Tag Archive for: #ncdistrict32

TownTalk: Sossamon Calls For Recount

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Vance and Granville counties will conduct a recount in the too-close-to-call contest for House District 32, which has Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn leading Republican incumbent Frank Sossamon by 233 votes.

Because that margin is less than 1 percent of the voting totals – .53 percent, to be precise – the challenger (in this case, Sossamon) was entitled to ask for a recount by 12 noon today. Vance County Board of Elections Director Haley Rawles told WIZS News Tuesday that she received a notification of the recount from Raleigh shortly before 11:30 a.m.

Sossamon spoke with WIZS News this morning as he was waiting for the General Assembly to convene and confirmed that he would be seeking a recount.

“It hasn’t been filed, but it will be filed before 12,” Sossamon said by phone shortly before 11 a.m. He said he’d waited until now to let the process play out, which included the Nov. 15 canvass and certifying and counting provisional and absentee ballots.

“A lot of elections are cut-and-dry,” he said. “Close elections are different…and there are options that candidates have,” including filing protests if there are “anomalies,” and filing a lawsuit.

Rawles said Vance County elections officials will begin the recount at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20 for two races – the District 32 contest and a statewide recount for a seat on the N.C. Supreme Court between sitting Justice Allison Riggs and Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin.

Rawles expects the recounts to take the majority of the day to complete, if not longer.

WIZS News reached out to Granville County Board of Elections Director Tonya Burnette Tuesday afternoon to find out when the recount would begin in that county and we will update the story if that information becomes available.

In a concise letter sent via email to N.C. State Board of Elections Director Karen Brinson Bell, Sossamon requested the recount.

It reads:

Executive Director Brinson Bell,

As a candidate for North Carolina House District 32 in the 2024 General Election, I her3eby submit my written demand for a mandatory recount pursuant to the N.C. Gen. Stat. 163-182.7(c) and 163-182.4(b)(3). Please confirm receipt of this timely written demand at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Frank Sossamon

Sossamon expressed frustration when it came to finding out what his options were regarding a recount and said he felt voters weren’t adequately inform about redrawn district lines that removed a portion of Vance County from District 32.

Nobody said “Mr. Sossamon, you can call for a recount,” Sossamon said. “I had to find that out for myself – I find that quite alarming.”

Sossamon also said he was concerned to learn that voters in Vance County showed up to vote and noticed that the District 32 race wasn’t on their ballot.

“They were thinking they could vote for me, but I wasn’t on their ballot,” he said, adding that “people who are already skeptical of the voting system are getting even more skeptical.”

In a telephone interview Tuesday, Cohn said he was pleased with the overall process but acknowledged that the campaign was “long and expensive, and, at times, a rather dirty campaign. I don’t think anybody is happy about any of that.”

(This text and story developed more after the embedded audio below.)

CLICK PLAY!

 

Sossamon Sworn In As Dist. 32 Rep In N.C. House

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Frank Sossamon was sworn in last week as the new legislator representing Vance and Granville counties in the N.C. House before an audience of supporters in the lobby of McGregor Hall.

The Hon. John Dunlow administered the oath of office following remarks from county officials representing the local county commissions and chairmen of the Republican party.

Sossamon defeated incumbent Terry Garrison in the November mid-term elections. He had an official swearing-in on Wednesday in Raleigh.

In comments during the ceremony in Henderson earlier in the week, Sossamon recounted how he reached the decision to put throw his hat into the proverbial ring.

“The Lord used my own words against me,” Sossamon quipped, explaining that he told his church members to “be that somebody” to make change.

“I became that somebody,” Sossamon said. “I’m in it to serve the people.”

The retired pastor of South Henderson Pentecostal Church, Sossamon said he is going to have to “work hard and work fast and work smart” to get things done in Raleigh in his two-year term.

“Under my watch, I want us to be able to say that District 32 is one of the most prosperous districts” in the state; he said it currently ranks among the poorest districts.

