WIZS Radio 2024 General Election Coverage

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Democratic incumbent Carolyn Faines swept all three precincts Tuesday to retain her District 1 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners, defeating Republican challenger William Heitman, with 56 percent of the vote over Heitman’s 44 percent.

The District 1 seat was the only contested local race on Vance County ballots, with three other commissioners and three school board members running unopposed.

Faines got 1,808 votes to Heitman’s 1,417 votes from those who cast ballots in the Middleburg, New Hope and Community College precincts.

Reached by phone Tuesday night, Faines said she is excited and thankful for another opportunity to serve the county in what will be her third term as District 1 commissioner.

“I thank the citizens for trusting me again,” Faines said, adding that she intends to serve Vance County to the best of her ability and “do what’s right for every citizen,” adding that she hears their voices and their concerns.

WIZS News spoke to Heitman Tuesday night after the results were in, and the challenger said he had sent a congratulatory note to Faines on her victory.

In the time leading up to the election, Heitman said the county’s property tax rate and property revaluation became hot topics of conversation and “called a lot of people out to pay attention.”

He said those issues caused more people to get involved…(and) keep an eye on what the commissioners do and what they vote for.

Here is the breakdown by precinct in the District 1 contest:

Middleburg: Faines 363 Heitman 183

Community College: Faines 153 Heitman 115

New Hope: Faines 1,292 Heitman 1,119

Total voter turnout in Vance County was 69.5 percent, slightly lower than the 2020 turnout of about 71 percent. A total of 20,095 ballots were cast – including 611 mail-in and absentee votes cast, along with 15,637 – more than 54 percent – ballots that were cast during the early-voting period between Oct. 17 and Nov. 2.

Vance County Board of Elections Chairman James Baines provided WIZS News the summary sheet of all 12 precincts by about 9:15 p.m. to confirm the unofficial results of the District 1 race.

Also, by 9:40 p.m., with all 25 precincts reporting, challenger Bryan Cohn had received 182 more votes than incumbent Frank Sossamon for the race for N.C. House District 32, which includes Vance and Granville counties.

Cohn, a former Oxford city commissioner, garnered 60 percent of the total vote among Vance County voters. Cohn got 21,054 votes to 20,872 votes for Sossamon with all 25 precincts reporting.

In the race for N.C. House District 7, which includes a portion of Vance County, Republican incumbent Matthew Winslow is the projected winner, with 26,995 votes, over Democratic challenger Jesse Goslen, who had 20,520 with all precincts reporting.

Republican State Sen. Lisa Stone Barnes held a slim lead over Democratic challenger James Mercer and is the projected winner in the District 11 race, winning with 51.35 percent of the vote to Mercer’s 48.65 percent.

The Henry A. Dennis Building in downtown Henderson is home to the Vance County Board of Elections.

TownTalk: N.C. Court Of Appeals Seat 12 Contest

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The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5. In-person early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 17 and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2.

Carolyn Thompson

The N.C. Court of Appeals is the second-highest court in the state, and as the name implies, the 15 judges that make up the court sit on three-member panels to review lower court rulings.

Judge Carolyn J. Thompson was appointed to Seat 12 in September 2023 by Gov. Roy Cooper, and she’s on the ballot in the upcoming election to retain that seat.

The State Supreme Court is the highest court in the state, but the majority of cases are determined by the court of appeals and go no further, Thompson explained.

Opinions coming from the appeals court impact the entire state, she said. “It’s a last resort for a lot of cases,” she added. “We are an error-correcting court,” she said.

The judicial races are statewide races and the judges serve 8-year terms.

She said she’s the best candidate for the job because she has extensive legal and judicial experience, and she’s “already there, doing the hard work for all of North Carolina… I uphold the law and the Constitution equally – it doesn’t matter your ZIP code or your background.”

