James Taylor And His All-Star Band FRIDAY, JULY 31 GREENSBORO COLISEUM

"GREENSBORO, NC.  –  James Taylor and his All-Star Band are coming to GREENSBORO COLISEUM on FRIDAY, JULY 31 for one intimate and memorable night! 

Tickets go on sale on Friday, April 24 at 10 am at TICKETMASTER.COM;  charge by phone at 800-745-3000;  COLISEUM BOX OFFICE.

Tickets make a great Mother’s Day gift!

As a recording and touring artist, James Taylor has touched people with his warm baritone voice and distinctive style of guitar-playing for more than 40 years, while setting a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired.  Over the course of his celebrated song-writing and performing career, Taylor has sold more than 100 million albums, earning gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards for classics ranging from Sweet Baby James in 1970 to October Road in 2002.  He has won multiple Grammy awards and has been inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. 

Come spend an unforgettable night with America’s iconic singer-songwriter James Taylor.  

TICKETS GO ON SALE FRIDAY, APRIL 24 AT 10 AM AT

TICKETMASTER.COM; 800-745-3000;

COLISEUM BOX OFFICE"

- A Press Release

Young Democrats celebrate election wins across North Carolina

It's hard to say what the big takeaway might be from municipal elections across the state yesterday. The larger part of the outcome was surely determined by local issues.

In Greensboro's nonpartisan election, Nancy Vaughan easily ousted one-term mayor Robbie Perkins thanks to higher turnout on the west side of the city and voters' preference for a more deliberative approach to transformative undertakings such as the proposed downtown performing arts center.

In Winston-Salem's partisan election, voters ratified efforts to sustain fragile downtown development under the Democratic majority by reelecting incumbents by wide margins, including Mayor Allen Joines, whose Republican challenger was considered an embarrassment to his party. Durham voters also reelected a veteran Democrat, Bill Bell, as mayor.

In the state's largest city, Charlotte — whose mayoral stock has produced both Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and Democratic US Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx — voters chose Democrat Patrick Cannon for the top slot on council. In Fayetteville, Republican Nat Robertson eked out a narrow victory to become the city's next mayor.

If there's one storyline, it would be that it was a good night for Young Democrats of North Carolina, a party organization whose members are under the age of 36.

The organization is celebrating the election of Andy Ball as the next mayor of Boone, with second billing for Jamal Fox's upset win over Jim Kee for the District 2 city council seat in Greensboro. A Young Democrats press release states that "Jim Kee used deplorable tactics to try and push Jamal Fox" out of the race.

Perhaps more remarkable, Montravius King, a university student whose residency was challenged by a local Republican board of elections member, won election to the Elizabeth City City Council, along with fellow Young Democrat Darius Horton.

The press release also noted that Winston-Salem voters returned Derwin Montgomery and James Taylor to city council. Other Young Democrats who celebrated victories last night include Zeb Smathers in Canton, Chris Rey in Spring Lake, Calvin J. Harris Jr. in Oxford, Kady Ann Davy in Fayetteville, Ryan Stone in Black Mountain, and Jennifer Pena and Quint David in Boone.

Jamal Fox, Andy Ball and Zeb Smathers have all previously served as officers of Young Democrats.

"Republican efforts to disenfranchise young voters in Boone, Elizabeth City and across North Carolina backfired," Young Democrats President Sam Spencer said in a prepared statement. "Instead, Republicans have conceded millennial voters in this and future elections while inspiring a wave of Young Democrats to take office."

Winston-Salem council members threaten to hold up road project over contracting

In a split vote of 4 to 3 the Winston-Salem City Council scuttled an agreement with Charlotte-based Morris-Berg Architects to design the new City Yard on Lowery Street at a cost of $1 million to house sanitation, engineering, employee medical services and employee training facilities.

But then, at the urging of Southwest Ward Councilman Dan Besse, North Ward Councilwoman Denise D. Adams switched her vote, flipping the result and allowing the contract to go through.

The three holdouts were Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Burke, who represents the Northeast Ward; East Ward Councilman Derwin Montgomery and Southeast Ward Councilman James Taylor. Taylor said the council members objected to the agreement primarily because of the process, which does not allow the city to select the company that is able to perform the work at the lowest cost to taxpayers. Secondarily, he said, council members would have preferred a local firm.

City Manager Lee Garrity said after the meeting that state law requires local governments to use a competitive request for proposals to advertise contracts for engineering and architectural services, ranking the responsive bids by competence and qualification. Under the state law, local governments must negotiate price with the first-ranked company, but if they are unable to reach an agreement they may move on to the second-ranked company.

In this case, staff selected the first-ranked Morris-Berg Architects.

