Who’s running for Orange County commissioner, school board, judge, legislature
Editor’s note: This story will be updated throughout the election season as more information is available.
Orange County voters will elect District Court judges next year and fill county commissioner and school board seats, among others.
Orange County School Board members Stephen Halkiotis and Matthew Roberts are not running for re-election, which means at least two new members will join the board later this year. Orange County Commissioner Renee Price is not facing a primary challenger.
District Court Judge Jay Bryan also will not seek re-election, since he has reached the state’s mandatory retirement age of 72.
At least one candidate — Lori Bateman — has stepped down from the school board race but will stay on the ballot because she withdrew after the Dec. 17 deadline. Bateman declined in a Jan. 9 email to share her reason for dropping out of the race.
Another candidate, Erika Bales, is facing a challenge to her candidacy for District Court judge. Bales is registered as an unaffiliated voter but is running in the Democratic primary.
Orange County Board of Elections Director Rachel Raper said Bales is still qualified to run and win in that primary, but a candidate or a voter could file a protest and seek a hearing with the elections board.
Bales has said she will challenge any effort to stop her campaign.
North Carolina will hold its primary March 3 — a change from earlier years when primaries were held in May. The primary will decide who joins Orange County’s Board of Commissioners, since no Republicans are on the ballot, and also the new school board members.
Voters can register at the Board of Elections or another Early Voting location using same-day registration. A valid form of identification is required to register to vote. However, a photo identification is not required to vote in the primary.
Orange County’s early voting period is Feb. 13-29 at six sites:
▪ Board of Elections office, 208 S. Cameron St., Hillsborough
▪ Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St., Carrboro
▪ Chapel of the Cross, 304 E. Franklin St., Chapel Hill
▪ Efland Ruritan Club, 3009 Forrest Ave., Efland
▪ Seymour Senior Center, 2551 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill
▪ University Place, Suite D14, 201 S. Estes Drive, Chapel Hill
Early voting sites will be open from:
▪ 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Feb. 13-14
▪ 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 15
▪ Noon to 4 p.m., Feb. 16
▪ 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Feb. 17-21 and Feb. 24
▪ 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 29
The polls will be closed Feb. 22-23. Voters must be 18 or older, and a resident of the county in which they plan to vote.
Some polling locations also have changed; affected voters should have gotten a bright orange postcard in the mail from the Orange County Board of Elections.
Absentee voting by mail also is available. Orange County voters should request a ballot using the required Absentee Ballot Request form. Requests can be submitted in person at the Orange County Board of Elections, 208 S. Cameron St. in Hillsborough; by mail at P.O. Box 220, Hillsborough, NC 27278; by email at tyoung@orangecountync.gov; or fax at 919-644-3318.
A photo identification is not required to vote in the March primary.
Below are the candidates running for Orange County’s local, state and judicial offices.
* denotes incumbent
Orange County Board of Commissioners
County commissioners set the county budget and property tax rates, allocate money to schools, social services and public safety, and make policies affecting services, the local economy and more for years to come.
Four of seven seats are up for re-election. The race is partisan.
District 1
▪ Name: Mark Dorosin*
Age: 54
Address: Creekview Circle, Carrboro
Political experience: Commissioner since 2012; Carrboro Board of Aldermen, 1999-2003; former president, Chapel Hill-Carrboro ACLU; Chapel Hill-Carrboro Branch of the NAACP
Website: markdorosin.org
Career: Civil rights attorney; managing attorney, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, N.C. Regional Office; adjunct professor, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law; former co-director, Julius L. Chambers Center for Civil Rights
▪ Name: Jean Hamilton
Age: 60
Address: Foxwood Drive, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Member, The ArtsCenter Board of Directors; member, Women AdvaNCe Board of Directors; former member, Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board (2005-09, 2010-11); longtime Democratic Party volunteer; member, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: jeanhamilton.org
Career: Counselor in private practice; former economics professor, Occidental College; former public health researcher, UNC Chapel Hill; former hospice social worker and college student counselor
▪ Name: Penny Rich*
Age: 60
Address: Mulberry Street, Carrboro
Political experience: Commissioner since 2012; former Chapel Hill Town Council member; finance chair, Orange County Visitors Bureau; vice chair, Solid Waste Advisory Group; member, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization; Triangle Council of Governments; Chatham-Orange Workgroup; GoTriangle Special Tax Board; Orange County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council; Schools Joint Action Committee; Upper Neuse River Basin Association.
