Elections can be a confusing time. Poorly organized dissemination of information and the need for the government to appear nonpartisan in executing election-related documents and procedures makes it hard for us non-political junkie voters to equip ourselves with adequate information to make an informed vote.
With the NC Primary quickly approaching (May 6th!), I present you with my endorsements for the more obscure various and sundry positions that you will see on your ballot for the Democratic Primary. And by "more obscure," I mean non-Presidential. I've also tried to include a little about what in tarnation the truly obscure positions do. N.B. I am actually registered as Unaffiliated, but I needed to select a party in order to exercise my right to vote in the primary election.
US SENATE (Howard Staley, Kim Hagan, Duskin C. Lassiter, Jim Neal, Marcus W. Williams)
- Howard Staley: he's a podiatrist and not part of the machine, and the only one (based on candidates' websites/web presenceces) to recognize that the U.S. actually needs immigrants and to hint that he will help illegal immigrants get documented properly. Did I mention he's a podiatrist?
GOVERNOR (Richard H. Moore, Dennis Nielsen, Bev Perdue)
- Richard H. Moore: seems to have a good head on his shoulders - not loopy like Dennis Nielsen (who wants guns everywhere and declares he's better than pimps) and more sophisticated than Bev Perdue - and I like how he's getting companies to be more environmentally friendly by speaking their language (the language of cash-money)
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR (Dan Besse, Walter H. Dalton, Hampton Dellinger, Pat Smathers) - basically the Vice Governor.
- Dan Besse: he's healthy through and through! Whereas some candidates just talk about the environment because they have to (e.g., my pick for Governor), it is clear Besse actually cares about it--just look at that picture on his website of his vital self jogging! This is a man who knows clean living (or knows how to act like it, anyway), and The Decorum likes that. Hampton Dellinger sent me a campaign postcard all the way to my NY address. That put him on my radar, but then I looked him up on the intranets, and he's scary. He and his wife are spooooookykykykykyky. They're going for a waaaay to high-gloss polished and picture-perfect image--doesn't that just ask to be tarnished? Don't get me wrong, this Dellinger character has had an illustrious career at such a young age, but he needs to stop being such a stomach-turning politician and get real. He even made his poor wife make some low-budget video championing her husband's first-rate qualities. This is 1) cheesy, 2) painful, and 3) just asking for resentment from her down the line.
AUDITOR (Beth A. Wood, Fred Aikens) - audits the state's use of monies to make sure grants, tax dollars, etc. are being spent properly
- Beth A. Wood: she's worked in the Auditor's office for years and had a falling out with the incumbent (her boss), she was a dental hygenist, an occupation I respect because it seems its one that allows women to support themselves easily, and put herself through school to get her CPA, likes to do the shag, seems ambitious and a little severe (just look at the way she does herself up - reminds me of Susan Powter), which I kind of like
COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE (Wayne Goodwin, David C. Smith) - something about looking out for insurance for people in NC
- David C. Smith: i like his ugly mug better than Goodwin's ugly mug in that he looks more genuine, and i like that he has gotten awards for renovating his house from the Durham Historical Society or whatnot and i like that he lives in Durham
COMMISSIONER OF LABOR (Robin Anderson, Mary Fant Donnan, Ty Richardson, John C. Brooks) - looks after/creates policies that affect workers
- Robin Anderson: one of the best supervisors I've ever had, and I'm overjoyed to see she's running for office for the first time! Anderson and I kicked it in NYC for a week while I was here for a summer internship and she was here for a client meeting. An impressive professional, effective mentor, and approachable and affable superior, I have no doubt she would do the right thing for NC employees. A look at her website confirms this.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION (Eddie Davis, June St. Clair Atkinson) - something about public instruction
- Eddie Davis: not a lot of information about these two, but Eddie seems like a nice guy
TREASURER (Janet Cowell, Michael Weisel, David Young) - manages, like, the state pension and other state investment monies
- Janet Cowell: she went to impressive schools and is or was a NC Senator during which time she did some sustainable energy initiatives. I also like that she's fairly young but clearly ambitious.
NC STATE SENATE DISTRICT 23 (Ellie Kinnaird, Moses Cary, Jr.)
- Ellie Kinnaird: this was a hard choice and since both are strong and I am lazy, I choose Kinnaird because she was mayor of Carrboro, so she probably has her mind in the right place. Also, apparently she went to Carleton for college, so she's smart.
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (James A. Wynn, Jewel Ann Farlow, Dean R. Poirier) - judge for the first court you go to when you want to appeal a decision from a case where you sued someone or whatnot
- James A. Wynn: lesser of evils - he's seeking re-election, he's a minority, and he's not crazy conservative like Poirier. Don't know anything about Jewel, except that she's supported by some obscure GOP website. Hello, campaign manager?
COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE (Kristin Ruth, Sam J. Ervin, IV, Janet Pueschel, John M. Tyson) - again, - judge for the the first court you go to when you want to appeal a decision from a case where you sued someone or whatnot
- Kristin Ruth: lesser of evils. Some minority groups endorse her, but she seems pretty lackluster and a part of the old guard of southern female ambition. Pueschel is hard to find on the internet (= automatic negative) and just has a website for her law firm. Both her internet presence and her experience as represented on the website seem unimpressive and confusing, so she's out. Ervin is also incommunicado on the internet, and Tyson is a member of the Federalist Society and all conservative and whatnot, so there's no point in dealing with him.
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE DISTRICT 15B (Page Vernon, Glenn Gerding, Lamar F. Proctor, Jr.) - this is the judge for the trial court, meaning the first court you go to when you sue or get sued or whatnot and where you would have a jury. If things went badly here, you'd appeal and go to a judge in the Court of Appeals.
- Page Vernon: lovely lady who some people at the Piedmont Biofuels Coop like, humble, has had a down-to-earth career and seems sincere and not a part of the machine. Proctor just comes off as too young and too much of a career-climbing whipper-snapper. I also aribtrarily dislike several things about him: he is from SC originally and is therefore invading NC with his presence, he went up to NYC after law school in SC and based on his resume didn't find a job for awhile (or had nothing good to speak of), and to me that makes it look like he went to NYC for superficial reasons
COUNTY LAND TRANSFER TAX (Real property transfer tax at the rate of up to 0.4% of value or consideration) (For, Against) - a way for the county to raise money because it needs it. Counties got permission to either levy this tax or up the sales tax a bit.
- For: keep people from selling their homes maybe, which my xenophobia says is a good thing. plus, i don't want to pay no extra sales tax.
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