"What we can do is provide more information [to council members] about those criteria," Garrity said. "As far as price goes, our hand are tied."

He added, "Local is not one of the criteria."

The resolution approving the contract cites a state law dating back to 1987, which reads in part: "It is the public policy of this state and all public subdivisions and local governmental units thereof, except in cases of special emergency involving the health and safety of the people or their property, to announce all requirements for architectural, engineering, surveying and construction management at risk services, to select firms qualified to provide such services on the basis of demonstrated competence and qualification for the type of professional services required without regard to fee other than unit price information at this stage, and thereafter to negotiate a contract for those services at a fair and reasonable fee with the best qualified firm."

Relocation of City Yard from its current location on Rams Drive to the old Flakt-Bahnson plant on Lowery Street is necessary to allow the construction of Salem Creek Connector. The NC Department of Transportation selected Charlotte-based Blythe Construction to build the new road in January. Pat Ivey, District 9 engineer for NC DOT told YES! Weekly last week that the company is ready to begin work on the project. Completion of the new road is considered crucial before Business 40 is temporarily closed for renovation and bridge repair — currently scheduled for early 2017.

Adams thanked City Attorney Angela Carmon for offering to hold a workshop to explain the law to council members, after switching her vote.

"We just need to understand it," she said. "I know there's some council members that's been here and they may — but we need to understand that one."

Mayor Pro Tem Burke took shots at staff and her fellow council member, but ultimately acknowledged in her typical elliptical fashion that any fix would have to come from Raleigh.

"I don't think they understand it," she said. "They've just been going along, going along. And I think at least they know there's three of us are concerned that we wouldn't change. Maybe that will help them to understand it. And I'm going to go back to these laws. Those people can lobby effectively. And that's a shame. You have to challenge them."

On another item, the council voted to send a resolution allowing deed restrictions to be lifted from two properties owned by Judge Logan T. Burke, the mayor pro tem's son, in an urban renewal area back to the finance committee. Mayor Pro Tem Burke was excused from the vote. Councilman Derwin Montgomery said he had trouble with the resolution had not been previously reviewed considering that the last finance committee meeting was canceled, and was concerned with the precedent that would be set by approving it.

A summary provided with the item states that Logan Todd Burke, who is the councilwoman's late husband, purchased two parcels of land from the city in September 1988 in the East Winston Urban Renewal Project 3. The deed restrictions stipulated that "a building was to be constructed on each parcel."

Both parcels are vacant lots on corners of North Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, including a 1.2-acre lot at East 5th Street valued at $5,300 and a 0.2-acre lot at Lawrence Street valued at $39,000, according to Forsyth County tax records.

The resolution also affects a property sold by the city to William R. and Martha D. Carpenter in 1994 in the Kimberly-North Urban Renewal Project area.

The resolution reads, "Whereas these three properties were sold subject to deed restrictions stating that a building was to be constructed on the properties; and whereas, it became known that these deed restrictions were not fulfilled, but that now, the redevelopment plans under which the properties were sold have now expired; and whereas, since the redevelopment plans under which these three properties were sold have now expired, it is requested that authorization be granted to pursue the release of deed restrictions on these three properties.

"Now, therefore, be it resolved that the mayor and city council of the city of Winston-Salem, upon the recommendation of the finance committee and the community development/housing/general government committee, hereby authorize the release of all deed restrictions on [the three parcels] previously imposed upon them by the city relating to the East Winston Urban Renewal Project 3 and the Kimberly-North Winston Urban Renewal Project which have now expired."

The city council also voted to continue a rezoning request allowing Wal-Mart to build a neighborhood market on Country Club Road. Councilman Robert Clark, who represents the West Ward, said the delay would give developers and residents an opportunity to resolve differences.

Winston-Salem pastor urges Democrats to vote against marriage amendment

Rev. Paul Lowe re: marriage amendment from Jordan Green2 on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Rep. Earline Parmon provided additional detail about the Republican campaign to persuade her to support the marriage amendment. She said in an interview that at the time the Republicans were attempting to marshal the votes to pass legislation to put the initiative on the ballot, those behind the effort purchased airtime on radio and television urging constituents to call a 1-800 number that forwarded to her home phone. She added that someone told her that about $100,000 was spent in four or five markets across the state to target African-American lawmakers.

Parmon said the decision to not support the legislation was not one she took lightly.

"I did weigh it carefully and after much thought looking into it and dealing with my own morals and values, the politicization of the issue is what let me know that I could not support it," she said.

"It was so many convoluted and it was so political that it didn’t even make sense to do it," she continued. "When you look at civil rights and human rights it’s against the law already for same-sex marriage. I also listened to people who said when we are dealing with the constitution we should really think about what we should put into the constitution, and discrimination is not something we should put in."