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: pennyfororange.com
Career: Personal chef, catering company owner
District 2
▪ Name: Renée Price*
Age: 66
Address: Riverside Drive, Hillsborough
Political experience: Commissioner since 2012; Orange County Commission for the Environment, Orange Unified Transportation Board, Orange County Historic Preservation Commission, Orange County Planning Board, and the Orange County Human Rights Commission
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: renee4oc.com
Career: Co-founder and project director of Free Spirit Freedom; Hillsborough Arts Council; professional experience in sustainable agriculture, forestry and development, city and regional planning, and environmental planning and design
At Large District
▪ Name: Amy Fowler
Age: 51
Address: Sweeten Creek Road, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member since 2017 (current vice chair); member, Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP education committee; chair, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Special Needs Advisory Council; chair, Orange-Chatham chapter of the Autism Society of North Carolina
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: amyfororange.com
Career: Pediatrician, Chapel Hill Children’s Clinic
▪ Name: Mark Marcoplos*
Age: 66
Address: Southern Trail, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Commissioner since 2016; member, Family Success Alliance Advisory Council, Durham Tech Board of Trustees, GoTriangle Board, Jordan Lake One Water, Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Municipal Planning Organization, Chatham-Orange Work Group, and Durham-Orange-Chapel Hill Work Group; co-chair, Orange County Transit Planning Committee; chair, Orange County Solid Waste Advisory Group and Orange County Climate Council; former member, Orange County Home Collaborative, Triangle Area Rural Planning Organization, Burlington-Graham Municipal Planning Organization, Orange County Housing Authority, Economic Development Commission, Orange Water and Sewer Authority Board of Directors (former chair) and Orange County Planning Board.
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: marcoplosforcommissioner.com
Career: Owner, Marcoplos Construction
Orange County Schools Board of Education
This is a nonpartisan race to fill three of seven seats on the Orange County Schools Board of Education.
Board members review and set district priorities, policies and budgets. They advocate with the county commissioners for school funding needs and also are responsible for hiring and/or firing the superintendent and approving contracts.
▪ Name: Carrie Doyle
Age: 47
Address: Canter Drive, Hillsborough
Political experience: Longtime ministry leader, Cole Mill Road Church of Christ; co-leader, Girl Scout Troop 1274; current PTA member, former treasurer, Pathways Elementary School
Website: carriedoyleforocs.org
Career: Homemaker; former chemist and teacher
▪ Name: Bonnie Hauser
Age: 66
Address: Sugar Ridge Road, Hillsborough
Political experience: Orange County commissioners candidate, 2014 and 2016; former president, Orange County Voice; board member, United Voices of Efland (serving as vice president and treasurer), Schley Grange (legislative and program chair), Carter Community Charter School, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, Northern Orange NAACP (communications chair), and Orange County Rural Alliance
Website: BonnieHauser.com
Career: Retired management consultant and partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers
▪ Name: Jennie McCray
Age: 50
Address: Bonaparte Drive, Hillsborough
Political experience: Member, Hillsborough Elementary School PTA, Hillsborough Elementary School playground committee, Orange County Schools AIG Advisory Committee
Website: mccrayforschools.com
Career: Co-owner, The Accidental Baker
▪ Name: Tony McKnight*
Age: 53
Address: Split Rail Lane, Hillsborough
Political experience: School board member since 2008 (current vice chair)
Career: Apprenticeship consultant, N.C. Department of Labor; U.S. Army veteran
▪ Name: Jennifer Moore
Age: 43
Address: William Hooper Circle, Hillsborough
Political experience: Former vice president, Orange County Association of Educators
Website: jdmtrm3.wixsite.com/mysite
Career: Academic assistant and faculty support, Duke University Fuqua School of Business; former exceptional children’s instructional assistant in Wayne, Durham and Orange counties
▪ Name: LaTarndra Strong
Age: 52
Address: Mandy Lane, Hillsborough
Political experience: Founder, Hate-Free Schools Coalition; member, Orange County Schools Equity Task Force; first vice president, Northern Orange NAACP; president, Organizing Against Racism; director, Efland-Cheeks 2018 summer program; former vice president, Ephesus Elementary School PTA; principal, Mayor Leadership Club
Website: Strong4OCS.com
Career: Accounting technician, UNC School of Pharmacology; former credit manager, Bell & Howell; former Human Resource assistant and business manager, UNC
District Court 15B
Four judges’ seats are on the ballot in 2020, including District Court Judge Jay Bryan, who will reach the state’s mandatory retirement age of 72.
