[Update No. 2, 4:10 pm: Just spoke to Gary Sims, deputy director at the Board of Elections. He confirms the gist of the story. The erstwhile candidate came in at 11:59, according to the sign-in sheet in the lobby, but he didn’t have a check and the elections staff cannot take cash over $50 (the fee is $100), nor are they set up to take credit cards. By the time the fellow got back with a check, it was after 12 noon, meaning that, by law, the filing period had ended. No one else was ahead of him to file, so he couldn’t argue that he was in line waiting when the filing period ended. Sims said he followed the law as he understands it and turned the fellow away, but Sims did tell him that he can seek to have Sims’ decision overturned when the Board of Elections meets on Tuesday. “I’m not the last word, the Board is,” Sims said.]
[Update, 3:30 pm: Just heard that someone tried to file to run in District E, learned that he now lives in the redrawn District D. This happens close to noon. He thinks about it, says OK, I’ll run in D, but then he’s not allowed to pay the filing fee with a credit card — checks only. By the time he gets back with a check, it’s slightly past noon and the filing period has ended. If he appeals, if he wins, if he runs, Crowder could have an opponent.]
[Crowd-sourcing, I love it: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/brad-johnson/b/2/890]
Crowd-sourcing is the newest thing in journalism, a variation of open-source methods of product development. In this instance of crowd-sourcing, we seek to gather information on candidates I’ve never or barely heard of who are running for office in Raleigh. I can call around, and eventually will see these folks at candidate forums, but that’s the slow way. Quicker — and the digital way — is to ask for your input:
Do you know these people? What can you tell us about them?
So with the filing period ended, the list of candidates running for City Council seats is below.
(N.B., the mayoral field didn’t change — still District A City Councilor Nancy McFarlane vs. brokerage CEO Billie Redmond vs. Dr. Randall Williams. As promised, I went to Williams’ ice-cream kickoff last night, so I can now say that I’ve met/know all three. More on them in next week’s printed Indy and maybe here if I get time.)
So let us know, either here or by email to rjgeary@mac.com, if you can shed any light on the candidates, especially the ones marked with a * — which means they’re new to me.
At-Large (vote for 2)
Russ Stephenson — incumbent, Democrat
Mary-Ann Baldwin — ditto
Paul Fitts* — met him briefly last night, Republican challenger
District A
Randy Stagner — unaffiliated voter; retired military & McFarlane’s choice to succeed her on Council
Gale Wilkins* — voter registration says: Republican
Brian Tinga* — he ran for a state House seat last year, lost the GOP primary
District B
John Odom — incumbent, Republican
Bradley Johnson* — {UPDATE — Johnson withdrew on 8/15] — voter registration says: Democrat; town planning background, works in Knightdale
District C
Eugene Weeks — incumbent, Democrat
Lent Carr — in prison for parole violation
Racquel Williams — vied with Weeks for appointment to this seat when James West vacated
Shelia Jones — ditto
Corey Branch* — crowd-sourcing reveals, bright young-ish Democrat & engineer
Paul Terrell — conservative, Republican, white; not the profile of past District C winners
District D
Thomas Crowder — incumbent, Democrat, unopposed
District E
Bonner Gaylord — incumbent, unaffiliated, unopposed