Parmon noted that the issue might have been expected create a wedge.

"Generally black Democrats are more morally and socially conservative," she said. "I think this was a smoke screen that was put out there to divide Democrats, black and white. But when all is said and done, it is discrimination."

ORIGINAL POST: A prominent Winston-Salem pastor charged today that the marriage amendment is a “device” to divide black voters, while a longtime state lawmaker said Republicans courted her and Rep. Larry Womble to try to obtain their support to put the initiative on the ballot.

The Rev. Paul Lowe, pastor at Shiloh Baptist Church, asked members of the audience at a Democratic “meet the candidates” event at the church today to vote against the amendment, which will appear on the primary ballot on May 8.

“I believe personally that this is a device that is being used to divide us,” Lowe said. “And certainly we as Democrats do not need to be divided on this particular amendment. It’s already illegal for couples of the same sex to get married in North Carolina at this time. Let’s do not put this on our plate at this time. Let’s deal with the issues at hand. We’re concerned about seniors. We’re concerned about children. We’re concerned about all Americans being treated fairly.”

The audience at the Democratic event was predominantly African American, but also included a large number of whites, reflecting the demographic makeup of the Democratic-leaning state legislative districts in Forsyth County.

Rep. Earline Parmon, who currently represents NC House District 72 and is running for NC Senate District 32, said she was “targeted by Republican dollars” for her stance on “women, civil and human rights.”

“They spent approximately $100,000 in this county trying to influence me to vote… for the proposition of Amendment One,” Parmon said. “In the middle of the night, they called me and Rep. Womble into a meeting to proposition us. When I refused their offer I became their target. And that’s okay. I’m a big girl. And I can stand up to that.”

Parmon did not explain how the GOP spent money targeting her. (I left an phone message for her after the event seeking clarification.)

Ed Hanes Jr., who is seeking to replace Parmon in District 72, renewed a call for Democratic voters to reject the marriage amendment, which is also known as Amendment One.

“Why can’t we stand against discrimination, against writing discrimination into our state constitution?” he asked. “Amendment One – it doesn’t just discriminate against individuals; it discriminates against families. Folks, it is a wedge issue that was put in place to divide our community, to divide our churches, to create another Ohio 2004 situation that resulted in a divided African-American community that resulted in George W. Bush getting four more years in office. It’s an amendment put in place to ensure that we stay not focused on what our ultimate goal needs to be, and that is ensuring that our president, Barack Hussein Obama, is reelected this year.”

(Previously: 1, 2)

Highlights



Earline Parmon, NC Senate District 32 candidate:

“I’m running because this is one of the most crucial elections that we’ve faced in a long time. As you know, Rep. Womble had initially decided to run for Senate, and after his accident he had to reconsider. And after much discussion and deliberation we talked about how it would impact Forsyth County not to have an experienced policymaker in Raleigh. I decided to not run for District 72 and run for the Senate. As you know, with the redistricting the Senate the present majority double-bunked women, threw women out of their seats, and so it’s a very large and difficult district, but I’m up to the task. But the reason I say this election is very critical for Forsyth County is, we are one of the few counties that could possibly have five new representatives. And what does that mean for Forsyth County? It will mean that we will have representatives, but not necessarily representation. And why do I say that? Because there is an institutional and systemic process in place that determines what happens and how much you get to participate in decision-making. With new representatives we will be low on the totem pole.”

“We passed the ‘castle doctrine law’ in this last session, the same thing as ‘stand your ground.’ They picked up pieces of the Georgia and Florida law and simply placed it in legislation, and it became North Carolina law. I fought vigorously against that law. I spoke out against that law. And I will continue to do so. But you must have standing to be able to make a difference. Currently the voter ID bill is number-one priority for [the Republicans] to overturn the governor’s veto. And I tell you people: If you are not aware of how different things can happen in the twinkling of an eye, if you are not knowledgeable of how it can go into a subcommittee a chicken and come out a frog – I’m serious. A bill can go in one way and they can put it in a subcommittee and it’s totally different. You need experience there to make sure at least you can have good information and you’re gonna have someone to stand up for that.”



James Taylor Jr., NC Senate District 32 candidate:

“This particular race is being framed around the term ‘experience.’ … We voted for President Barack Obama not because he was the most experience legislator or the most experienced person in Washington, DC, but because we thought he was the candidate who could take us from the days of yesterday to the days of tomorrow. If we wanted the most experienced candidate, everyone in this room would have went with John McCain. But we didn’t go with John McCain because you wanted a fresh voice.”

