Hales, Crawford take wins in Chatham commissioners races as Democrats maintain majority

Democrats maintained their majority on the Chatham County Board of Commissioners as election results were counted Tuesday night.

Diana Hales and Jim Crawford easily won re-election by about 10 point each. Democrats will continue holding four of the five seats on the board.

Hales said a majority of voters want the Democrat-controlled board to continue the policies they started four years ago.

“We’re going to continue pushing forward on the policies of fully-funding education, pursing affordable housing, pursuing clean businesses and economic develop opportunities,” Hales said. “We had a message. The Democratic Party had a very good ground game. We really pulled together.”

Early voting provided them with a sizable 20-point cushion, and they held on to win by about 10 points each. Early voting in Chatham County was high, with about 45 percent of registered voters casting ballots before Election Day. Chatham County led the state in early voting percentage.

Hales, who is chairwoman, defeated Brian Bock 55 percent to 45 percent in District 3 . Hales finished with 19,543 votes, while Bock got 15,956 after all 18 precincts reported. Their race was a rematch of the 2014 race, when Hales, 71, unseated Bock. He had served from 2011-14 and was the chairman then.

In District 4, Crawford beat first-time candidate Neill Lindley, a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Snow Camp, 56 percent to 44 percent. Crawford got 19,744 votes, while Lindley pulled in 15,790.

“We showed by doing what good government looks like,” Crawford said. “It’s not rocket science. I’m definitely going forward with what we started with the Chatham Promise. I’ve been at this for four years, and we handled things when they came up. Even with the controversial issues, choosing the right course was the right thing to do.”

Crawford, 52, won his second term after previously serving on the county’s planning board and the recreational advisory committee. He owns Chatham Cider Works in Pittsboro and is a former assistant history professor at N.C. A&T State University.

Bock and Lindley tried to make an issue of countywide zoning during the race. They said the Democratic majority overstepped when it adopted the development restrictions on properties outside of the jurisdictions of Pittsboro, Siler City and Goldston.

Walter Petty, the lone Republican on the board, faced no opposition and was re-elected.

Commissioners live in the districts they represent but are elected by county-wide vote.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 8:14 PM.