Tag Archive for: #election2022

TownTalk: Oxendine Is A New Face On School Board

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The Vance County Board of Education will feature two new faces following last week’s midterm elections – Omega T. Perry and Randy Oxendine.

Perry is the pastor at Cook’s Chapel AME Zion Church and has a Sunday morning program on WIZS.

Perry ran unopposed for the school board seat, and Oxendine won the District 2 seat over his opponent Charlie Baskerville, Jr.  When Oxendine’s wife, Darlynn, decided not to seek another term on the school board, her husband decided to take a crack at it.

When he spoke with WIZS News during last Tuesday evening’s election coverage, Oxendine, himself a longtime educator with Vance County Schools, said he felt like he already has established a relationship with existing board members and looks forward to his new role as board member.

“I believe I’m just stepping in and rolling with it,” he told John C. Rose about his election victory.

Of particular concern to him is the diminishing enrollment in three elementary schools in District 2 – New Hope, E.O. Young and Carver. Lower enrollments mean that teachers like the physical education teachers, for example, must travel among the three schools for their instruction.

“I would love to see more students (at these schools so) we could get more money to provide full time people at those schools,” Oxendine said.

Over their years in education, Oxendine said he and his wife have seen many high school students head off to college, where some play sports and get recognized for their efforts. One former student invited the couple recently to attend her induction into the N.C. A&T State Hall of Fame.

He said he would like to institute some type of hall of fame for Vance County, where students and athletes could be recognized for their outstanding talent and effort, “so younger people would have someone to look up to.”

 

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WIZS Election Coverage

TownTalk: Election Review

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The dust of last week’s midterm elections have settled locally, although several key races across the nation have yet to be called. Here in Vance County, however, races have been decided, with Democrats and Republicans each taking its share of wins.

Sheriff Curtis Brame defeated Republican challenger Patrick Bailey to gain a second term in office, but Republican Frank Sossamon grabbed the N.C. House District 32 seat from incumbent Terry Garrison.

In an interview Tuesday after it was clear that Brame would win a second term, he spoke with WIZS News and said he would continue to work hard for the residents of Vance County. The last few years have been challenging for law enforcement officers everywhere, Brame said, not the least of which has been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

He can’t wave a magic wand over the county to make it happen, but if he could, Brame said he would wish for two things: “funding…to retain good, qualified law enforcement officers and a new detention facility.”

Brame implored the citizens of Vance County to “take ownership” of their community – to attend city and county meetings, be a part of the community and work collaboratively together with law enforcement.

Sossamon also spoke with WIZS after his win and he echoed Brame’s sentiments – about crime, anyway.

He said the goal is for District 32, comprised of Vance and Granville counties, to be “crime free,” Sossamon said, adding that he would do whatever it takes. “It’s time to clean up our neighborhoods,” he said, “and make us proud of living in District 32 – make us proud citizens, safe and wholesome citizens.”

There are many state and federal funding sources that he wants to tap into to ensure that his district benefits as much as possible – everything from rehabbing homes and promoting home ownership to supporting law enforcement and first responders.

“We’ve got to get it in motion and have the will to do it,” Sossamon said.

 

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TownTalk: Election Recap

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A look back at yesterday’s election results.

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WIZS Local, Live Election Coverage

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Tune in to WIZS radio Tuesday evening for a local perspective on tomorrow’s mid-term election results.

Brandon Boyd joins John C. Rose live on the air through the evening, commenting on state and national races, overall voter turnout and trends – all while keeping a keen eye on local races that affect Vance County and the WIZS listening area.

Candidates in some local races are running unopposed, but several other races will be decided following Tuesday’s vote.

Incumbent Curtis Brame and challenger Patrick Bailey are vying for the job of Vance County Sheriff. There’s also a close race for sheriff in Granville County, which has three challengers vying for the job.

In the race for N.C. House District 32, incumbent Terry Garrison is being challenged by political newcomer Frank Sossamon.

Mark Speed and Lisa Barnes are running for the N.C. Senate to represent District 11, which includes Henderson and Vance County.

But there are other state races that have significance locally, including district court judgeships, court of appeals races and battles for seats on the state Supreme Court.

Carolyn Thompson and Julee Flood face each other in a race for district court seat 8, and Don Davis and Sandy Smith are each hopeful to take the U.S. House District 1 election.

Boyd said he hopes others enjoy hearing and seeing tomorrow’s election results as much as he does.

“It’s going to be so much fun watching this thing play out from coast to coast,” he said.

As polls close in the East and then later through the evening on the West Coast, Boyd said he is interested in watching national races here in North Carolina with the Cheri Beasley-TeddBudd matchup for U.S. Senate – but also named Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona as key states to watch.

