. He currently
serves as vice-chairman of the
commission board and has
served as a board member of
both the Albemarle
Commission and the Northeast
North Carolina Economic
Development Commission.
According to Perquimans
County Elections Director
Eula Forbes, Ward is not
required to resign from his
post as a county commissioner
to run for the state office. State
law requires resignation at the
time the oath of office for the
higher position is adminis
tered. Therefore, Ward wUl not
have to resign unless he is
elected in November’s general
election.
Ward said education, roads
and responsible growth plan
ning will be the key issues of
his campaign.
“I’d like to see us do a little
better job at handling our
growth,” Ward said. “We need
to plan better. (And) I’m going
to be 100 percent behind educa
tion.”
Ward said the 86th District
has secured new roads, but
could take better care of its
older highway system.
“I feel like I could make a
Daily Advance photo
No one was seriously injured when a Hertford woman drove into the back of a stopped
Perquimans County school bus on U.S. Highway 17 north of Hertford last Wednesday after
noon.
No one injured in car-bus wreck
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
No one was seriously
injured when a Hertford
women drove her vehicle into
the back of a Perquimans
County school bus last
Wednesday afternoon.
Stacey Hoffman, 27, of
Dobbs Street, was traveling
County C)Ks
rent, sale bids
Perquimans County com
missioners accepted three bids
Monday in regular session.
A 1987 Ford truck was sold
to high bidder Calvin Lacy for
$400. Three bids were received.
Rent on the county’s farm
land on both the county home
and Granby (commerce cen
tre) properties plummeted
with the acceptance of two
three-year bids. The county
home property, about 9 acres,
will be rented to present
renter Thomas Roach for $50
per acre. Choice Acres kept the
Granby property for rent of
$63 per acre, down from $73 in
the last rental agreement. The
bids were the only ones sub
mitted for the land.
Falling farm product prices
and a couple of bad years were
blamed by commissioners for
the lowered farm rent bids.
north on U.S. Highway 17 when
she hit the back of a stopped
school bus with her 1994 Ford.
The car went up under the left
rear portion of the bus.
Neither Hoffman, her
daughter, the bus driver,
Patricia Whidbee, or any pas
sengers were seriously
injured, according to the
report filed by N.C. Highway
Patrol Trooper W.D. Shepherd.
Hoffman’s young daughter
was properly secured in a chUd
safety seat in the correct posi
tion in the back seat at the time
of the accident.
Estimated damages to the
bus totaled $6,000. Hoffman’s
car sustained an estimated
$5,000 in damages.
Highway Patrol records
show that the accident is stUl
under investigation.
Ashley charged with
Bethel area robberies
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
A Perquimans County man
was arrested Saturday and
charged in connection with
several break-ins in the Bethel
community
Perquimans deputy Nathan
Zachary said Donald Wayne
Ashley, 28, of 62 Bethel Fishing
Center Road, Hertford was
charged with two counts of
felonious breaking and enter
ing, larceny and possession of
stolen goods.
Zachary said the depart
ment received information
that Ashley may have been
involved in reported break-ins
in the Bethel area. A deputy
was dispatched to question
Ashley at his home.
During the visit, Zachary
said the deputy recognized a
difference with some of our
road matters,” he said.
Culpepper said if he’s re
elected, he will continue to
seek improvements in the dis
trict’s economic development
efforts, in education and envi
ronmental issues.
“The major issues don’t
change,” said Culpepper, who
believes his chances of return
ing to office are “extremely
good.” /
The 86th House District is
comprised of Chowan, Dare
and Tyrrell counties, and three
of the four voting precincts in
Perquimans Coimty.
Asked how critical the popu
lous Dare Coimty vote wUl be
to his re-election campaign, the
incumbent said very critical.
“I do feel confident in saying
I have enjoyed a wide range of
support from Dare County vot
ers in the past,” Culpepper
said.
