Apex, the black sheep

Apex Mayor Keith Weatherly was greeted by a bunch of baaaas at Thursday's meeting of the Centennial Authority, the board that oversees operations at the RBC Center.

Recent national media coverage about the man found sharing his Apex home with 77 sheep spurred Weatherly's fellow board members to present him with a small stuffed ewe. The town of Apex has been roundly criticized for not doing more about the sheepman despite years of complaints from his neighbors.

"One little mistake and we'll never live it down," lamented the mayor, somewhat sheepishly. "The men's group at the Apex Baptist Church just had a mutton dinner, so I think we've got the problem pretty well digested."

The issue may turn out to be no laughing matter for Weatherly, who will face re-election in the fall amid questions about sheep and last year's major fire chemical fire. But Weatherly appeared to take the ribbing in stride, turning to pork-products tycoon and Wolfpack booster Wendell Murphy and remarking:

"Could have been worse. Could have been hogs."

SPEAKING OF SHEEP: Holly Springs leaders are still sore at Weatherly for publicly joking that the incident was something he would expect in their town.

"I believe the smoke from the toxic fire got to the mayor of Apex's brain when he said a few things," Holly Springs Councilman Chet VanFossen said Tuesday.

"That's what I had written down on one of my comments to The N&O," replied Mayor Dick Sears. "I crossed it off because somebody told me I shouldn't say that. But anyway, I wish I had."

POLITICAL TRAIL

* WAKE DEMOCRATIC MEN'S CLUB

The Wake Democratic Men's Club will meet Monday at 6 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel, 320 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh.

The guest speaker will be Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb, who recently received the Congressional Gold Medal for his tenure as a Tuskegee Airman during World War II. Webb will talk about the issues facing Wake County, as well as his military experience.

Dinner will cost $16. Send RSVPs to wakedemmen @wakedems.org or 363-3664 no later than noon Monday.

* WAKE YOUNG REPUBLICANS

The April meeting of the Wake Young Republicans will feature the FairTax State director for North Carolina, Micah Martello.

The meeting will be held Monday at Moonlight Pizza, 615 W. Morgan St., Raleigh.

Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Pizza buffet and drinks will cost $8.

The FairTax Plan is a nonpartisan national campaign to replace the federal income tax system with a national retail sales tax.

For more information on Fair Tax, visit www.fairtax.org.

For more information about Wake Young Republicans, visit www.wakeyr.com.

* RALEIGH CITY COUNCIL: Raleigh City Councilman Russ Stephenson will start his re-election campaign Thursday with a fundraiser. The event's hosts, Sandy Babb and Barrett Kays, will hold a reception at their home at 5615 Lambshire Circle in Raleigh from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Sponsorships are $1,000, $500 and $250; tickets are $50 per person.

Visit www.RussforRaleigh.com or call 828-3699 for more information.