Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Democratic precinct meetings are Saturday
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.
One-stop voting starts on March 3
Here are key dates in the upcoming primary elections:
Primary Election Day: Tuesday, March 15 (except for congressional primaries, which are June 7.)Last day to register: Feb. 19 (in person or postmarked).Where to register: Board of Elections, public assistance agencies, agencies serving persons with disabilities, armed forces recruitment offices, Department of Motor Vehicles, libraries.Absentee voting: Under way. Last day to request a ballot is 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 8.One stop voting: March 3-12. Board of Elections office, 75 E. Central St., March 3-4 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, March 5, 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.; March 7-11, 8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, March 12, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.Additional one-stop voting sites: Edneyville Community Building, Etowah Library, Flat Rock Village Hall, Fletcher Library. March 3-4, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, March 5, 9 a.m.-2 p.m.; March 7-11, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, March 12, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.Election Day: All 35 polling places are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.Acceptable forms of identification: N.C. drivers license, N.C. state identification card, U.S. passport, military I.D., veterans ID, out-of-state drivers license, tribal enrollment cards issued by a state- or federally-recognized tribe.Upcoming events: Republican primary candidate forum, 48th state Senate and 113th state House districts, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Opportunity House, 1411 Asheville Highway. Henderson County Republican Party convention, Saturday, March 5, Opportunity House. Precinct meetings, 1 p.m. Convention at 2 p.m. includes remarks by candidates. Read Story »
Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Lisa Carpenter Baldwin, on the campaign trail for the 48th Senate District seat, is trying to tar Chuck Edwards with a Chamber of Commerce letter that urged congressional leaders to reform U.S. immigration policy.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Ted Cruz supporters are holding a headquarters kickoff and open house at noon today with a pizza party at 4 p.m.
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Mills River Four Seasons Politics
MILLS RIVER — Mills River taxpayers could face a property tax increase as high as 10 cents per $100 valuation as the Town Council scrambles to provide a “core service” to replace a sheriff's contract the county is terminating.
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Hendersonville Four Seasons Politics
State Rep. Chuck McGrady says he didn’t view his appointment to a special redistricting committee as a plum assignment because he’s never specialized in map drawing and was unenthusiastic about a week of off-season committee work in Raleigh.
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Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
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.” Read Story »
Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
Advocacy groups are fighting voter confusion over the new photo ID law amid a shifting landscape of the spring election season brought on by a court decision invalidating the state's congressional map. Read Story »
Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
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. Read Story »
Henderson County Four Seasons Politics
State Rep. Chuck McGrady predicts the upcoming legislative session will be free of political fireworks and legislators will come home in time for the real fireworks. Read Story »