“We need to fill jobs in our community and there are four ways that we can do that in my first four years in office. First of all, we’ll focus on reducing our dependency on foreign oil and foreign fuels. We’ll focus on conversion from fuel to natural gas, to electricity, to hybrid. We were able to pull it off in the city council. I went to Washington, DC. I had a meeting with one of our US senators. We talked this thing over. If we are able to reduce our costs and switch over to electricity, natural gas, we can reduce two thirds of the cost. That two thirds of the cost that we’re saving can go towards the highway trust fund. It can go towards the highway fund to create jobs for roadway projects in our communities.

“Secondly, we come up with a concept we call ‘pathways to employment.’ We want to make sure we’re putting people to work. The unemployment rate, we talked about that. But I tell you: North Carolina is on the verge of owing $3 billion to the federal government. We have to find a way to reduce our unemployment insurance fund. We’ll do it through ‘pathways to employment.’ We’ll take a look at putting the underemployed, the chronically unemployed and our seniors back to work. We’ll do it by putting our recently graduated back to work. And we’ll come up with a six-to-eight-week program where we look at the pilot payments. And if you’re not familiar with pilot payments, that means payments in lieu of taxes. You have local entities who pay payments in lieu of taxes. You take a small portion of that and those people who employers seem to think can’t get the job done we allow them to go through a paid internship program where when they got the opportunity to prove themselves to employers if they get employed we’re reducing the unemployment insurance fund. If they do not get employed what we’re doing is we’re allowing them to build their resumes and become more effective for the future.

“We all know that in North Carolina if you go to Wal-Mart, anywhere, you see ‘made in China,’ ‘made in Japan.’ We want to have a ‘North Carolina made’ program where I would pay 10, 15 cents more for a particular product if I knew it was made in North Carolina. We want to make sure we are establishing our companies, not only in the region, not only in the world, but in the state of North Carolina we have good jobs, we have good companies who make good products. When we do that, we retain our existing jobs. We also make sure we’re bringing more jobs to Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.

“Now, the last thing is the investment in the life sciences. Somebody mentioned earlier that about promoting the life sciences. It’s important that we do that. Biotechnology in the state of North Carolina has created… 500 companies and well over 220,000 jobs. We have to continue our allocation for the life sciences.”



Wilbert Banks, NC Senate District 32 candidate:

“We are subsidizing the oil companies [by] $4 billion a year. So you’re not really paying $4 a gallon. You’re paying more like $6 a gallon. I would introduce a bill to stop the subsidizing because we don’t need to do that. Beyond that, I would introduce a bill to roll back some of the taxes. Let’s say we rolled back 50 cents and you have $3.50 a gallon. Are you satisfied with that? Probably not. Okay. Maybe we can find somehow to go back another 30 cents. That’s puts you at $3.20 a gallon. Are you satisfied with that? I wouldn’t be. Now people, this is where you all come into the picture because you have more power than you think you do. If you remember the example, the credit card companies tried to charge us excess fees for using the credit cards. You got together and said, ‘No, we’re not going to do this.’ Those companies are supposed to be bigger than you are. Are they? No. You told them: ‘We’re not going to pay these fees regardless to what.’ And the companies backed down.”



Everette Witherspoon, NC House District 71 candidate:

“One person in particular invited me to the hospital and he told me that I better run. The person’s name was state Rep. Larry Womble. And he told me: ‘When you get into Raleigh you better do three things. You better speak up. You better stand up. And if necessary, you better act up.’ That’s what I plan to do.”



Evelyn Terry, NC House District 71 candidate:

“I have a stellar reputation for in this community for community service. I am not running for self; I am running for service. When you provided service to multiple citizens throughout your tenure, then the idea of being able to serve in the state legislature is just one more step toward being a servant of the people.”



Elisabeth Motsinger, 5th Congressional District candidate:

“My opponent, Ms. [Virginia] Foxx, has a war chest of $1.5 million before she’s begun. I’m not going to be able to match that. I’m not going to be able to be another Goliath to that Goliath. My interest is in being as good a David as I possibly can up against Ms. Foxx.”

“I believe that we have to have an economy that’s fair for all people. And right now we don’t have that economy. Right now, half of all citizens – all of the citizens of the United States – are either low income or poverty. That’s not an equitable economy at all. We have to support education – in particular, public education because public education is the one way that all people get an opportunity to become successful, and to become involved, engaged citizens.”



Dr. Bruce Peller, 5th Congressional District candidate:

“In my fifties I married a powerful Hispanic woman who is beautiful and wonderful in many ways. But the fact is – she’s a dentist – she experiences ethnic discrimination on a regular basis. And so, in turn, my own passions have evolved and I will fight for the DREAM Act and I will stand against the marriage amendment.

