Open Thread for the 2016 Filing Period

Submitted by OP Editors on December 1, 2015 - 9:30am

The filing period begins today for the 2016 elections. The General Assembly recently moved the state's primary elections up to March 15th—an early holiday gift for local politics geeks, perhaps an annoyance for others.

So, what's on the line for Orange County in the March elections?

  • A partisan primary election for NC Senate District 23, currently held by Senator Valerie Foushee (D), who is completing her first term.
  • Partisan primary elections for NC House Districts 50 and 56, currently held by Representatives Graig Meyer (D) and Verla Insko (D), respectively. Meyer is completing his first term. Insko is completing her tenth term.
  • A partisan primary election for an at-large seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, currently held by Commissioner Bernadette Pelissier (D), who has announced that she will not seek reelection after completing her second term on the board. Mark Marcoplos (D) has announced and Matt Hughes (D) has announced intentions to run for the seat.
  • A partisan primary election for two District 1 seats on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, currently held by Commissioners Mark Dorosin (D) and Penny Rich (D), both completing their first terms. Rich has announced she will run for reelection. No word yet from Dorosin, but signs (ie, OP editor gossip?) point to another run.
  • A partisan primary election for a District 2 seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners, currently held by first-term incumbent Commissioner Renee Price (D), who has announced that she will run for reelection. Word has it that Bonnie Hauser will challenge Price for the seat, though we've seen no formal announcement.
  • A general, nonpartisan election for three four seats on the Orange County Board of Education, including two seats currently held by Steve Halkiotis and Tony McKnight and one seat two seats recently left vacant by the resignations of Lawrence Sanders and Debbie Piscitelli. [Update below.—Eds.]
  • A general, nonpartisan election for one seat on our local Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, currently held by Roger Tate.

The filing period ends at noon on December 21st. As usual, we will soon post a page of election information, including candidate information, important dates, and more.

What are you hearing? Share below!

Issues: 

Comments

Orange County Board of Education

Submitted by OP Editors on December 1, 2015 - 3:03pm

Here's some clarification on the unusual situation with the Orange County Board of Education:

  • Board Member Lawrence Sanders resigned from the board in October to pursue a career opportunity. Orange County Schools is accepting applications until tomorrow, December 2nd, for a person to complete the Sanders term, which expires at the end of June 2016.
  • Chair Debbie Piscitelli resigned from the board on November 23, saying she felt unsupported by the board in her role as chair. Piscitelli was appointed to the seat earlier this year to fill a vacancy resulting from the death of Board Member Rosa Williams. The term expires in 2018.

According to board policy 2115, all vacancies are to be filled by appointment. The appointed member serves "until the next election of board members, at which time the remaining unexpired term will be filled by election."

This policy seems to require that both the Sanders vacancy and the Piscitelli vacancy—even if filled initially by appointment—will be up for election on March 15. Therefore, there will be four seats on the ballot.

Piscatelli vacancy separate on the ballot

Submitted by gercohen on December 2, 2015 - 7:51am

Yes the Piscatelli vacancy is a separate ballot item with separate filing for the two-year unexpired term (unlike Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board vacancies where the number of seats to be elected expands by one and the final winner gets the short term, all due to differences in local acts)

see filing page:http://www.orangecountync.gov/departments/board_of_elections/2016Election/2016_Candidate_Filings.pdf

(also note that filing for soil conservation supervisor is June 13 thru July 1 not with the rest of the offices)

 

Mark Dorosin running

Submitted by Geoff Green on December 3, 2015 - 7:17am

He announced on Facebook that he was running for reelection. 

Update: December 2

Submitted by OP Editors on December 3, 2015 - 8:49am

Here are the candidate filings as of December 2:

  • NC SENATE: Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) has filed for reelection.
  • NC HOUSE: District 56 incumbent Verla Insko (D) has filed for reelection.
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: All incumbents—Mark Dorosin (D-1), Renee Price (D-2), Penny Rich (D-1)—have filed for reelection, except Bernadette Pelissier (D-at large), who previously announced she would not seek reelection.
  • BOARD OF EDUCATION: Incumbents Steve Halkiotis and Tony McKnight have filed for reelection.

Update: December 5

Submitted by OP Editors on December 5, 2015 - 10:51am

The first week of fiing is over. Here's where it stands:

  • NC SENATE 23: Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) has filed for reelection.
  • NC HOUSE: In District 56, incumbent Verla Insko (D) has filed for reelection. No candidates have filed for District 50.
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS: No candidates have filed for the at-large seat. In District 1, incumbents Mark Dorosin (D) and Penny Rich (D) have filed for reelection. In District 2, incumbent Renee Price (D) and challenger Bonnie Hauser (D) have filed.
  • BOARD OF EDUCATION: Incumbents Steve Halkiotis and Tony McKnight have filed for reelection.

Filing will resume on Monday and continue until noon on December 21st. (Filing for Soil and Water District supervisor will take place from June 13th through July 1st.)

