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2009 elections + economy = less interest?

Economy puts damper on filings, Chapel Hill professor says

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2009 Municipal Election Candidates

By Dee Henry | Hickory Daily Record

Published: July 22, 2009

NEWTON - The economy has had an effect in many areas, but political science professor Thad Beyle said it seems to have slowed the number on filings for the 2009 election.

"I think people are seeing the governments in other cities where they've had to make really tough decisions about their local budgets. They've had to make decisions about cutting taxes and positions," said Beyle, a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "It makes you wonder why some people want to come back and why somebody would want to get in."

Beyle said North Carolina is in a state of rapid growth with a number of families and retirees coming here to live. That creates questions about how to provide services for all residents, and which services to provide.

And while some municipalities in Catawba County bear out Beyle's observations, but maybe for different reasons, others show a want for change with several people. Some people who have never been involved with politics are filing for elected office.

Filings show the boards and mayors in Brookford and Long View will stay the same, unless a write-in candidate is elected. No one is challenging the mayors in Hickory or Maiden, and while the candidate for mayor in Claremont is moving up from the town council, he also has no competitor. Sally Mullen Fox has no opponent for her seat as the Hickory Alderman in Ward 5.

Other cities look to have more competition than usual as Conover has four people filed for the mayor position and four for two seats on the city council. Their neighbors in Newton have eight people filed for three seats on its city council.

Thomas Schronce, who is running unopposed for his second term as mayor of Brookford, said in his town, it's a matter of helping people that makes him and his council, who are also running unopposed, remain in office. He does lawn work for residents he knows need help, among other things.

"Anything we can do for them," he said.

David Morrow and Rudy Wright, running unopposed in the mayoral races in Claremont and Hickory respectively, are quick to mention that just because no one has filed as competition yet doesn't mean there won't be write-in votes in November.

"I feel good that no one has filed, but that doesn't mean there couldn't be a write-in candidate," Morrow said.

Morrow himself was voted onto Claremont's City Council in 2003 as a write-in.

"My wife had encouraged me and others had encouraged me, but it was after the filing period," he said of the 2003 race. "So I had to get out and let people know my position."

Morrow will follow former Mayor Glenn Morrison. Morrison decided not to run this year after serving 12 years as mayor.

Wright adds that just because no one filed to run against him, that doesn't mean he can rest easy.

"I plan to participate in every forum, plan to be available in those forums. And just because I'm running unopposed, doesn't mean I won't have any unannounced opponents," Wright said.

Hickory Alderman Sally Mullen Fox is also running unopposed but she, like Wright, will be at the election forums.

"The most important part of the democratic process is healthy debate and I intend on debating the issues at the forums," Fox said.

John Harold McDaris Sr., who is running for Alderman of Ward 2 in Long View, said write-ins are common in his town.

"There probably will be some write-ins. There almost always are," he said. "It all depends on how the people feel."

Long View is one of two municipalities looking at no changes on their boards if no write-in candidates are elected. Mayor Norman Cook and Alderman Kenneth Bumgarner also are running unopposed.

Cook puts their longevity on working together well.

"I think over the last four to six years, the council has worked together so well. The town is in the best financial shape it's been in a while," he said. "And that reflects on all the board members."

On the other side, Conover's mayoral race has four candidates — Incumbent Bruce Eckard, current City Councilman Lee Moritz Jr., current Planning Board Member Steven Kiger and political newcomer Mark Parson.

Eckard has served as mayor in Conover for 20 years and has run unopposed in all but his first bids for the mayor against then-incumbent Harvey Hawn in 1989.

"It's going to be a little more exciting now to have a legitimate election," Eckard said.

However, he points out that elections through the history of Conover have seen elected officials serve long terms and for service to run down through generations.

Eckard's father served as mayor of Conover before he became involved. Moritz is a fourth-generation public servant. His great-grandfather served as mayor. His grandfather was Conover's first fire chief and also served on city council. His father served on city council and his brother is a retired volunteer firefighter.

He has served 10 years on the Conover Planning Board and one four-year term on the council.

Conover Mayor pro tem Johnny Brown is proud to continue the service his father, Floyd, started. Floyd served on the Conover City Council for 31 years and as mayor for 10 more. That means, if Brown is re-elected in November, he and his father will have served the city for a total of 65 years.

"And that's a lifetime of dedication," he said.