Sunday Forum

Letters to the editor of the Editorial Page

SOME CHOICE CONTESTS

Write-in won't work

The writer of an Oct. 18 People's Forum letter questioned the intellectual capacity of those Durham County citizens who support a vote for candidate Lewis Cheek as district attorney. Perhaps she could put her superior intellectual abilities to the test and examine the statistics on write-in candidates. She'll find that write-ins have virtually no chance of succeeding. Her candidate [Steve Monks] can only be a spoiler in the effort to restore ethics to the office of district attorney and will forever damage himself and his party in the eyes of many voters.

The writer also says Monks is qualified. I would suggest Durham citizens look closely at his stated qualifications and compare them with the experience, knowledge and skills required of the office. I'd say his qualifications are lacking. The governor will have a long list of truly qualified candidates from which to choose [if Cheek, who says he will not serve, is elected].

Whitney Campbell

Bahama

The freedom party

Regarding the Oct. 19 article "Dr. King in GOP? Ad strikes a nerve":

The list of inspiring black Republicans is long, including Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune, Harriet Tubman, Jackie Robinson and Booker T. Washington. Abolitionists began the Republican Party in 1854. The 13th Amendment abolishing slavery was passed by the vote of 118 of 118 Republicans, but only 19 of 82 Democrats. While Democrats passed Black Codes and Jim Crow laws to deny blacks civil rights, Republicans developed laws that promote prosperity for all races, from the 1800s until today.

Steve Acuff, running for Congress in the 4th District, promotes our Republican values of faith, freedom, family, equality, entrepreneurship and educational choice. Mason Weaver of the National United Freedom Alliance, a black Republican author, supports Acuff's candidacy.

Democrats have been running our black communities for the past 40 years, and blacks are still complaining about the same problems. It's time for a change. As the title of Weaver's book says: "Its Okay to Leave the Plantation and vote Republican."

Nancy Winter

Durham

Landfill choices

Regarding your Oct. 23 article "'No-man' Jeffreys seeks 2nd term":

Wake County commissioner Phil Jeffreys seems to be proud that "he has been on the losing side of a 6-1 vote 55 times" and of his support for mandatory year-round schools. His campaign signs state "Your opinion still counts." They should read "Only my opinion counts."

I continue to be amazed how few people know that Jeffreys and fellow commissioner Joe Bryan voted to place a dump in the middle of our town.

Candidates for county commissioner who have pledged their support in trying to overturn the June 5 vote for the landfill are Lindy Brown, Don Mial and Rodger Koopman. Commission Chair Tony Gurley, who is running for re-election, and Kenn Gardner, who is not up this year, voted against the landfill.

Current events in our neighboring town of Apex stress the importance of environmental issues in densely populated areas. The citizens of Holly Springs don't want nor do they deserve another "dump" in the middle of one of the fastest growing and safest towns in North Carolina. This is a regional issue and not just a NIMBY issue.

Dick Sears

Mayor

Holly Springs

A record of service

Regarding your Oct. 19 article on the Superior Court election in District 10-B, in addition to the professional credentials that candidates bring to the race it is important to consider each candidate's history of commitment to service to the legal profession and the community. Aside from his outstanding legal credentials, Paul Ridgeway's record reflects two decades of public service.