Durham County Republicans have repeated their call for Democrat Fred Foster (below) to withdraw from his candidacy for the Board of Commissioners, after finding new documentation about Foster's departure from a county job in 1990.

The GOP claimed a decision by the state Personnel Commission, upholding the conclusion that Durham County had just cause to fire Foster, contradicted comments Foster made in response to the Republicans' original statements.

“The facts show,” the Republicans' statement said, “that Mr. Foster, through his bad actions and serial deceptions, lacks the character and integrity to be considered for any public office.”

Foster won a Democratic nomination for the county board in the May primary, and is under consideration to take over the seat of resigned Commissioner Joe Bowser. The remaining commissioners are expected to elect Bowser’s replacement at their Monday meeting.

Foster resigned an administrative position after receiving a letter of dismissal due to his working a second job on county time and sending personal mail at county expense. Last week, he said he still contests the commission's findings, and that he knew of no further state report on the matter

On Thursday, the Durham GOP issued its second statement, along with a statement by the Personnel Commission that it had adopted the earlier findings and concurred that Durham County had proper cause for dismissing Foster.

The Durham County Republican Party is in favor of the proposed "marriage amendment" to the North Carolina constitution, which goes to voters in the May 8 primary election.

In a resolution sent today to the Durham County Board of Commissioners and the Durham City Council, the party announced its support for Amendment 1, which specifics that "marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be recognized or valid in this State."

Among their reasons for supporting the amendment, the resolution states that it:

• "Does not diminish the existing rights and liberties of North Carolinians";
• "Does not limit the rights of private citizens to contract";
• "Protects us from fundamental change in our law by the judiciary or the legislature without a vote of the people";
• "Can be changed by the citizens of North Carolina in the future."

The resolution also states "the traditional institution of marriage is a bulwark for liberty and the common good"; and makes several references to a Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling interpreting that state's constitution to permit same-sex marriage and the Massachusetts legislature's refusal to put the question to a popular vote.

Durham Republicans approved the resolution at its March party convention.

Durham County Republicans have officially joined the opposition to a downtown "Business Improvement District" and a property tax to support it.

At its annual convention in March, the party passed a resolution against the proposal to add 7 cents per $100 assessed valuation to pay for downtown promotions and a team of "ambassadors" to greet visitors and perform custodial chores.

Particular points of GOP opposition include:

• The BID tax would amount to a combined 4.39 percent increase in the city and county tax rates;
• Both city and county are considering tax increases for other uses;
• Many of the BID-financed activities "raise issues as to appropriateness, fairness and civil liberties and should not be financed by taxation";
• The special tax district might favor some businesses over others.

Downtown Durham Inc. is promoting the BID.

The City Council approved a BID in principle last May, but put off imposing the tax and actually creating the district for a year. The BID is expected to come to the council again as part of the budgeting process for 2012-13.
 

Durham County Republicans were on the losing side in the Nov. 8 transit-tax referendum, but GOP precinct chairman Dick Ford sees silver linings in the cloud.

Writing in the county party's newsletter this week, Ford points out that the transit tax's margin of victory, 60-40, was smaller than the favorable margin it showed in a March poll. In rounded numbers, the poll found 60 percent favoring the tax and 34 percent opposed (7 percent had no opinion).

By Ford's reckoning, the election returns demonstrate a margin of 20 percentage points, down from the 26-point margin in March. "With a guerilla campaign that did not get started until October, we increased our vote by 20 percent," he writes.

Ford also points out that while Democratic presidential candidates have averaged taking 70+ percent of the Durham County vote in the past two elections, the transit tax, at 60 percent, "lost over 10 percent of their natural base."

The Durham County Republican Party has come out against referemdums for a half-cent sales tax for mass transit and quarter-cent sales tax for education on the Nov. 8 ballot.

"The stated goal of the (half-cent) tax is to fund the creation of a light rail system for Durham County and a week-day, rush hour only, commuter train from Durham thru RTP to Raleigh, and to increase bus service in Durham County from the current 177,000 hours per year to 254,000 hours per year," the party said in a release.

“For the first three years, the tax would fund expanded bus services,” it said. “We see no reason why we need expanded bus services when the current bus lines have tremendous unused capacity. The proposed tax would be a 25 percent increase in the Durham County tax rate.”

Both the Orange and Wake county commissioners voted earlier this year against putting the sales tax referendum on the 2011 ballot to fund their portions of the plan. The Durham County commissioners said they won’t begin collecting the tax until Wake and Orange counties hold public votes on the same issue, likely in 2012.