“I stand before you today unexpectedly fighting for my own dignity because of my gender. My opponent, Elisabeth Motsinger, has chosen to build a central thesis of her candidacy around her gender. She keeps repeating in this race against Virginia Foxx it is highly unlikely male can challenge her successfully and that’s it’s a woman’s turn. My name is Bruce Gary Peller, and today I’m going to tell you why I believe that I’m the person you want to send to run against Virginia Foxx in November. Within the Democratic Party, as it should be everywhere, our principles charge us with responsibility to judge our candidates as human beings. I judge people by the content of their hearts, not their religion, the color of their skin, their country of origin or their gender.”

Photos by Cheryl Green

Mangin withdraws from 6th district congressional race

Jon Mangin, a candidate for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District, has withdrawn from the race. Incumbent Howard Coble, who is serving his 13th term in the seat, has been defending his seat against a handful of challengers, including Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow, Moore County anesthesiologist Dr. James Taylor, Greensboro financial advisor Jeff Phillips and High Point businesswoman Cathy Brewer Hinson.

Mangin said in an e-mail that he is endorsing Taylor, and the two candidates plan to meet in Greensboro at 1 p.m. today. Mangin said his support for Taylor is based on the notion that "Dr. Taylor is the strongest of the challengers and best reflects of the candidates my own platform."

UPDATE: Mangin's plan to get out of the race has been in the works for some time.

"Previously we have had discussions about coming around a single challenger and I had taken the position that we should wait until the present week," Mangin says in an e-mail. "That week has come and he is the strongest and carries the best articulated message."

Considering that Taylor has been accused of attempting to pay off other candidates in exchange for withdrawing, I asked Mangin if he was receiving any money.

His response: "No, Dr. Taylor did not offer (nor did I request) any money or compensation. There is no quid pro quo."

Candidate profile: Dr. James Taylor

Candidates for office have been trickling into Governmental Plaza in Greensboro for the past couple hours for today's Tea Party gathering, and Jodi Riddleberger, Isabella Adkins and other organizers with Conservatives 4 Guilford County have been supervising the setup of the event since noon. The candidates have been told that they will not be able to speak from the stage, and instead they are setting up stations on the upper level to meet voters and answer questions.

The event is underway right now, and the program is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m.

I caught up with Dr. James Taylor, an anesthesiologist from Moore County, who is part of a pack of five candidates challenging incumbent Howard Coble in the 6th Congressional District race.

"I am in all intents and purposes the Tea Party candidate," Taylor told me. He acknowledged that 6th District candidate Cathy Brewer Hinson of High Point, whose over-sized trailer was briefly parked on Greene Street within eyesight of plaza, also holds an affinity for the movement.

Taylor won 56 percent of the vote among 6th District candidates in a straw poll after a candidate forum in Moore County last Saturday.

Noting that candidates don't get the spotlight at this evening's event, Taylor said, "It's a little frustrating in a way. We want this movement, but the movement is saying, 'We might not want you.'"

The Tea Party movement signifies change, and Taylor and other challengers are trying to persuade the electorate that change means replacing the reliably conservative Howard Coble, whose attention to personal courtesy and constituent services have taken on nearly legendary proportions.

"I'd say the majority of these people are not going to vote for Howard Coble," Taylor said.

Why? I ask.

"He voted for the $700 million bailout," Taylor said. "He voted for 'cash for clunkers.' The Tea Party is concerned about fiscal conservatism, the idea that you have the right to attempt to succeed, but you also have the right to fail. If you're too big to fail, that must mean you can be too small to succeed."

We talked about the principles of the Constitution and the nation's founders -- notions widely discussed in the Tea Party movement. Taylor said he believes the creation of the Federal Reserve goes against the intentions of the founders. He explained that the Constitution states that "only Congress can coin money and determine its value. In 1913, they abdicated that responsibility and gave it to the Federal Reserve. We've seen the unwinding of the value of the dollar. It used to be backed by gold. Now, it's by fiat; it's backed by hope and a dream."

Taylor likes to say on the campaign trail that "America is at the beginning of a second American revolution. This revolution will be fought not with guns and bullets, but with ideas and votes at the ballot box."

The government has grown too big, he continued, arguing that the tax burden and entitlements have have become too bloated and the national debt threatens the stability of the nation.

"When 47 percent of Americans don't pay taxes and are receiving some kind of benefits, half of the people are producing and half of the people are receiving," Taylor said. "If it moves up to 60 percent [receiving benefits], it's not sustainable."

"Medicare's going to go broke in 2017," he continued. "We have $70 trillion in entitlements coming due." He added that such staggering debt could lead to societal collapse.

