By Patricia E. Matson Friday, October 29, 2010
As the final days of the election loom, county commissioner candidates have been very busy working the early voting polls.
Former sheriff Sid Causey said Friday that he was about ready to take down his campaign signs on Sunday or Monday, so everything would be cleaned up by Tuesday. He said people have had plenty of opportunities to see them, so if the message hadn’t gotten through by now, one or two more days wouldn’t matter.
Third-quarter campaign finance reports showed Causey had raised a total of $30,103.17 by Oct. 22. Rick Catlin was far in the lead of the pack with $91,969.84 raised by Oct. 25; Deborah Butler had raised $20,601.23 by that date, and Brian Berger trailed the rest with $8,286 the same day.
Berger said the only poll he had seen showed him out in front, although it had a small sample size. He said he’d had very encouraging feedback from talking to early voters.
“I think I have a good chance of winning despite spending less money,” he said, “and that would be a very powerful signal… a testament to why I’m running.”
Butler said Friday, “I wish I could say I thought finance was irrelevant, but if there’s not enough money to make people familiar with you, it’s very difficult to win.” She added that with grassroots groundwork and a lot of face-to-face meetings and phone calls, her campaign had a healthy combination of contributions and work. At the polls, she said, she had encountered “tremendous support from all walks of life. It’s really enriching and educational.”
Causey said he wasn’t sure whether money played a big part in elections. Because of the bad economy, he hadn’t asked people for money, but supporters called him anyway with contributions. He added that he’d enjoyed spending a day at the Carolina Beach early voting station, seeing friends where he grew up. Some folks at the government center had been a bit confrontational, he said, but it had been good to see citizens waiting to exercise their constitutional rights.
Catlin said that the amount of money he’d raised showed that he had a lot of mainstream support, which was always a good sign. He felt he was going into the final few days with a lot of momentum, and had seen a lot of thumbs-up from people who had voted already. “It’s really impressive how many people have been standing in line for an hour to vote,” he added.
Catlin said he was humbled by the support he’d gotten. He concluded that if he were elected, he’d see it as an awesome responsibility, and he’d do his best with the job.
Butler said that in making their decisions, voters should ask themselves who is best equipped to make sound fiscal judgments, balance the intricacies of local government and put a progressive, 21st-century attitude on economic development.
Berger said that voters should look closely at candidates’ records, not just their words. They should find out who has consistently fought for the taxpayers, rather than using empty rhetoric and trying to be all things to all people.
Causey said that he hoped those who haven’t voted yet would educate themselves about the candidates.
“Be sure you’re voting for the right person, and remember you’ll have that person in office for four years,” he said.
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