By By JONATHAN CLAYBORNE
Staff Writer
A sheriff, two county commissioner hopefuls and others officially kicked off their election campaigns at the Beaufort County Board of Elections’ offices Monday.
Filing for all elected offices in the state began at noon Monday, and it ends at noon Feb. 26.
First to sign up in Beaufort County was Sheriff Alan Jordan, who said he’s seeking a fourth four-year term.
Jordan, a Democrat, has an announced opponent in Washington Republican Donald Dixon.
The incumbent, said the presence of a challenger won’t change his campaign strategy this time around.
“We intend to do the same thing we do every time,” Jordan said, adding that he intends to focus on the work his department is doing.
Also filing was Jerry Evans, a Washington real-estate broker who’s running for county commissioner as a Democrat.
“If elected, I want to do what I can to retain the current businesses that we have in Beaufort County (whether it is building boats, mining for phosphate, farming, commercial fishermen, carpenters, retail business, etc.) and hopefully adding news jobs to these businesses,” he said in written remarks released to the Washington Daily News.
Beaufort County Clerk of Court Marty Paramore filled out papers for his first re-election effort since winning the clerk’s post four years ago.
“It’s a new experience for me,” Paramore commented.
In a news release, the Democrat said he’s a lifelong resident of Beaufort County and “is committed to (continuing) his service.”
“I would love to stay in this position until I retire,” the news release reads. “This has proven to be a challenging job and I am so proud of the things we have accomplished so far.”
Republican Beaufort County Commissioner Stan Deatherage also arrived in the opening minutes of filing, launching his re-election bid in earnest.
Asked why it was important to file on Day 1, Deatherage replied, “No. 1, I said I was going to do it on my campaign Web site, StanDeatherage.com.”
Deatherage said he needs to send the message that he wants to continue serving as a commissioner, indicating that being one of the first to fill out campaign paperwork marks a seriousness of purpose.
Also filing Monday were Beaufort County Board of Education members Cindy Winstead and Teressa Banks. Both women are in the final year of their four-year terms, and both are seeking re-election.
In other election-related developments, District Attorney Seth Edwards announced he’s starting his re-election bid.
This news squelched notions that the Democrat would try to capture a nonpartisan judicial position occupied by Super Court Judge Wayland Sermons.
“Last year, Edwards along with local attorney Wayland Sermons sought an appointment to the (Superior Court) bench following Judge William Griffin’s unexpected retirement in April of 2009,” Edwards said in a news release. “Governor Bev Perdue ultimately appointed Sermons, who was sworn in as the resident Superior Court Judge in September. At that time, Edwards indicated he intended to run for Griffin’s seat.”
The release says Edwards had felt Judicial District 2 “needed a proven leader as the Superior Court judge who was willing to make needed changes.”
He adds, “Sermons has performed well since his appointment as Judge, listening to Edwards’ concerns and implementing some changes on his own that benefit the system as a whole.”
“Wayland and I would probably have to spend a combined $150,000 on a judicial campaign, and given the current economy, that would not be wise,” the release quotes Edwards as saying.
In still more developments Monday, attorney Darrell Cayton Jr. of Washington made it known that he had filed in Raleigh to run for the District Court seat being vacated by the retiring Judge Sam Grimes.
“For more than 47 years, I have been proud to live, work and raise a family right here in Eastern North Carolina,” Cayton said in a news release. “Now, I am running for District Court judge because I want to help shape the community that shaped me.”
Cayton is one of three candidates expressing intentions to go after the nonpartisan court slot. In this race, the top two vote-getters in the May 4 primary election will advance to face off in the Nov. 2 general election.
For more on filing, see future editions.