With 30 of 63, or 47.6 percent, of Durham's precincts counted, local Democratic incumbents were far ahead of their challengers while the city's street bond issue held a  57 percent to 43 percent favorable edge.

State Sen. Floyd B. McKissick led Republican John Tarantino 73.4 to 26.6 percent, State Rep. Mickey Michaux led Patricai Ladd 79-21 and Rep. Paul Luebke led Jason Chambers 65-35.

Four-term Sheriff Worth Hill had a commanding 80-20 lead over Republican Roy Taylor, making his first try at electoral politics.

The InterNeighborhood Council has gone on record favoring the city's proposed $20 million bond issue for resurfacing Durham's worst streets. Voters will decide the issue in Tuesday's election.

"People are very well aware it's an ongoing problem and they [City Hall] need the money," said Parkwood representative Michael Brooks.

Delegates passed this resolution at the INC's monthly meeting this week:

WHEREAS the streets in the city of Durham are in need of repair and maintenance on city streets has been neglected and deferred for too long; and
WHEREAS the poor condition of the streets impede the city’s renaissance and impact negatively on the community’s image; and
WHEREAS current economic conditions and the general financial health of the city favor incurring modest debt to pay for long needed repairs;
WHEREAS the city government has expressed its resolution to address future street repair needs on a reasonable schedule from annual revenues;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the InterNeighborhood Council of Durham through its delegates duly assembled that the citizens of Durham should support the proposed street repair bonds by voting “yes” in the referendum on the November 2, 2010 ballot.

INC approved two other resolutions this week: one favoring a statewide moratorium on digital billboards, as proposed in a bill presented in the state legislature (HB 2011); the other favoring training and licensing requirements for hired managers of homeowners' associations as proposed in HB 762, introduced in the 2009 legislative session.

The N.C. Sheriff Police Alliance has endorsed Democratic incumbent Durham County Sheriff Worth Hill over Republican challenger Roy Taylor in this fall's election, along with a slate of other candidates in Durham County races.

Most incumbents up for reelection got the Alliance’s nods, though Republican challenger Jason Chambers was favored over incumbent Democrat Paul Luebke for state House District 30.

For Superior Court judges, the Alliance favors incumbent Jim Hartin and Elaine Bushfan, who is leaving her District Court seat to run for Superior Court. For District Court, endorsement went to Brian Aus.
 

Electing a sheriff for Durham County could end up in the county commissioners' hands.

Former sheriff Roland Leary has challenged Republican Roy Taylor's candidacy, claiming Taylor has not lived in Durham County long enough to qualify for election.

Taylor is running against incumbent Democrat Worth Hill in the Nov. 2 election, but the Board of Elections' hearing on the challenge won't be held until Nov. 11. That leaves open several scenarios, according to Elections Director Mike Ashe:

• If Hill wins the election, the hearing is cancelled and it's a moot point;
• If Taylor wins the election, the hearing is held and, if the elections board decides he is properly qualified, Taylor would be certified and become sheriff;
• If Taylor wins but the elections board decides he is not qualified, the office of sheriff becomes vacant and it would be up to the county commissioners to appoint or elect a sheriff. Their first scheduled meeting after the hearing date is Nov. 22.

Ironically, the last time Durham County commissioners had to pick a sheriff was when Leary retired mid-term in 1992 after 10 years in office. They chose Al Hight, a former Durham policeman and county commissioner, who served until Hill was elected in 1994.

Leary, a Democrat, has contributed $500 to Hill's re-election campaign, according to reports filed with the Board of Elections.

Leary and Taylor will be subpoenaed for the hearing, Ashe said; the board of elections meets several times before the election, and may subpoena other people and/or documents.

Taylor moved to Durham in 2000, but for several months in 2009 he resided in Wake County. State law requires a candidate for sheriff to have lived in the county where he or she is running for at least 12 months before the election.

That is the basis of Leary's challenge. Taylor, though, maintains that he is eligible because the state constitution requires only a 30-day residence for voting and provides that any qualified voter may run for office.

Last week, Taylor withdrew from the race due to the 12-month residency law, but changed his mind after consulting with attorneys. After deciding to remain in the race, he said he expected a legal challenge but was confident his eligibility would be affirmed.

The public is invited to a dry run in instant-runoff voting, 7 to 8 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Durham Public Library. It's sort of an experiment, and sort of a familiarization exercise before the real thing starts two days later.

"It's new, it's a change, there's going to be some confusion," said Elections Director Mike Ashe.

Early voting in this fall's elections opens Oct. 14. Voting in most of the contests is going the conventional way, but in the race for one seat on the state Court of Appeals voters mark three names -- first, second and third choice.

Then election authorities have to figure out who won.