The state legislature also voted in 2018 to make all the judicial races partisan, meaning each candidate’s party affiliation will appear beside his or her name on the ballot.
District Court judges must be licensed to practice law in North Carolina and be a resident of the district in which they will serve.
Seat 2
▪ Name: Samantha Cabe*
Age: 44
Address: Cynthia Drive, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Orange County District Court judge since 2016; Chair, Orange County Board of Adjustment; former treasurer and president, 15B District Bar; former president, Orange County Bar Association; former member, Orange County Planning Board; founding member, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Paws
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: facebook.com/samantha4judge
Career: Attorney; former accountant
Seat 3
▪ Name: Erika Bales
Age: 39
Address: Old Noble Road, Cedar Grove
Political experience: Secretary and member, Pathways to Change; chair, Lawyer Referral Service for the N.C. Bar Association; member, N.C. Board of Law Examiners Bar Candidate Committee
Party affiliation: Unaffiliated
Website: bales4judge.com
Career: Attorney in private practice
▪ Name: Noah Oswald
Age: 35
Address: Collington Drive, Mebane
Political experience: Orange County Board of Commissioners candidate in 2018; member, Orange County Affordable Housing Advisory Board; member, Orange County Courts Committee; member, Orange County Judicial Equity Committee; winner of Lawyer’s Weekly 2019 Diversity and Inclusion Award
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: oswaldforjudge.com
Career: Attorney in private practice
▪ Name: Hathaway Pendergrass
Age: 36
Address: Papyrus Place, Hillsborough
Political experience: Chair, Orange and Chatham Justice Initiatives affiliate board of directors; member, Orange County Planning Board and the ArtsCenter; teen court judge with Volunteers for Youth; former president, Orange County Rape Crisis Center board of directors and the 15B Judicial District Bar; former board member, Orange County Bar and the Carrboro Planning Board
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: hathawaypendergrass.com
Career: Attorney, Epting and Hackney Law Firm
▪ Name: Lamar Proctor
Age: 48
Address: Timberwood Trail, Efland
Political experience: Member, child abuse section, Governor’s Crime Control Commission; former member, N.C. Conference of District Attorneys Best Practices; president, Orange County Bar Association.
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: proctorforjudge.com
Career: Assistant capital defender; former Orange-Chatham senior assistant district attorney; former Brooklyn, N.Y., prosecutor
Seat 4
▪ Name: Sherri Murrell*
Address: Hillsboro Street, Pittsboro
Political experience: District Court judge since 2016; former president, 15B Judicial District Bar Association
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: facebook.com/sherriforjudge
Career: Attorney; former assistant public defender
Seat 5
▪ Name: Beverly Scarlett*
Address: Terry Road, Hillsborough
Political experience: Orange County District Court judge since 2007
Party affiliation: Democrat
Career: Judge, former Orange County assistant district attorney
Senate District 23
One partisan seat is available representing Orange and Chatham counties.