She suffered a narrow defeat in 2022 in her bid for a seat on the court of appeals, and before her most recent reappointment to the appellate court, spent about nine months as deputy commissioner of the N.C. Industrial Commission, which she described as a quasi-judicial role that hears workers’ compensation issues and cases of tort claims from incarcerated people.

Over the past year, Thompson said she’s written 96 opinions for cases she and her fellow judges on the panel have heard.

The panels get about 30 cases per month, and Thompson said she’s required to author at least eight. Her 27 years of experience on both sides of the bench, Thompson said, gives her knowledge of criminal, domestic and civil cases. “You can only do that kind of work when you’ve been experienced in it,” she said.

There’s no room for partisan politics in the decisions made by the appellate court. “We never even know party affiliations…we just see issues that need answers,” she said.

Although state law requires judicial candidates to list their party affiliation, Thompson, a Democrat, said she doesn’t allow political rhetoric to interfere with her work on the appellate court.

“We have to stay independent,” she said. “We are an independent branch of government.”

With her roots working for women and children in domestic court, Thompson said she’s a longtime advocate for survivors of domestic violence.

“I can’t serve in that capacity any more because I’m now a judge ruling in cases…once you become a judge you can’t practice law any more.”

Thompson, a licensed and ordained minister, is the author of “Abigail’s Veil: A Domestic Violence Handbook for Clergy and Church Leaders.

She gives credits to her family for helping her stay focused. She’s a wife, a mom and a grandmother, and those roles are as important to her as her role as judge.

“They keep me centered,” she said. “They keep me focused on why it’s important to fight for justice.”

Visit https://judgecarolynthompson.com/ to learn more about the candidate and visit https://www.nccourts.gov/ to read some of her opinions and find a livestream link to the hearings.

Tom Murry

Tom Murry describes himself as a conservative who believes that the original words of the Constitution mean what they say.

Murry is a candidate for Seat 12 of the N.C. Court of Appeals, a seat currently held by Judge Carolyn Thompson. Thompson was appointed in September 2023 to that seat, and state law requires that she be elected to keep it.

As her challenger, Murry said his experience as an attorney and an assistant district attorney – as well as time spent on the Morrisville Town Council and in the N.C. House – would help him in his role as appellate court judge.

“I understand the three branches of government,” Murry said. “I think I can stay in my lane as a judge.”

When he was a law student at Campbell University, he said he got to see a three-judge panel in action. And, as a prosecutor for the 11th Prosecutorial District, he had a case that was appealed – and affirmed – by the very court that he now seeks to join.

Murry said half of the cases that come to the N.C. Court of Appeals are criminal cases, and he said his time as a prosecutor will help him if he is elected. He has experience working in the courtroom and working with local law enforcement.

State law requires that judicial candidates’ party affiliations be included on ballots, but Murry said there’s no place for partisan politics in the courtroom.

“I’m going to be listed as a Republican on the ballot,” Murry said, but as a judge, he will wear a black robe. Like the camouflage he dons on National Guard Drill Weekends, the robe is neither blue nor red, he said.

“When judges issue rulings based on their political views it undermines the public’s trust in our courts. It’s extremely concerning to me. There are other branches of government that are responsible for policy and making the law. Judges need to be restrained and focused on the issues at hand, not how they want them to be,” Murry said.

“I believe that Lady Justice has a blindfold for a reason,” he said, adding that he will administer the law “without favor, delay or denial…same facts, same law, same outcome – that’s equal protection under the law and that’s what we’re called to do.”

Visit https://www.jointom.com/ to learn more.

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TownTalk: District 1 Candidates For County Commissioner

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The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the upcoming general election on Nov. 5. In-person early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 17 and the lone contested county race is for the District 1 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

Democratic incumbent Carolyn Faines is seeking re-election and faces opposition from Republican challenger William Heitman. 

Carolyn Faines

Carolyn Faines probably has some stories she could tell from her 20+ years in public education. For the past five years, Faines has taught business at Bunn High School in Franklin County, but education is something that takes up a lot of space in her head and her heart.