"Part of me thinks that's what the elite power behind this country wants," Taylor said. "They want the country to collapse so they can take over the banking system."

I asked Taylor to identify the elites that are running the country. He responded in a couple ways, cautioning that he doesn't want to be branded as someone who believes in conspiracy theories, but that he's read enough to know what's going on in the world.

"These are the people that really don't think of this country as their country; the world is their country," he said. "We don't even know who they are.... There are people up there pulling these strings.... Part of it is the Federal Reserve."

The elites' strategy for seizing power is to divide and conquer, Taylor said, by pitting whites against blacks, rich against poor, Republicans against Democrats. He mentioned the Bilderberg Group and the Council on Foreign Relations.

I wanted to get a photograph of the candidate, and I asked him if he would prefer the plaza with the downtown skyline as a backdrop, or the cluster of Greensboro police officers gathering behind him.

"Are they here to arrest me?" Taylor quipped.

We went with the plaza and the downtown skyline.

Triad Elections '10

Scenes from the Guilford County Republican Party Convention

Jeff Phillips, a candidate for US House District 6, leaves a knot of supporters outside of the Guilford County Republican Party's temporary headquarters in Jamestown last Thursday.

Candidates for office, party officials and true believers who gathered at what was once a drug store in Jamestown last Thursday for the Guilford County Republican Party Convention bristled with righteous indignation and against President Obama’s plan to pass national healthcare reform.

More than a dozen Republican candidates from senatorial hopeful Larry Linney down to county commission contenders Samuel Spagnola and Myrene Stanley stood before the assembly making the case for limited government and reduced spending. The convention passed a resolution opposing the passage of the Democratic healthcare bill in Washington, and at the instigation of NC Rep. John Blust, the convention’s parliamentarian, added an amendment expressing that “we deplore the idea that the [US] House of Representatives can pass a healthcare bill without ever having of formal vote on it.”

Party Chairman Bill Wright chided some of first-time candidates for lacking a history of involvement in the party in the past.

“We’ve got quite a few people who have never run for office before,” he said. “I’m gonna get on you a little bit. There are a handful of people who volunteer a lot of time in the party, but a lot of you we’ve never seen before. Whether you win or not, we want to see you after the election.”

Dr. James Taylor, an anesthesiologist from Southern Pines running for the 6th Congressional District seat, captured the spirit of grassroots conservatism pervading the assembly with a reference to the pending healthcare bill.

“If these cowards in Washington, DC pass this legislation with reconciliation or deem it so, they don’t know the hornets nest they’re going to stir up,” he said. He later added, “You guys are at the front lines of the war we are about to fight. I believe that we are at the beginning of the second American revolution.”

Jeff Phillips of Greensboro, another candidate challenging incumbent Howard Coble for the 6th district seat, also spoke.

Wright read a letter from Coble, which reflected the eight-term congressman’s characteristic gentility: “As you know, five others have filed for the Republican primary, and I welcome them to the political arena. I reiterate that this seat does not belong to me, and I am pleased to place my record before the voters and have them decide if they wish to send me back for another two years.”

Many candidates, including Jeff Phillips of Greensboro, one of Coble’s challengers made it a point to mention how many years they have been married to their wives. (Coble is a bachelor.)

John Faircloth, one of four candidates in a crowded Republican primary vying to replace retiring NC Rep. Laura Wiley in NC House District 61, prompted laughter when he introduced himself by saying, “I win one contest tonight: I’ve been married 52 years.”

Three congressional districts converge in Guilford County, making the county GOP either a crossroads or a far-flung outpost in North Carolina’s conservative political arena. The other two congressional districts, 12 and 13, are held by Democrats based respectively in Charlotte and Raleigh. Between the two, the 13th Congressional District stretching from Raleigh to Greensboro and currently represented by Brad Miller, is considered the one where a Republican candidate holds the best prospects.

Two of the four candidates in the 13th district Republican primary, all of whom are based in the Triangle area around Raleigh, addressed the Guilford County Republicans.

Dan Huffman, a 47-year-old communications consultant from Wake Forest, sounded a theme developed by Sarah Palin last summer.

“We can’t have an Obamacare, which we’re talking about today, which has death panels to decide whether my 91-year-old grandfather, who lives in Hickory, will get some sort of procedure or not.”

Frank Hurley, a 69-year-old former Reagan appointee to NASA from Chapel Hill, accused the Democratic incumbent of drawing the district for himself, and said the Republicans will need a galvanizing wedge issue to claim it.

