Tuesday, November 2, 2010
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| Sheriff Ed McMahon receives a warm welcome at the New Hanover County Government Center Tuesday night, Nov. 2. |
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| Rick Catlin, candidate for New Hanover County Commissioner, watches for results at the New Hanover County Government Center Tuesday night, Nov. 2. |
Rick Catlin, candidate for New Hanover County Commissioner, watches for results at the New Hanover County Government Center Tuesday night, Nov. 2.
With 31 out of 46 precincts reporting in by 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night, Republicans were maintaining comfortable leads in most New Hanover County races. The Grand Old Party swept the school board slate as well as the county commissioners. The exception was the sheriff's election, where Democratic incumbent Ed McMahon kept his office despite a challenge from Marc Benson.
Rick Catlin had more than 30,000 votes and Brian Berger had topped 25,000, and Democrats Deborah Butler and Sid Causey had little more than 20,000 each. Catlin and Berger will join Republicans Jason Thompson and Ted Davis and Democrat Jonathan Barfield on the board of commissioners, maintaining the current 4-1 majority there.
The school board actually became more Republican than before; incumbent Nick Rhodes was the top Democrat at 21,614, and all three incumbent Republicans, Janice Cavenaugh, Ed Higgins and Don Hayes, plus newcomer Derrick Hickey, were all in the high 20,000s.
The winners will join Democrats Dorothy DeShields and Elizabeth Redenbaugh and Republican Jeanette Nichols, bringing the majority there up to 5-2.
"It's a bad night to be a Democrat," said Causey as he watched the early returns. He wished the winners well as he left later.
Butler agreed that it was all about the party, since she thought her campaign had done as good a job as any other.
Berger was not ready to declare victory yet, but he said he was looking forward to taking a break from campaigning to be able to catch up with the rest of his life.
Catlin said one of the first things he planned to do was look into the performance of the board of elections and find out why there were problems with the ballots and why the tallying took so long.
Commissioners chairman Jason Thompson, a Republican, and Jonathan Barfield, a Democrat, neither of whom was running, both agreed that on their board, it's not about the party it's about relationships and moving the county forward.
The Republican school board candidates did not appear to be viewing results with the crowd outside the board of elections. The losing Democrats had plenty to say, though.
Nick Rhodes blamed straight-party voting.
Clancy Thompson said the community was ignoring sustainable values, and the nation would keep slipping until it could address this issue.
"It doesn't mean we'll stop... This just gets me more fired up," he said.
Phil Stine said that voters were moving backwards and the votes showed the county didn't care about strategic thinking or fiscal management.
"I am disappointed in the lack of forward thinking," he concluded.
Sheriff Ed McMahon said he was humbled and grateful for his victory, and he gave God the glory and the credit.
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