But she’s got room as well for Vance County and the people who live here, many of whom – like her – have been here their whole lives.

She has master’s degrees and is currently pursuing credentials to become an administrator, but she’s also been a bus driver, teacher assistant, a data manager, a bookkeeper within public schools.

“Education has always been a big part of my life,” she said. “I believe in education. love teaching – it’s one of my passions.”

Faines is the District 1 incumbent on the Vance County Board of Commissioners, first elected in 2016. She also is the founder of I Believe God Outreach Church in the Williamsboro community.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – “I think eight years is entirely too long,” she said. Faines said she initially backed the revenue-neutral budget, but ultimately determined that the county had so many projects that needed to be funded, so she voted for the 10-cent tax increase during the budget process.

“I felt like there were things that needed to get done,” she added.

Jail – “The jail is in a bad shape,” Faines said. It is run down, she continued, and said that something needs to be done to improve conditions.

“Regardless of the reason they’re there, they’re still people,” Faines said.

Fire study – “We are still in a lot of discussion,” Faines said, noting an upcoming joint meeting later this month with the public safety committee and the fire safety committee.

“We make sure that our people are safe, as we look at redistricting, (as we) look at our volunteer fire departments (and) Golden Belt.”

She said she’d love to see all fire departments have 24/7 coverage. “To me, that would be wonderful,” she said. “Taking care of our citizens is first.”

Faines said she loves her role as a county commissioner and she said she keeps people top of mind with every vote and every decision she makes.

“The policies that I vote on are what I believe will help the people of Vance County,” she said.

“My heart is in it – that the people get what’s best. I love it because this is where I was born and raised…and I’m glad to be a part of the Vance County team.”

William Heitman

William Heitman has lived in Vance County for just over a decade, having moved from Durham and putting down roots on four acres of land in the northern part of the county.

“There are good people here…I have good neighbors,” Heitman said during an interview with WIZS News, recorded for broadcast on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

“After I retired, I decided I wanted to try to give something back,” he said. So he threw his hat into the ring to represent District 1 on the county board of commissioners.

He’s a newcomer to politics, and describes himself as a conservative. He feels the management skills he honed during his years as a pilot, flying 747 jets all over the globe, will be useful if he’s elected. He retired with the rank of captain.

“As a captain on a 747, you have a crew – sometimes a double crew -,” Heitman said. “You have to manage people” and keep them focused on the task at hand.

He said he knows how to take, and accept, responsibility to have good outcomes.

On the issues:

Property tax revaluation – Heitman said he’s in favor of changing the revaluation from every 8 years to every 4 years. “I’m sure it worked well for many years,” he said. He is not in favor of bringing evaluators from more urban areas like Raleigh and Cary to a rural area with no local oversight.

“There weren’t local people taking care of local people,” he said, adding that he would not have voted for the property tax rate that commissioners approved.

“I would have voted against it, absolutely,” he said.

Fire study – Heitman said he’ll need to do a little more research into the status of the fire study. “I have caught wind of this fire issue that the commissioners wanted to take a county funded fire department and put it back to a volunteer fire department…there are, I’m sure, other parameters to take into consideration.”

Since he’s retired, Heitman said he’ll have the time needed to get out into the community, talk to people and get the facts.

Jail – The current situation with the jail is another matter for further research, and Heitman said he’s interested in taking a look at the current facility, and talk to law enforcement officials like the sheriff and police chief to find out what the needs are.

If he’s elected, Heitman said he’s going to be looking into where taxpayers’ money is being spent. “This is where I have to get in there and start digging,” he said.

He also is keen to work on the county-wide problem of littering, citing roadside trash from fast-food restaurants that folks toss from their cars.

He said he wants residents to take more pride in their county. Tourists and lake visitors would take away a better impression of their time in the county. But first, he said, it’s important to “change people’s attitudes towards where they live.”

“I have ideas and ideals,” Heitman said, “that I want to make Vance County better, a destination for people to come and visit, and leave feeling good about it.”