“We’re going to have to find at least one issue, which is a real grabber, which will rouse the Jessecrats to rise up and for once to vote for a Republican and retire this guy from public life and get a real job for the first time in his life. I think that issue is the amnesty that the Democrats are getting read to grant for about 12 million illegal immigrants. That would be an enormous mistake with a tremendous cost in jobs, a tremendous cost in medical services, a tremendous cost in law enforcement resources and a tremendous cost for our national culture.”

Hurley referred to the conservative Democrats who crossed party lines to vote for Sen. Jesse Helms from 1972 through 1996.

“And I think what we have to do is insist that our children not only don’t have to press one for English, but don’t get in a situation where they have to press two for English,” Hurley said. “So this is the issue I really think we ought to pound home against brad Miller. I’m willing to do that. I’m going to take punishment for that. It’s going to be controversial. I’ve got to be confrontational if I get the nomination. I’m the Republican conservative with the attitude in this primary.”

Only one of US Sen. Richard Burr’s three primary challengers showed up (Burr sent a surrogate). The sole senatorial candidate, a black former NC House representative from Buncombe County named Larry Linney won applause lines when he said, “I come to you and I come a little late, but I come here as an American, not a hyphenated American.”

The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that Linney served a prison sentence in the 1990s for felony embezzlement and has been trying to get his conviction overturned. Linney now lives in Charlotte.

During his remark the has-been and would-be office holder tapped into a theme that is mobilizing the Republican Party this year.

“Most importantly, I come to you as an outraged citizen of this country,” he said. “We need to put a stop to Obamacare, and this whole socialist agenda.”

Some challengers charged that Republican incumbents have gotten to comfortable in office and have betrayed conservative principles. Samuel Spagnola, a blogger with an unflinching sense of conviction, is one of two candidates challenging incumbent Linda Shaw for the District 3 seat in on the Guilford County Commission. Shaw was unable to attend the convention because a county commission meeting was scheduled for the same night. The district covers Summerfield, Oak Ridge, Stokesdale and northwest Greensboro.

“I wish I could take my finger and say, ‘It’s the Democrats’ fault.’ But it’s not. We elect people — so-called conservatives in our own party — who’ve taken part in running up that debt just like everyone else, and now it’s time to pay the piper. I will not be that person. A lot of you might know me. I’m very active in the blogosphere. I have comments all over the place. And some people have said, ‘That’s a bad thing; you should never do that.’ I’ve never written anything I will not defend in front of anybody. And the fact of the matter is I will tangle with these people, I will scrap with these people until I’m the last person standing if that’s what it takes. But it’s time to bring responsibility back to local government as well and bring us back to the kind of Reaganism and conservatism that made me join this party when I was 18. Votespag — two four letters put together — votespag.com, if you want to help me in my effort.”


Larry Linney, candidate for US Senate

Jeff Phillips, candidate for US House District 6

“Many people have asked me: ‘Jeff, why’re you running for Congress?’ I can sum up the answer as to why with four simple words: The time is now. We cannot wait another two years, four years, six years or more to come to the same conclusion that we’re in exactly the same place as we were in 2010, if not worse off than before. Like most of you, I’m deeply concerned and disappointed, feeling uncertain about our future, even angry about the current state of affairs in Washington. If you’ll give me the opportunity on May the 4th, I want to be the bold new voice in Washington on your behalf. I will shout your concerns from the rooftops."


James Taylor (right), a candidate for US House District 6, visits with Guilford County Republican activist Don Wendelken.


Scott Cumbie, US House District 12 candidate

"I also had some people who have been in the Republican Party for some time, that have been involved in politics that approached me and said, ‘You can’t win that district.’ And the reason they said that is because the district is 67 percent Democrat. It’s also 45 percent African American. And my concern with that statement is, if we as a Republican Party have a message, we have a message for all the people, not just the Republican Party. And as a candidate of the 12th district I want to reach out to all the people of the district, not just the Republicans and not just the independents. My goal over the next nine months is to not only meet with the standard Republicans and independents and even Tea Party people who we’re all in agreement with, but to really reach into the African-American community. And let me tell you a little fact that you might not know about. March 27th is a very important date for North Carolina. Does anyone know what that date is? March 27th of 1867 is when the Republican Party was founded here in North Carolina. That’s a week from Saturday. In that founding there were 147 people that met together in the state House to form the Republican Party. Forty-six of that 147 people were African Americans. And we need to invite them back into this party. Because this is the party of freedom, this is the party of family, this is the party of prosperity.”


Dan Huffman, US House District 13 candidate


Jeff Hyde, NC Senate District 27 candidate

“So why is our prosperity affected so much in North Carolina? Why is our rate so high when our neighbor in Virginia is less than half our employment rate? Well, it’s because our climate for creating jobs is not competitive with the Southern states that surround us. Of those southeastern states, North Carolina has the highest individual income tax rate, the highest corporate tax rate. And, other than Tennessee, it has the highest state sales tax. And, by the way, Tennessee doesn’t have a tax on income. North Carolina has the highest gasoline tax. And our energy cost is the highest in the southeast. These conditions exist in North Carolina now, and as long as they exist we will continue to see double-digit unemployment in North Carolina."