▪ Name: Valerie Foushee*
Age: 63
Address: Rubrum Drive, Hillsborough
Political experience: N.C. senator since 2013; former N.C. House representative, 2012-13; former member and chair, Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board; former member, All State School Board; former member and chair, Orange County Board of Commissioners
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: valeriefoushee.com
Career: Retired Chapel Hill Police Department administrator
▪ Name: Tom Glendinning
Age: 75
Address: Eddie Perry Road, Pittsboro
Political experience: Senate District 23 candidate in 2018; active in multiple state campaigns over last several decades; member, Chatham County Planning Board, Board of Equalization and Review and Board of Adjustment; veteran, U.S. Marine Corps
Party affiliation: Republican
Website: tinyurl.com/wd9ppth
Career: Former hospital administrator; owner, Green Glen landscaping company
N.C. House District 50
One partisan seat is available representing Caswell County and part of Orange County.
▪ Name: Graig Meyer*
Age: 45
Address: Leslie Drive, Chapel Hill
Political experience: N.C. House of Representatives since 2013; co-chair, House Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee; co-chair, Early Childhood Caucus and Life Sciences Caucus; former co-chair, House Democratic Freshman Caucus; member, N.C. House committees on Education (K-12), Finance, Alcoholic Beverage Control, Regulatory Reform, and Homeland Security, Military & Veteran Affairs.
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: graigmeyer.com
Career: Former coordinator, Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program; former director of student equity, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools; co-founder, The Equity Collaborative LLC
N.C. House District 56
One partisan seat is available representing southern Orange County.
▪ Name: Verla Insko
Age: 83
Address: Surry Road, Chapel Hill
Political experience: N.C. House of Representatives since 1996; chair, N.C. House Joint Oversight Committee on Mental Health; chair, N.C. House Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee; former member, Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board; former member, Orange County Board of Commissioners; former chair, Orange County Democratic Party
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: verlainsko.com
Career: Former teacher; former program administrator, UNC Sickle Cell Program
▪ Name: Joe Parrish
Address: Fordham Boulevard, Chapel Hill
Party affiliation: Democrat
U.S. House District 4
One partisan seat is available representing all of Orange, Durham, Granville and Franklin counties, along with parts of Chatham, Vance and northern Wake counties.
Democratic Party
▪ Name: Daniel Lockwood
Address: Talking Rock Drive, Cary
Party affiliation: Democrat
▪ Name: David Price*
Age: 79
Address: North Lakeshore Drive, Chapel Hill
Political experience: Elected to Congress in 1986; chair, U.S. House Transportation and Housing Appropriations Subcommittee
Party affiliation: Democrat
Website: priceforcongress.com
Career: Congressman; former Duke University professor
Republican Party
▪ Name: Steve (Von) Loor
Age: 41
Address: Hamilton Club Drive, Raleigh
Political experience: 2018 candidate for U.S. House District 4; Republican National Hispanic Assembly of the United States, Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina, Latino Republican National Federation, Republican National Hispanic Assembly of the United States of America, Republican National Committee-Hispanics Initiatives, Republican National Hispanic Assembly of North Carolina, Governor’s Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs; former lawyer referral specialist, N.C. Bar Association
Party affiliation: Republican
Website: steveavonloor.org
Career: Founder and CEO, Von Loor Language Solutions; sales and marketing manager, Von Loor & Sloof International Renewable Energy
▪ Name: Debesh “Dave” Sarkar
Age: 74
Address: Patuxent Drive, Raleigh
Political experience: Volunteer math and science tutor, Neighbor to Neighbor; member, Glens of Riverside Homeowners Association; former judge, State Board of Elections
Party affiliation: Republican
Website: debeshsarkar2020.com
Career: Senior structural engineer, N.C. Department of Transportation
▪ Name: Nasir Shaikh
Address: Beauvoir Street, Raleigh
Party affiliation: Republican
▪ Name: Robert Thomas
Address: Shady Spring Place, Durham
Party affiliation: Republican
This story was originally published December 3, 2019 at 5:00 PM.