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Primary Election Coverage in Vance County; Commissioner Taylor Unseated

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Valencia Perry unseated incumbent Archie Taylor in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election for the District 2 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

It was a fairly close contest through the evening as the county’s 12 precincts reported, and WIZS News was able to call the race for Perry by 9 p.m. Perry had 251 votes to Taylor’s 213. Perry got more votes than Taylor in each of the precincts in District 2, according to tallies Tuesday night by the Vance County Board of Elections.

The other local race determined on Super Tuesday was the District 5 Board of Education race. Incumbent Linda Cobb successfully defended her seat by defeating challenger William Earl Purvis 308 to 138 – that’s 69 percent for Cobb and 31 percent for Purvis.

WIZS News contacted Perry by phone Tuesday evening after the results were in. “I thank everyone who voted for me,” Perry said. “I’m so grateful… I will be proud and humble to serve the people of Vance County.”

On the campaign trail, Perry said she heard concerns about schools, mental health and the county jail – issues that she also had emphasized as priorities.

“The people came out and voted for me,” she said. “They listened to me and they gave me a chance.”

Taylor congratulated Perry on her win and said he would support her any way he could.

“I wish her all the best going forward,” he said in a phone interview with WIZS News Tuesday.

First elected in 2012, Taylor said he would continue to serve on the boards he’s on to the utmost of his abilities.

Between now and December, when Perry will be sworn in as District 2 Commissioner, Taylor said he would continue to work with his fellow commissioners on issues including the budget, on the revaluation process and “this revenue neutral business with the taxes.”

After the polls closed at 7:30 p.m., results rolled in smoothly to the local board of elections office through the evening.

A total of 5,656 votes were cast in Vance County – 3,338 Democrat ballots and 2,305 Republican ballots were tallied. There are 28,296 registered voters in the county, so 5,656 represents roughly 20 percent that came out to vote in this primary election.

This overall voter turnout is lower than the previous two March primaries – turnout in March 2020 was 24.6 percent. In March 2016, almost 32 percent of voters cast votes.

— UPDATED 10:38 p.m. March 5, 2024

By Laura Gabel. John C. Rose contributed.

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TownTalk: County Commissioner Candidate Archie Taylor

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Vance County Commissioner Archie B. Taylor, Jr. is seeking re-election to his District 2 seat and said he’s interested in helping the county continue to attract economic development, work on public transportation, reduce crime, support education and get a new jail built.

An interview with Taylor aired on Monday’s TownTalk segment as part of WIZS’s ongoing coverage of local contests in the Mar. 5 primary elections. Taylor faces challenger Valencia Perry. Early voting continues through Saturday, Mar. 2.

Taylor, a highly decorated and retired Colonel in the U.S. Army, has been a commissioner for more than a decade and said that he wants to continue to help attract businesses to the county that will provide jobs for high school graduates as well as for college graduates so people who grow up here don’t “run off to Raleigh or Charlotte” for higher paying jobs.

It’s economic development that will bring jobs to the community, he said.

“I’m interested in helping the sheriff build a new jail,” Taylor said, adding that commissioners are looking for “north of $30 million” to make that a reality.

Public transportation is an issue that Taylor also supports. As a member of the KARTS board, he said he hopes to continue to increase public transportation throughout the county.

He, along with others, are awaiting the release of the county fire study. “I certainly am interested in seeing what the fire study will say about our fire station,” he said. “We are blessed in this county to have something that many in this state envy – we have a county-owned, fully paid fire department,” he said. “It’s extremely important for us to maintain a fully paid station that is reporting to the county and is on the county payroll. I think our study is going to support that.”

He applauded the efforts of McGregor Hall and its contributions of not only culture, but revenue to the city and county. He said he would like to see the city and county return the favor by providing some form of financial support to the entertainment venue.

