‘The Voice of Onslow County’
2010-03-09 - by
As far as political shenanigans go this isn’t in the league with John Edwards’ goings on but it’s pretty strange. Down in Onslow County, after twenty-four years in the State House my old friend Robert Grady decided not to seek re-election and to run for Clerk of Court instead.
Now what you have to understand – to see the brilliance of what the Democrats are doing to win Robert’s House seat – is this: There are safe Republican seats and safe Republican seats – but Robert’s is about as safe as they come. He hasn’t had an opponent in years. This year no Democrat even bothered to file.
But a group of Onslow County Democrats came up with a unique solution to how to win a Republican seat: They’re running a candidate of their own in the Republican Primary.
And they found a Republican willing to oblige them in Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard.
Phil Shepard’s political activism goes back about a decade to when he served a stint on the Onslow County Republican Committee – then was removed from the committee for helping elect a Democratic State Representative, Russell Tucker, over a Republican candidate.
Now he’s back in politics, running himself, with the support of some of the biggest Easley/Perdue supporters in the state.
How big? Louis Sewell contributed $76,000 to Governor Perdue and other Democrats, raised $125,000 for Mike Easley, got himself appointed to the State Transportation Board, then had to resign after he paved $375,000 worth of roads past his own property.
Billy Sewell – who’s also supporting Shepard – has given $39,000 to Democrats and was subpoenaed to testify at the State Board of Elections hearings into Governor Easley’s campaign finances.
John Pierce gave Democrats $90,000, and John Warlick, Garland Tuton, Mike Tuton, Steve Wangerin, Randolph Thomas (Shepard’s Treasurer) and Tony Padgett (who has run five times for County Commissioner as a Democrat) who are all Perdue/Easley supporters – are all supporting Reverend Shepard.
By a quick count this group of Perdue/Easley supporters have given $250,000 to Democrats – and now they’re supporting Phil Shepard in a Republican Primary.
We’ve had a Governor getting his wife a job at NC State University, a Democrat Speaker of the House stacking the Lottery Commission, environmental permits swapped for campaign donations, sweetheart land deals with developers and free airplane flights and vacations for politicians but never, until now, have we seen Democrat moneybags bankrolling a candidate in a Republican Primary to win a safe Republican seat.
Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard is a first – if he pulls this one off he’ll go down in history.
‘The Voice of Onslow County’
2010-03-09/
As far as political shenanigans go this isn’t in the league with John Edwards’ goings on but it’s pretty strange. Down in Onslow County, after twenty-four years in the State House my old friend Robert Grady decided not to seek re-election and to run for Clerk of Court instead.
Now what you have to understand – to see the brilliance of what the Democrats are doing to win Robert’s House seat – is this: There are safe Republican seats and safe Republican seats – but Robert’s is about as safe as they come. He hasn’t had an opponent in years. This year no Democrat even bothered to file.
But a group of Onslow County Democrats came up with a unique solution to how to win a Republican seat: They’re running a candidate of their own in the Republican Primary.
And they found a Republican willing to oblige them in Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard.
Phil Shepard’s political activism goes back about a decade to when he served a stint on the Onslow County Republican Committee – then was removed from the committee for helping elect a Democratic State Representative, Russell Tucker, over a Republican candidate.
Now he’s back in politics, running himself, with the support of some of the biggest Easley/Perdue supporters in the state.
How big? Louis Sewell contributed $76,000 to Governor Perdue and other Democrats, raised $125,000 for Mike Easley, got himself appointed to the State Transportation Board, then had to resign after he paved $375,000 worth of roads past his own property.
Billy Sewell – who’s also supporting Shepard – has given $39,000 to Democrats and was subpoenaed to testify at the State Board of Elections hearings into Governor Easley’s campaign finances.
John Pierce gave Democrats $90,000, and John Warlick, Garland Tuton, Mike Tuton, Steve Wangerin, Randolph Thomas (Shepard’s Treasurer) and Tony Padgett (who has run five times for County Commissioner as a Democrat) who are all Perdue/Easley supporters – are all supporting Reverend Shepard.
By a quick count this group of Perdue/Easley supporters have given $250,000 to Democrats – and now they’re supporting Phil Shepard in a Republican Primary.
We’ve had a Governor getting his wife a job at NC State University, a Democrat Speaker of the House stacking the Lottery Commission, environmental permits swapped for campaign donations, sweetheart land deals with developers and free airplane flights and vacations for politicians but never, until now, have we seen Democrat moneybags bankrolling a candidate in a Republican Primary to win a safe Republican seat.
Phil ‘The Voice of Onslow County’ Shepard is a first – if he pulls this one off he’ll go down in history.