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Four Seasons Politics

TIMELINE: Meadows and West

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

McCrory appoints Edwards to Senate

Chuck Edwards, the Republican nominee for the seat vacated by tom Apodaca, will go into the election with the title of Sen. Edwards. Gov. Pat McCrory appointed Edwards to the vacancy after Republican representatives from the 48th Senate District recommended Edwards in a meeting on Aug. 14. "I don't see that it's going to change our strategy or our goal whatsoever," Edwards said of his new title. "We're still focused on winning the general election on Nov. 8. What I do see is it's replacing a vacancy to try to provide constituent service. People have been calling me with different opinions and different problems and now that I have direct access to the staff in Raleigh I can better get answers and connect them with the resources they need." Edwards faces Democratic nominee Norm Bossert, a school principal from Pisgah Forest, in the Nov. 8 general election. The Republican leader of the Senate praised Edwards, who, like Apodaca 14 years ago, enters the senior chamber  with a business background and no electoral experience. “Chuck Edwards is an embodiment of how hard work and perseverance pays off," North Carolina Senate Leader Phil Berger said in a statement. "McHe started working at McDonald’s while in high school, learned the business from the ground up and went on to open several of his own franchises. The North Carolina Senate and the people of the 48th District will benefit greatly from his tireless work ethic, sharp business sense and drive to tackle tough policy challenges.”   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: GOP aims to win control of School Board

Rick Wood made a small bit of history a couple of weeks ago when he switched from the Democratic Party to unaffiliated.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Democrats add School Board candidates to forum

Organizers of a Democratic Party forum have added Henderson County School Board candidates to the event in reaction to a Republican Party forum that snubbed half the field.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

GOP forum signals bid to control School Board

Voters get the opportunity this week to hear how a Henderson County School Board under Republican control would run the schools.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

GE touts bright future for lighting sales

  EAST FLAT ROCK — How many people does it take to change a light bulb?   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Split board again declines to commit to tax rollback

A divided Board of Commissioners on Monday again declined to make a formal commitment to roll back property taxes if Henderson County voters OK a local-option sales tax, defeating by the same 3-2 margin the effort by commissioners Bill Lapsley and Grady Hawkins to pass a binding pledge.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

LIGHTNING EDITORIAL: Annexation is right policy at Upward interchange

There will be much caterwauling at the Hendersonville City Council meeting next week when a developer appears to ask for annexation and a zoning permit for an 84-room Fairfield Inn & Suites on Upward Road.   Read Story »

Henderson County Four Seasons Politics

Meadows gets spot at Trump rally

As an early supporter of Ted Cruz's candidacy for president, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows was no fan of Donald Trump.   Read Story »

Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics

Candidate may become Sen. Edwards before Nov. 8

Local Republicans are expected to take up the job of appointing a replacement for state Sen. Tom Apodaca now that the Republican National Convention has ended. Under state law, Gov. Pat McCrory will appoint a replacement recommended by a district committee made up of Republican leaders from the 48th Senate District, which covers three counties.“That’s what complicates things,” said Henderson County Republican Party chair Glen Englram. “If this were a seat exclusive to one county, it would be a lot simpler.”The 48th Senate District is made up of Henderson and Transylvania counties and southern Buncombe. The state statute governing the appointment of a person to a vacant seat requires that the formation of a district executive committee made up of members appointed by Republican executive committees from the three counties.In the case of Buncombe County, only executive committee members who live in the 48th district are eligible to serve on the district committee. District committee members have one vote for each 300 persons in their county that are in the 48th District. Because the Senate district has 191,000 residents, Henderson County, with a population of 110,000 people, would control a majority of the votes on the district committee.The makeup of the committee is a bigger mystery than its outcome.“I’m not sure it requires a lot of thought,” Englram said of the nominating committee’s work. “Chuck Edwards is our candidate on the ballot in November. I cannot imagine a scenario where someone else would be put ahead of him. He’s the guy we want to win in November. We agree with Tom and Tom agrees that voters expressed their opinion in March” on the Republican nominee. In an interview, Edwards declined to endorse himself for the job, urging voters to take time to thank Sen. Apodaca for his work in the Legislature on behalf of Hendersonville and the 48th District. He said he would want to speak with his family, campaign team and party officials before committing to the appointment.Edwards, a Hendersonville businessman, and school principal Norm Bossert, the Democratic nominee, face off in on Nov. 8.Henderson County clearly will miss Apodaca’s power, Englram said.“One thing I’ve found interesting is that people here, regardless of party, are really at least thankful that we’ve had someone like Tom who received such influence in Raleigh, given that he comes from little old Hendersonville.”   Read Story »

Four Seasons Politics Archive