The current project to create a men’s shelter in the former City Road Methodist Church building is something that Taylor is watching with interest, too. He thanked N.C. Sen. Lisa Barnes and N.C. Rep. Frank Sossamon for their help in getting $150,000 toward the transformation.

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TownTalk: County Commissioner Candidate Valencia Perry

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Valencia Perry grew up in Vance County and said she is running for county commissioner so she can be a part of a “powerful team” that uses money wisely to help people.

“Spending money takes research and takes knowledge,” Perry said during a recorded interview on Monday’s TownTalk. “I want to be a part of that team.”

Perry is challenging incumbent Archie Taylor, Jr. for the District 2 seat on the Vance County Board of Commissioners.

She’s gained perspective over the years and said she will be an asset as a commissioner. “I will be a fresh set of eyes,” she said, to help make “long-needed change in Vance County.”

Perry has a background in accounting and she also is an ordained minister. She is a mother and a grandmother who said her personal and professional experiences have shaped her ideas and sharpened her focus.

She said her focus is on education, funding for schools, pursuing services for those with mental health issues and the county jail situation. “My goodness, that’s a sticking point,” she said, adding that it’s important to have a detention center that keeps inmates – and staff – safe.

For Perry, education is the key issue. Without a proper education, she said, people have a tendency to get off track, or make bad decisions that fuel the crime rate, those in detention and in mental health crisis.

Her three-word mantra is “resilience, transparency and reliability” and she said she would work hard for the people of Vance County.

Her work on the Vance County Housing Authority Board helped her realize just how critical financial responsibility is. “I had a chance to help people move forward and not stay stuck,” she said. “We’ve done a lot of great things and I feel good about it,” she said of her work with the housing authority.

Another need she sees in the county is a diversion center for those in crisis because of mental health or substance abuse issues. “It is so important,” Perry said, that people have “somewhere they can be safely cared for by professionals who know what to do.”

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TownTalk: Linda Cobb, Board of Education Candidate

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Vance County Board of Education member Linda Cobb, seeking re-election to the District 5 seat, said the school district faces challenges common in many districts, and applauds leaders for their innovative efforts to provide a quality education experience for students and teachers.

Cobb was first appointed in 2019 to fill an unexpired term on the board of education, then was elected in 2020.

The county’s schools aren’t immune to challenges like bus drivers and attracting and retaining certified teachers, but Cobb said she celebrates successes like the creation of the SPARK lab to help students discover future career paths through hands-on experiences.

Her vision for the school system is “to lead and guide our students to success once they finish high school,” she said.

A couple of priorities she has on her radar include building community relationships and making sure students are “catching up” from COVID. “We can’t blame everything on COVID, but we need to make sure we have enough tutors in schools and teachers to teach the kids…what they need to know to progress to the next level,” she said.

Having been an instructor at Vance-Granville Community College for 20 years, she said she’s worked with students who are products of Vance County Schools. In close to 30 years in her role with the Department of Social Services, she’s worked with a variety of people, including children.

She continues that work in her role as a school board member, which includes strategizing “very carefully how we spend the money.”

“Our needs are growing,” she said, “but the amount of money coming to the district is not growing with the need.”

Money that comes from federal and state streams is usually already designated for particular budget items, and Cobb said she believes the district is managing those funds very well. “We just had a clean audit report,” she added.

Some of the stimulus money from the federal government was used for bonuses to employees and to other sustainable things, she said – not on one-off funding for seed money.”

“We always have to put the students first…(making sure) that they’re getting the very best education they can.”

Early voting is underway for the Mar. 5 primary elections.

 

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TownTalk: William Purvis, Board Of Education Candidate

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William Earl Purvis said he is promoting a “vision for transformation” in his bid for a seat on the Vance County Board of Education. Purvis faces incumbent and fellow Democrat Linda Cobb for the District 5 seat.

Henderson voters may remember his name from his unsuccessful bid for City Council in 2022; Purvis said his experience as an educator in a neighboring county, his background as a pastor and his training as a licensed clinician all serve to make him the right person for the job.

