News

4 SEASONS POLITICS: 11th Dct. Dems debate Saturday

By Bill Moss, Published: February 16, 2016

Democratic candidates for Congress debate

The Henderson County Democratic Party will host a debate between Tom Hill of Zirconia and Rick Bryson of Bryson City, candidates for Democratic nomination for the 11th Congressional District, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the West Henderson High School Auditorium. Maureen Copelof of Brevard, Democratic candidate for state House District 113, and Norm Bossert of Pisgah Forest, Democratic candidate for state Senate District 48, will also be on hand.

GOP women host legislative candidates

The Henderson County Republican Women’s Club luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, at The Cedars will include state Senate District 48 candidates Lisa Carpenter Baldwin of Fetcher and Dennis Justice and state House District 113 candidate Coty Ferguson.
Baldwin graduated summa cum laude from UNCG and earned a master’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland and is a member of MENSA. She served four years as a Buncombe County school board member, is on the N.C. School of Science and Math Strategic Planning Action Team and is an active volunteer.
Justice, of Fletcher, got his start in politics with United We Stand, America. He considers himself a Lincoln conservative and pushed for common-sense school construction solutions. He was president of the Henderson County Republican Men’s Club and is a former precinct chairman. He has a master’s degree in Sports Management and is a volunteer for local sports teams and youth outreach programs.
Ferguson, of Brevard, has served on multiple deployments to Iraq. He is a real estate broker and serves on the Brevard Planning Board and is an active volunteer. He worked with the Division of Employment Security to help veterans gain employment in Henderson and Transylvania counties and wants to see improvements in economic and workforce development.
To attend the lunch send a $15 check made payable to The Cedars by Feb. 19 to P.O. Box 2734, Hendersonville, NC 28793.

Democrats set precinct meetings

The Henderson County Democratic Party announced the annual precinct meetings will be held Saturday, Feb. 27, at the city Operations Center, 305 Williams Street. Times and precincts are:
• 10 a.m. to noon: Grimesdale, Hendersonville 1, Hendersonville 2, Hendersonville 3, Long John Mountain, Laurel Park, North Blue Ridge, Northeast, Pisgah View, South Blue Ridge, Southeast, Southwest.
• 12:30-2:30 p.m.: Bat Cave, Brickton, Clear Creek, Edneyville, Fletcher, Hoopers Creek, Moores Grove, North Mills River, Northwest, Park Ridge, Rugby, South Mills River.
• 3-5 p.m.: Armory, Atkinson, Crab Creek, East Flat Rock, Etowah South, Etowah Valley, Flat Rock, Green River, Horse Shoe, Raven Rock.
Carolina Village has not yet been set and will be announced.

Apodaca, McGrady named to redistricting panel

State Sen. Tom Apodaca and Rep. Chuck McGrady have been appointed to a Joint Select Committee on Congressional Redistricting that legislative leaders created to redraw the political boundaries if they lose their appeal of a decision that invalidated the current map.
“Even though the State of North Carolina maintains that its Congressional maps are constitutional and remains confident the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately issue a stay, legislative leaders are taking steps to prepare for a possible special session to comply with a federal trial court’s ruling,” legislative leaders said in a news release. “These steps are necessary since the Supreme Court decision is expected to come within days of the lower court’s Feb. 19 deadline to redraw the maps.”
Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) announced the appointment on Friday of Rep. David Lewis and Sen. Bob Rucho as co-chairs and Rep. Bert Jones and Apodaca as vice-chairs.
The General Assembly is seeking a stay from the U.S. Supreme Court of a federal appellate panel’s ruling that threw out the congressional districts as racial gerrymandering.
“Due to the extremely tight deadline imposed on us by the federal trial court, we are being forced to hope for the best but prepare for the worst,” Lewis and Rucho said in the news release. “Hopefully, this is an unnecessary exercise since the overwhelming majority of times our redistricting plans have been reviewed, they have been validated as fair, legal and constitutional – and we remain confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will issue a stay.”