 

 

 

WIZS WILL PROVIDE LOCAL, LIVE ELECTION NIGHT COVERAGE STARTING AT 7:30 P.M. ON NOV. 8.

HERE IN VANCE COUNTY, YOU’LL RECEIVE INFORMATION ON THE VANCE COUNTY SHERIFF’S RACE, THE SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 2 RACE AND THE LATEST ON THE NC HOUSE 32 RACE.

JOIN US RIGHT HERE AT 1450 AM / 100.1 FM AND STREAMED LIVE ANYWHERE YOU GO BY CLICKING ON LISTEN LIVE AT WIZS.COM.  (player.listenlive.co/53101)

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TownTalk: Julee Flood, NC Appelate Court Judge Candidate

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-This article is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of the Nov. 8 election.  

Julee Tate Flood currently works as attorney at the N.C. Court of Appeals, but she’s drawing on her broad experience in the field of law and her institutional knowledge of the state’s appellate court system in her race for Seat 8 on the N.C. Court of Appeals.

Flood, the Republican nominee for the seat on the 15-judge court, spoke with John C. Rose on Wednesday’s TownTalk. She currently works with Judge Jeffery Carpenter, one of the 15 judges that sit on the N.C. Court of Appeals.

“Diverse cases come before the court,” she said, adding that she and her team are challenged daily with pressing legal questions, but she is motivated to solve issues by applying the knowledge that she has gained during her career as an attorney.

Flood’s legal career spans more than two decades, and during that time, she said she’s worked with four Democratic judges and five Republican judges.

“My role has been to research, analyze the law deeply and write judicial opinions,” she said. It’s her “working history and demonstrated ability to apply the law and write for the judges,” no matter their political affiliation, that makes her the best candidate for the job.

The N.C. Court of Appeals is “an error-correcting court for the trial courts,” Flood explained, adding that on average, the court’s five 3-judge panels preside over as many as 1,200 each year. Of that number, only a very small percentage goes to the N.C. Supreme Court – that means that the appeals court is the final stop for rulings to be upheld or overturned.

Flood said she “uniquely qualified” to serve on the court because of her direct experience at the appellate court level. As a judge, she would look to the text of the law as it applies to each individual case before her.

“The law says what it means and means what it says,” she noted, adding that as a judge, she will apply the law as it is. “There is stability in the law…(and) if I’ve followed the law, the fairness component is there,” Flood said.

She said that, as a judge, she will “treat each person with dignity and respect and will stand firm against judicial activism.

She has been a law professor and also serves as in-house counsel for a private sector business, and she earned a PhD specializing in the law and policy of higher education. It’s this broad-based set of experiences that adds to her skillset that she will bring to the table if elected.

The N.C. Court of Appeals hears all types of cases from the lower courts, including family court, criminal and civil cases and others, and Flood says those cases could be anything from issues with custody issues, neighbor-to-neighbor issues and “just about anything you can think of that happens at the trial court,” she said.

In her current role, Flood said she supervises and works with a team of attorneys – and interns preparing to enter the profession. “Every single day I consider it an honor and joy to be working with (those) whom I’m working with,” she said.

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TownTalk: Carolyn Thompson NC Court Of Appeals Candidate

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-The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

As a candidate for a seat on the NC Court of Appeals, Carolyn Thompson said it is her considerable experience as a trial attorney and as a district court judge that will serve her well if she is elected in the November 8 elections.

Thompson has 26 years’ experience as an attorney and judge, and she has advocated for victims of domestic violence and abuse during that time. She began practicing law in Vance County in 1996 and was a district court judge serving Vance, Granville, Warren and Franklin counties from 2009 to 2018. In 2018, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Thompson to fill the unexpired term of a retiring Superior Court judge. She was defeated in her bid for the judgeship later in 2018, and now has set her sights on a statewide race.

Thompson is running for Seat 8 on the 15-member court of appeals. Judges sit in panels of three judges each, she told John C. Rose on Tuesday’s TownTalk. “If you’re not getting a fair trial or feel like the court didn’t apply the law correctly,” she explained, the case would get sent to the court of appeals for a ruling.

The appeals court sets precedents for lower courts, “courts I’ve already presided over,” Thompson noted.

She said she is the only candidate with prior judicial and trial experience.

Judges are charged with being impartial, and although Thompson is running on the Democratic ticket, she said party affiliation has no bearing on her role as a judge. “I am on the ballot with a party affiliation because that’s the current law,” she said.

“At no point have I ever asked a crying mother…grieving the loss of a child…or families who are broken because of a marital dispute…so – what’s your party affiliation?” she said.

“When you come before me,” Thompson added, “I will deal with you straight up.”

Thompson, a licensed and ordained minister, said she is committed to running a clean campaign, focusing on what she can bring to the job with “no disparaging remarks because we are all officers of the court.”