12 11 15

Submitted by gpknc on December 11, 2015 - 11:49am

This would have been my dads 99th birthday, I filed to run for BOCC District 1 seat this morning, Gary kahn

Update: December 11

Submitted by OP Editors on December 11, 2015 - 4:26pm

The second week of fiing ends today. Here's where things stand:

  • NC SENATE 23: Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) has filed for reelection.
  • NC HOUSE 50: Incumbent Graig Meyer (D) has filed for reelection.
  • NC HOUSE 56: Incumbent Verla Insko (D) has filed for reelection.
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, AT LARGE: Efland business owner Andy Cagle (D) and Orange County Democratic Party chair Matt Hughes (D) have filed for the at-large seat.
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 1: Incumbents Mark Dorosin (D) and Penny Rich (D) and perennial challenger Gary Kahn (D) have filed.
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DISTRICT 2: Incumbent Renee Price (D) and challenger Bonnie Hauser (D) have filed.
  • BOARD OF EDUCATION: Incumbents Steve Halkiotis and Tony McKnight have filed for reelection. They are joined by newcomer John Hamilton, a retired professor and prominent physician and infectious disease researcher at Duke University, who filed for the 2-year unexpired term left by Debbie Piscitelli.

Filing will resume on Monday and continue until noon on December 21st. (Filing for Soil and Water District supervisor will take place from June 13th through July 1st.)

Marcoplos files on heels of Kinnaird endorsement

Submitted by Mark Marcoplos on December 16, 2015 - 8:27pm

Mark Marcoplos officially entered the race for Orange County Commissioner At-Large to be decided in the March 15 Democratic primary.

His decades of experience with county and regional issues, beginning in 1971 when he came to attend UNC, and his service on key county boards (Orange County Economic Development Commission, Orange County Planning Board, and currently the Orange County Housing Authority and the Orange Water and Sewer Authority, including two terms as Chair), have prepared him to represent the diverse communities that share our county.

“I’ve learned a lot about Orange County over the years as I have raised a family, run a business, defended our rural communities from landfills and airports, and worked on policy on many governmental committees. I have strong relationships with both the rural and urban parts of the county and may be uniquely qualified to serve in the at-large seat,” said Marcoplos.

Former State Senator Ellie Kinnaird recently endorsed him. She wrote, “Mark Marcoplos stands out as an exceptional leader who shares our values and will fight for the people in Orange County: public schools that prepare our children for the world they inherit from us, sustainable development that both preserves the healthy environment we all cherish and creates the jobs of the future, and communities that provide safe and affordable places for all of our neighbors to work and live. I am proud to support Mark Marcoplos for the at-large seat on the Orange County Board of Commissioners.”

Update: The Filing Period Is Closed

Submitted by OP Editors on December 21, 2015 - 3:33pm

The filing period for the March 15 primary elections and the Orange County school board general election ended today at noon. The final day's action included a filing by former Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member Jamezetta Bedford for the District 1 county commissioner race.

  • NC SENATE 23: Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D); and challenger Mary Lopez Carter (R).
  • NC HOUSE 50: Incumbent Graig Meyer (D); and challenger Rod Chaney (R), no relation to Carrboro alderperson Bethany Chaney.
  • NC HOUSE 56: Incumbent Verla Insko (D).
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, AT LARGE (1 SEAT): Efland business owner and musician Andy Cagle (D); Orange County Democratic Party chair Matt Hughes (D); and builder and longtime community activist Mark Marcoplos (D).
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 1 (2 SEATS): Incumbent Mark Dorosin (D); incumbent Penny Rich (D); former Chapel Hill-Carrboro school board member Jamezetta Bedford (D); and perennial challenger Gary Kahn (D)
  • BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS, DISTRICT 2 (1 SEAT): Incumbent Renee Price (D); and challenger Bonnie Hauser (D).
  • BOARD OF EDUCATION (3 SEATS, FULL TERM): Incumbent Steve Halkiotis; incumbent Tony McKnight; and Efland-Cheeks Elementary parent Matthew Roberts.
  • BOARD OF EDUCATION (1 SEAT, 2-YEAR UNEXPIRED TERM): Retired professor and physician-researcher John Hamilton; and retired computer industry worker Michael Hood, who also ran for the board in 2014.

Filing for Soil and Water District supervisor will take place from June 13th through July 1st.

Does anyone know if Price has a campaign web site?

Submitted by jrees on January 4, 2016 - 10:43am

Looking for opportunities to donate and to volunteer on her re election campaign.

John

not an endorsement - I don't even live in District 2

Submitted by James Barrett on January 4, 2016 - 3:02pm

but I just saw this from her this morning -- http://www.reneeprice2016.com/

Thomas Mills of Carrboro files in 8th Congressional District

Submitted by gercohen on December 21, 2015 - 8:25pm

You don't have to live in a Congressional districts to run or serve. Long time Carrboro resident Thomas Mills has filed to run and is the Democratic candidate for congress in the 8th district (Lumberton to Charlotte). He has no primary

 

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