Republican candidate Roy Taylor appears ineligible to run for Durham County sheriff’s race, but as of Thursday evening he had not officially quit the race.

“Right now I’m running it past several legal minds,” he said. “That’s what I’m waiting on.”

On Tuesday, Taylor (right) said he would withdraw after learning that state law (G.S. 162-2) requires sheriff candidates to have lived in the county where they are running for at least 12 months before the election.

Taylor remains in the race, though, while attorneys assess whether the state’s voter-eligibility law (G.S. 163-57) -- which says one does not lose resident status by moving out of a county temporarily with the intention of returning -- affords him a loophole.

Taylor said he returned to Durham last December after living for a few months in Wake County, and the residency rule was not explained to him when he filed to run for sheriff Feb. 8.

"He and I remember that event differently," said Durham County Elections Director Mike Ashe. "I remember clearly asking him the question."

The deadline for withdrawing is 5 p.m. Monday, according to Ashe. If Taylor withdraws, the county Republican executive committee may appoint another candidate in his place.

Taylor, who owns a private security company, is running against four-term Democratic incumbent Worth Hill in the Nov. 2 general election. His withdrawal would leave Hill unopposed.

A sheriff's deputy discovered the gap in Taylor's residence in reviewing Taylor's application to renew his concealed-handgun permit, and Taylor said he asked Ashe about residency requirements after hearing rumors last weekend that he might be ineligible.

Ashe said he received an anonymous telephone call asking about residency requirements for sheriff last week, but only learned of  Taylor's problem when they talked on Tuesday.

Whatever Taylor's and the party's decisions are, Taylor's name will still appear on the ballots this fall. Ashe said the county doesn't intend to have them reprinted.

If the Republicans appoint a different candidate, any votes for Taylor will count for that candidate; if Taylor does not withdraw and remains ineligible, votes for him will not be counted, according to Ashe.
 

It's too early to tell whether it bodes anything for today's primary election, but 2,394 citizens voted early, according to the Durham County Board of Elections.

Compare that with the 894 who voted early in the October 2009 municipal primary, which set a latter-day record for low turnout with a measly 4.36 percent. Or the 1,006 who voted early in the November general election, which saw total turnout rise to 8.1 percent.

It was an improvement to start, if you're a get-out-the-vote booster, but indications are that total turnout today will be light still. As of 2:15, 91 voters had been to the polls at Club Boulevard Elementary School, out of 1,624 registered; Edison Johnson -- whose voters are voting at Brogden Middle School due to renovation at their customary polling place -- counted 120 out of 3,002.

At least, the Board of Elections reports everything is running as it should be so far.

Technology has trashed another Durham tradition. No longer will the county commissioners' chambers in the Old Courthouse be open for the public to watch election returns come in.

According to a county press release, "Tomorrow evening, as election results are coming in, the doors to the chambers will be closed."

Coming together downtown to watch local elections has been a Durham custom for years but, since results are posted on the Board of Elections Web site as soon as they come in, fewer and fewer citizens have been partaking of the communal rite.

"This has caused participation at the chambers to be reduced to single-digit attendance," said Elections Director Mike Ashe. Keeping the room open also came with a cost in terms of personnel time, which the county now saves.

To experience the election in 21st-century style, see www.co.durham.nc.us/departments/elec.

Durham attorney Chris Shella, who is running to become a Superior Court judge, is starting a "door-knocking campaign" next weekend.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, according to a campaign release, he's going to head off from the Walltown Community Center on Club Boulevard and work his way through the neighborhood to the Duke East Campus meeting voters as he goes. Plans are to keep knocking on doors until the November 2 general election.

Two retired Durham judges have endorsed Shella: Craig Brown and Karen Bethea-Shields. "He knows how to manage a Superior Courtroom," Bethea-Shields said.

Durham Public Schools Board candidate John Tarantino (right) says he isn't seeking the Durham People's Alliance endorsement in his run against District 1 incumbent Omega Curtis Parker and fellow challenger Donald Hughes.

In a prepared statement Friday, Tarantino said:

"After being contacted by Kate Fellman of the People's Alliance on March 2 with a questionnaire attached, and then a followup call today, John Tarantino, candidate for School Board, had a very cordial conversation and indicated he would not be seeking the endorsement of the Alliance in this race. He went on to say that, given the election of the four incumbents in the fall City Council election, he would be stunned to see the Alliance endorse anyone other than the incumbents in this race."

Speaking to Bull's Eye, Tarantino reiterated that his talk with Fellman had "a very cordial tone" and said, "I want people to know I'm not seeking PAC endorsements but votes."

Tarantino ran unsuccessfully last year for the City Council Ward 1 seat won by incumbent Cora Cole-McFadden. Hughes was also a candidate in that election.