She is involved with Families Living Violence Free and shares her knowledge and experiences working with domestic violence victims and survivors of sexual assault and abuse. She said it is important for the community to understand “what domestic violence is, what it looks like and…what the law says about it,” Thompson said.

She said in the thousands of clients she has represented or had in her courtroom as a judge, there have been many heart-wrenching stories that stay with her today. But not all the memories are bad, Thompson said. She recalled the note she received from a young person now in military service who says “thank you” for caring all those years ago when life had been unkind. Or the victim of domestic violence who said Thompson “gave me a second look when no one else did.”

It’s good memories like those that balance out the bad, Thompson said.

Early voting begins Oct. 20. The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.

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Town Talk: Sossamon Discusses District 32 Candidacy

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The following is part of WIZS’s continuing coverage of candidates running for local and state office in the November election.

 

Frank Sossamon has participated in several organized community forums lately as part of his campaign for the District 32 seat in the N.C. House. There have been two in Vance County and one in Granville County so far, and more are being planned in the runup to the November elections.

Sossamon, a Republican, is challenging incumbent Democrat Terry Garrison for the seat, which includes all of Vance County and most of Granville County.

The Republicans candidates for sheriff in their respective counties also were in attendance for these forums, the topic of which was crime. And Sossamon told John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk that the discussions have been productive, and each has informed him in some way about what the community’s priorities.

“When you talk about crime, it overlaps education, economic development, community development – it overlaps everything,” Sossamon said. “It’s hard to just concentrate on crime without talking about other issues.”

Effective communication is going to be a critical component to making progress and taking action on issues within the district, he said. “I’m hoping to help bring us together. There’s a lot we can accomplish if we work together.” Ongoing political stalemates don’t accomplish much, he said.

Change will require more than just dialogue across party lines, however. “We’ve got to have a cultural change and an attitude change,” Sossamon said. Change has to come about as a result of participation from the whole community, he added. “It can’t be done by one person or one department. It doesn’t just happen because you get some money or because you write some legislation.”

Building trust and putting aside differences are necessary as well, he said. “I’m hoping I can be a person to help – to take the skills and experience I’ve got and see what I can do to bring us together.”

On gun violence:

Sossamon said he is a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. When gun violence occurs, there’s always talk about taking away gun rights and taking away guns, he said. But he said there’s a need to look at other issues, too, such as the broken mental health system.

“Mental health seems to be a thread that runs among many of these mass shootings,” he said.

On education:

When issues surrounding public education arise, the answer seems to be “we just need more money,” Sossamon said. Throwing money at a problem does not always solve that problem, he added, saying that there must be accountability about how the money is being spent and the scientific evidence to show results.

“It’s obvious that the charter schools are doing something right,” he said, adding that parents with children in charter schools must volunteer a certain number of hours at the school each year.

Parent accountability is necessary, he said, adding that he certainly favors funding education, but holding parents accountable is necessary “to move that dial to educate our children.”

On Medicaid expansion:

“I am not opposed to expansion to a degree,” Sossamon said, “but I don’t want to just open the floodgates.”

He said he needs to continue to study the issue to reach a good conclusion, adding that he is not close-minded, but does want to be fair to all and not look at government as a “money machine.”

 

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TownTalk: Sandy Smith, NC District 1 Candidate

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Sandy Smith said she sees firsthand the adverse consequences of actions taking place in Washington, D.C. Smith said she’s frustrated at the way the federal government is handling issues from illegal immigration to inflation, and as the Republic nominee for the state’s First Congressional District, she said she’s ready to help the country change its course.

Smith won the Republican primary in May, and now faces Democrat Donald Davis and Independent Eshan Patel in the race for the seat being vacated by G.K Butterfield, who is retiring after almost 20 years in the office.

The sprawling district stretches across 19 counties – including Vance, Warren and Franklin – Smith said in an interview with John C. Rose on Monday’s Town Talk.

“It’s a huge rural district,” Smith said. She and her husband live in Nash County, and from their vantage point as farmers and small business owners, she knows “what government over-reach does and how it can strangle us” here in a district that is more rural than urban.

The “out-of-control inflation is extremely crippling to our district,” Smith said. Small bumps employees may see in paychecks can’t keep up with prices at the grocery store and the gas pump.

“We’re here because of the Democrats and the Biden Administration’s policy,” she said, adding that it’s time to “fix our country and reverse those policies.”

Smith, who describes herself as an American Conservative Christian, cited issues including securing the Southern border to combat illegal immigration and stop the flow of illegal drugs as just a couple of problems that she wants to address if she is elected.

She said she wants to focus on domestic production and exploration of oil, adding that American production uses safer technology than foreign production.   Continued reliance on foreign oil opens the country up for a “major disaster,” she said, “making our country very, very weak.”

