District 15B

Come back with me to the summer of 2009. Filing just ended for the Chapel Hill Town Council and Mayoral races when powerhouse Council Member Bill Strom suddenly announced he was resigning and moving to New York. Strom was called "Machiavellian" and much worse.

First it was just the typical Strom haters that accused him of attempting to manipulate the process by waiting until just after the filing period, so that his replacement could be chosen by his friends on the Town Council. Strom himself claimed the timing was purely accidental. However, in the following weeks information trickled out showing that Strom’s actions were every bit as intentional as they looked to the skeptics.

The News of Orange reminds us today that is also a judicial race on the ballot this year as well as the County Commissioners, County School Board, State House Reps & Senators, and Congressional seat. Candidate filing for all of the above starts Monday, and there are already three judicial challengers announced. (I didn't know that!)

Props to candidates Glenn Gerding and Page Vernon, they've already got web sites up.

Four district court judge seats will also be put to a vote this fall, with M. Patricia DeVine retiring and Beverly Scarlett running for her first elected term since being appointed to the seat in 2007. Judges Lonnie Coleman and Charles Anderson are also up for re-election.

Because judgeships are non-partisan positions, the primary vote will only be held if more than two candidates seek one seat. Judgeship candidates must declare the seat for which they intend to run.