He wants to focus on community development in both counties, which he said would have the side effects of decreasing crime, increasing educational opportunities and give young people hope.

“If we want company to come, we’ve got to clean up our house,” he said.

In an interview with WIZS News following the swearing-in, Sossamon said he looks forward to serving the people in District 32 to get some things done, and he said he will challenge the citizens he represents to join him in the effort.

NC House Rep. Terry Garrison Provides General Assembly Updates

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-Information courtesy NC House Rep. Terry Garrison’s Sept. 2019 newsletter

North Carolina House Representative for District 32 Terry Garrison has written and released his latest from the NC General Assembly. In the September 2019 newsletter, Garrison and his office released the following text:

The last couple of months have been extremely demanding and chaotic to some degree at the NC General Assembly. While some business of the legislative body was standard procedure, some was nontraditional, and one major action was downright deceitful in my view.

The various standing committees continued to do their work and bills continued to be considered at the General Assembly in August and September. A total of 93 budget bills were considered by the House and Senate during this two (2-month) period.

State government operated under a continuing budget resolution during the last couple of months. However, due to the budget veto not being considered, a piecemeal budgeting approach, or mini budgeting, began in earnest in August as an alternative to the standard procedure for approving the 2019-2020 state budget. With this piecemeal budgeting method, state employees received a 5% pay increase with the passage of HB 226. Also, State Highway Patrol Officers will receive a 2.5% increase with the passage of HB 126. Pay increases for teachers and retiree supplements were re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations through HB 426.

A three-judge panel of the State Supreme Court ruled that State Legislative District lines discriminated against Democratic voters in violation of the state constitution. The court ruling struck down the Republican-drawn maps as illegal partisan gerrymanders and gave lawmakers two weeks to draw new district lines for the 2020 Elections. Both the House and Senate have drawn new maps that have been submitted to the three-judge panel. A decision is forthcoming as to whether or not the maps will be approved or new maps drawn by a master under the direction of the judge panel.

On the morning of 9-11-2019, a vote on the Governor’s Veto Override Bill was held during what was slated to be a No Vote Session per understanding of Democrats in the House. The bill passed on a vote count of 55 Yes (Republicans) to 15 No (Democrats). The Democrats present expressed outrage and protested against a vote on the bill in absence of the majority of Democrats in the House who were not aware of a vote to be taken during that Session. Without question, Democrats had been lied too or deliberately misled so as not to be present for a vote on the bill.

A No Vote Session means that no votes will be be taken during that session. Although the Speaker of the House is not under any constitutional mandate to follow that process, it has been a longstanding practice for advance notice to be given to members for Voting Sessions. Giving advance notice of Voting Sessions provides the opportunity for the rights and interests of citizens to be represented by way of a vote on lawful matters of the state. The vote taken on the budget veto override broke a bond of trust, honor, and respect within the NC House of Representatives that may imperil efforts for times to come for the achievement of bipartisanship support on matters of great importance to citizens of the state.

The relocation of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to the Triangle North Granville Business and Industrial Park is included in the current budget bill. The Veto Override Bill has now been sent to the Senate for consideration. If the Senate also overrides the Veto Budget Bill, then DHHS will likely come to Oxford, if no changes are made to the bill. Also, the relocation of DHHS could come to Oxford by way of approval of a mini-budget for capital outlay, if the project remains in the bill as now proposed. On the other hand, if the Senate fails to override the Budget Veto Bill, then the matter will be determined during budget re-negotiations which may or may not lead to imminent relocation of DHHS to Granville County.

Medicaid Expansion is still undecided. It was not included in the budget. However, HB 655 Healthcare for Working Families Bill or Carolina Cares Bill offers a form of Medicaid Expansion. The bill has a work requirement component disliked by many Democratic legislators but may be acceptable in order that many persons without healthcare can receive it.

The Small Business Healthcare Bill (SB 86) became law in August and will provide an opportunity for many small business owners without health insurance to now get health care coverage.