A strong American makes for a more peaceful world, she said.

Smith said as farmers of 137 acres of row crops in Nash County, she and her husband experience the sting of high input costs like fuel and fertilizer. And as owners of a construction firm, they’ve experienced the hiccups in the supply chain that brings needed materials to finish ongoing projects.

As she has traveled throughout the district to listen to constituents’ concerns, she said she hears similar stories to her own: The majority of them want safe communities, jobs, a secure border, she said. “They don’t want drugs in their community and they want somebody (in Washington) who’s there every single day.”

There are “huge growth opportunities” in the whole district, she said, including Vance County, and she said she’s the leader who can make that growth a reality.

“We do have opportunities in eastern North Carolina,” Smith noted, “and with the right leadership, we can expand that.” One topic is access to broadband internet, which would enable folks “to have jobs instantly rather than wait for a big company to build a facility” in the district. People could work for homes in a variety of jobs web-based jobs, which would put money in their pockets and into the local economy.

“We need somebody who’s going to be faithful to the people of eastern North Carolina,” Smith said.

“What I support is common sense. America first, family first and common sense,” she stated.

Smith said people are excited about her campaign, but she said the change has to happen up and down the ballot, from the school board all the way up to Congress.

She said she looks forward to working with other members of Congress on both sides of the aisle as she represents North Carolina.

Visit Sandysmithnc.com to learn more.

 

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The Local Skinny! Frank Sossamon Speaks At Local GOP Rally

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Frank Sossamon is no stranger to public speaking, having spent his career as a pastor. And during remarks at a recent Vance County GOP rally, Candidate Sossamon encouraged fellow Republicans to get out and vote in the November general election.

Sossamon, a political newcomer, is running for N.C. House District 32 on the Republican ticket.

He spoke to the partisan crowd of about 300 for about five minutes and said he has been traveling throughout the district, which includes Vance and much of Granville County.

“Overall, the reception has been extremely good,” Sossamon said.

A candidates’ forum will be held Thursday, June 30 at Sadie’s Coffee Corner in Henderson from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Sossamon will be there, as well as Republican candidate for Vance Sheriff Patrick Bailey and others. Local GOP Chairman Jimmy Barrier will be the moderator and the rising crime rate is set to be the topic.

“We want to receive information and give information about crime,”Sossamon said. Other forums are being planned at locations across the county, he added.

And there’s a fundraiser for Sossamon planned for Wednesday, Aug. 17 at the Henderson Country Club.

Sossamon spoke for about five minutes and, among other things, called the May primary turnout in Vance County “dismal.” He reminded those in attendance about talk of a “Red Wave” in November, referring to the election of Republican candidates in races up and down the ballot.

“It won’t be a Red Wave unless you jump in the water,” he said.

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TownTalk: Patrick Bailey Speaks At Local GOP Rally

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Patrick Bailey wants to be the next sheriff of Vance County. The Republican candidate was one of several speakers who spoke during a Vance County GOP fundraiser last week in Henderson. Bailey spoke for almost 15 minutes on topics ranging from Second Amendment rights to the opioid epidemic.

“We need a change,” Bailey said, which prompted applause from the audience. “We need to make Vance County safe again – it’s not safe now.”

He said he would support the Second Amendment right to bear arms as sheriff of Vance County. “The Second Amendment right stands as it is,” he said, which elicited more applause and shouts of support from the 300 or so gathered at the fundraiser.

“We’ve got people running around… in our stores that are criminals carrying guns and what does Washington want to do? Washington wants to come in and make more laws that are binding us as law-abiding citizens so that we can’t go out and buy a gun as easily as we have been.”

As he has traveled across the county to the various townships and communities, Bailey said the Number 1 issue on people’s minds is drugs. According to Bailey, Vance County holds the unenviable spot of being the top county in the import of opium. (He did not cite a source for this statistic.) That means that the majority of the illegal drugs come through Vance County first before being distributed to surrounding counties, across the state and elsewhere.

Bailey said the sheriff’s office desperately needs a drug interdiction unit to catch drugs as they are transported up and down the interstate. He also said the sheriff’s office needs well trained officers who know the law and how to enforce it.

Residents can identify particular spots where drugs are being sold, but there is little being done to shut them down. “We need undercover agents working in these townships and locating drug houses and getting rid of them,” he said.

But the issue has two fronts to battle – the people who deal the drugs and the users who buy them. Bailey said mental health workers need to be working with families of substance abusers to get them help.

The only way to achieve results, he said, is for Republicans to get out and vote. He said of the county’s 24,000 registered voters, only 1,200 Republicans cast ballots in the May primary.

“You’ve got to tell all of your friends, all of your family (to vote),” he said, from local elections all the way up to the president of the United States. “We need to get (the) Democrats out of office.”

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