“I’ve talked to many parents, students and teachers,” he told WIZS News on a segment of TownTalk that aired Wednesday. “They want a voice,” and he said he would work to collaborate with the community to shape the board’s decisions.

Purvis said he’d like to have quarterly “town hall type” meetings to share with the community what’s going on in the school system.

The school system does a good job collaborating with the community now, he said. “It’s my job (to) take that even further and enhance it with all our students.”

He said his work as a clinician, pastor and educator all serve to make him an advocate for children and for school system employees.

“We’re all in this together to build a successful school system,” he said, adding that he would work to improve low-performing schools and would support all staff – teachers, administrators, custodians – to effect change.

He said he would work to promote school safety, mental health services, programs for parents and appropriate and fair building codes if he’s elected to the school board.

He’d also like to find ways to recognize students for successes that aren’t limited to academics or athletics.

“We need to recognize our kids with disabilities,” he said. “I have a spirit to advocate for the children.”

His platform is not focused on one district; rather, he is interested in what’s going on in all schools.

“I plan to lift up the school system,” he said. “If I’m elected, you will not be disappointed.”

 

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Melissa Elliott Makes History As First Female, First Black Mayor

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Henderson voters have elected Melissa Elliott as their next mayor, making her the first female and the first Black to lead the city.

Elliott, a member of the Henderson City Council, defeated political newcomer Greg Etheridge in Tuesday’s runoff election by 344 votes.

WIZS News called the race just before 8:30 p.m., an hour after the polls closed. Elliott garnered 1,527 votes, compared to Etheridge’s 1,183 votes from the city’s nine precincts.

Elliott joined WIZS News in the studio shortly after 9:15 p.m. to discuss the historic win.

“I’m elated…overwhelmed with joy,” Elliott said, of the election outcome.

She thanked her opponent for what she called a “high-spirited campaign,” and she thanked those who voted for her.

“I am a servant leader,” Elliott said, and she plans to serve the community at-large and all people.

“Everyone was so wonderful…so much encouragement,” she said. There were “so many people that wouldn’t allow me to quit. I’m thankful for this historic moment in time,” but she said she also looks to the future for the city.

When reached by phone after all precincts had reported, Etheridge said he was disappointed with the outcome.

“The voters have spoken,” he told WIZS News in a telephone interview.

He said he and his supporters handled themselves respectably during the campaign, but added that he hasn’t “seen a sense of urgency to have any plan whatsoever on how to make things safer (or) more affordable for anybody” in the city.

His vision for the city is still alive, he said. “How we accomplish it is just going to be a little different.”

Early Voting Underway In Nov. 7 Henderson Mayor Runoff

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Despite an on-again, off-again start, early voting for the Nov. 7 mayoral runoff election began today (Thursday) and will continue through Saturday, Nov. 4.

City residents may come to the Andrea L. Harris Operations Center, 900 S. Beckford Dr., to cast their vote weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. The lone Saturday early voting day scheduled is from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to information from Vance County Board of Elections Director Jennifer Cocklin and Board Chair James Baines.

Registered voters who live within city limits may vote in the nonpartisan municipal election; elections officials remind voters that state law requires voters to show an acceptable form of photo ID to cast their ballots. The only two candidates on the ballot in the Nov. 7 runoff election are Melissa Elliott and Greg Etheridge.

Absentee ballots will be mailed to voters who have requested them beginning today, Oct. 19. A voter can fill out an absentee ballot request at  https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/vote-mail/detailed-instructions-vote-mail or by completing a request form provided by the county board of elections office. The request must be received through the website or by the Vance County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. on Oct. 31, 2023.

The voter registration deadline for this election was last Friday, Oct. 13, but eligible individuals who were not registered by that deadline may register and vote at the early voting site during the early voting period. New registrants will be required to provide proof of residence.

To learn more, call the Vance County Board of Elections Office at 252.492.3730 or email vance.boe@vancecounty.org.