However, the current chair
man of the state House’s Rules
Committee says he won’t seek
a public endorsement from
Dare County’s most powerful
political leader, state Sen. Marc
Basnnight.
“I don’t think it would be
fair to put Senator Basnight in
a position (of having to choose
between two candidates.)”
Culpepper said.
Culpepper, who was appoint
ed to the House in 1993, has had
election chaUenges before. In
his most recent he defeated
Dare County Republican
George Embrey in 1998.
Cheryl Byrd, a Republican
Dare County Commissioner,
filed for the seat on Jan. 12. She
wUl take on the winner of th^
May primary in November.
Hertford Police set
up child safety seat
inspection days
red gas can that matched the
description of one reported
stolen. The person who report
ed the gas can stolen was
picked up and asked by the
deputy to accompany the
deputy to Ashley’s residence to
identify the gas can. The vic
tim said the item belonged to
him.
Later that day a search war
rant was executed for Ashley’s
house. Several items reported
stolen were found inside the
house, Zachary said.
The deputy added that other
items were recovered from a
pawn shop and from a person
in the community who alleged
ly bought some of the stolen
items.
Bond was set at $15,000
secured. Zachary said Ashley
was stUl detained in Albemarle
District Jail at press time.
SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Hertford police officers con
tinue to increase their efforts
to protect children riding in
vehicles.
Chief Dale Vanscoy said the
local police department will
observe National Child
Passenger Safety Week, Feb. 13-
19, by kicking off a new service
this month. A certified child
safety seat inspector will be on
duty at the police department
the last Friday of each month,
8 a.m.-noon, to perform free
child safety seat checks.
The Hertford Police
Department hosted a child
safety seat workshop last fall.
The last session was perform
ing courtesy seat checks in the
Food Lion parking lot. Vanscoy
said several parents and grand
parents stopped to make sure
the seats in their vehicles met
current safety standards and
were properly installed. All
said the inspection gave them
peace of mind about the safety
of their young passengers, he
added.
According to the National
Safe Kids Campaign, studies
have found that as many as
four out of five car seats are
installed or used incorrectly
Factors contributing to the dif
ficulty of using seats correctly
include a variety of age and
size requirements, incompati
bility between car seat and
vehicle design, and improper
seating position.
“One of the most common
mistakes parents make when
restraining children is that
they don’t alter the type of
child safety seats they use as
children grow,” said Insurance
Commissioner Jim Long.
“When children out-grow for-
ward-facing convertible seats,
they need to be restrained in
belt-positioning booster seats
imtil they are big enough to fit
properly in an adult seat belt.”
Nationally each year,
approximately 1,800 children
are killed and 280,000 are
injured as passengers in motor
vehicles. According to the NC
Division of Motor Vehicles, 53
children age 11 and vmder were
killed in automobile crashes in
1998. Of that number 35 were
unrestrained.
The latest revision to the
North Carolina Child
Passenger Safety Law went
into affect Oct. 1,1999. This law
requires:
• All children less than 16
years old must be buckled
properly in either the front or
back seat.
• Children younger than age
5 and who weigh less than 40
pounds must be properly
secured in a child passenger
restraint device (CRD) appro
priate for their weight.
• At age 5, a seat belt may be
used instead of a safety seat.
The North Carolina law also
requires that in vehicles with
front seat passenger air bags
and rear seats, the safety seat
for children imder age 5 and
less than 40 pounds must be
installed in the rear seat,
unless the seat is designed for
use with air bags. Safety stud
ies recommend that infants in
rear-facing child safety seats
should never ride in the front
seat of a vehicle with a passen
ger side air bag.
For information on child
safety seats, visit the Hertford
Police Department on inspec
tion days or call the Buckle Up
Kids program of the N.C.
Department of Insurance at
800-634-7854.
Weekend
Weather
Thursday
High: 65
Low: 45
Partly Cloudy
Friday
High: 67
low: 45
Mostly Cloudy
Saturday
High: 62
low: 37
Mostly Cloudy