Jeffrey Brommer, NC Senate District 28 candidate


“The reason I’m running is someone needs to look out for the small business man. I’ve been in business since 1993, and someone needs to step up and look out for the little guy out there. I think I’m the guy to do it. The state has a lot of problems with taxes, with spending. You’ve heard the talking points tonight, and we need to do something about it.”


Trudy Wade, NC Senate District 28 candidate

"I want to create jobs, jobs and more jobs. So you say, ‘How do we create jobs?’ Well I’ve been a small business owner a long time. I’m gonna tell you this: I’ve never had to pay 48 percent in taxes in my entire life. It keeps going up. Where is the incentive for me to work harder? It’s not there. I just pay more in taxes. So what do I think we need to do? I think, one, we better decrease the taxes on small business so we can put everybody back to work. I don’t think most of the people in Raleigh know anything about running a business. But believe me, I do. You know, when you run a business and people say, ‘Oh great, she’s making a lot of money,’ who’s the last person to get paid in your small business? You are. So, who is it killing? You. I want to cut those taxes on businesses. Put people back to work so they can spend money and we can all flourish and do better."


Darin Thomas, NC House District 58 candidate

"Darin Thomas is a very honest and fair person. People have asked me a lot about why I’m running. I’m here tonight and I’m announcing my campaign mainly because I’m worried. I’m worried about our communities. I’m worried about our families. I’m worried about our county, our state and our country. And many candidates who are here tonight are worried about those very things. I’m here tonight because of our friends and our neighbors. They seem to have given up. They’re not paying any more attention. It’s almost as though they’re getting ready to throw in the towel. I’m here for my community. I’m here for my family. I’m here for your families. I’m also here for our small businesses. I’m here for our employed and I’m here for our unemployed. I’m here for our teachers, and I’m here for our public servants. You know, the actions of the Democratic majorities in Raleigh and Washington have proven to me that something is seriously broken. That is exactly why I’m running for the North Carolina House."


John Blust, NC House District 62 candidate

“You know, people mention service. The very first day I could, the morning after I turned 18, my friend dropped me off at the old Post Office where the Army recruiting was, and I took an oath, and I joined the United States Army. And I served for two years immediately post Vietnam — Vietnam was still going on — when it wasn’t popular to be in the military. You talk about a desire to serve, that’s where you can really show it. And I went to UNC for undegrad and accounting. I went to law school — and people knock lawyers, but I’m one person who believes in justice. And I’m very passionate about it. And I know many lawyers do things that aren’t popular and aren’t very conducive to justice, but there are some that are in it for the right reason. I then went back into the Army as an officer because I had taken ROTC at NC State, believe it or not. And I served in the demilitarized zone in Korea. Jack Nicholson told who in A Few Good Men — Tom Cruise — “If you believe that, why don’t you man a post?” Well, I’ve manned the post. It was cold, and it was lonely.”


Myrene Stanley, Guilford County Commission District 2 candidate

“My name is Myrene Stanley, and I’m your conservative choice for Guilford County commissioner in District 2. I’m a wife, a mother, Christian and a veteran of the United States military, so I know how to serve. I support fiscal responsibility, your property rights and keeping taxes low for residents and businesses alike. Help make Guilford County a more affordable and desirable place to live and create jobs.”


Samuel Spagnola, Guilford County Commission District 3 candidate

Triad Elections '10

Taylor, Terry headed for runoff in Southeast Ward race — UPDATE

Democratic incumbent Evelyn Terry and challenger James Taylor will participate in a runoff for the Southeast Ward seat on the Winston-Salem City Council after neither candidate was able to garner more than 40 percent of the ballots cast in the municipal primary on Tuesday.

Terry, who was first elected to the city council in 2005, received 160 votes or 36 percent of the total votes cast, while Taylor received 150 votes or 34 percent of the votes in the municipal primary. Jimmy Boyd,a retired Winston-Salem police supervisor, received 136 votes or 30 percent of the total votes cast on Tuesday.

According to local election law, a candidate must receive 40 percent or more of the vote to avoid a runoff. The two candidates receiving the most votes are eligible for the runoff election.

Taylor said he plans on meeting with Boyd today to ask for his support in the runoff election, which will be held Oct. 6.

"I thought that Jimmy and Evelyn were both formidable opponents," Taylor said. "I'm grateful to still be in the race."