Duke lacrosse: Durham DA election update –7-9-06

Readers’ Note: I live in Durham and support Lewis Cheek for Durham DA.

What you find here above the star line is straight reporting. What’s below the star line is opinion commentary.

John
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In an interview Friday, July 7, at 5 p.m. Durham County Board of Elections Director Mike Ashe said “sometime Monday afternoon [July 10], I expect to call the [DA] candidates and the media to let them know Lewis Cheek’s name will be on the ballot in November."

Ashe said that as of Friday afternoon the election board had reviewed "close to 5,500 signatures" and had validated “about 94% of them.” “That’s an unusually high validation rate," he added. "The few hundred signatures we couldn’t validate had the wrong address or the people weren’t registered.”

Ashe also confirmed that Cheek’s supporters had turned in “about 9,800” signatures as was first reported when the petition collection period ended at noon Friday, June 30. The heraldsun.com’s July 6 report that Cheek’s supporters had turned in “some 7,000 signatures” was an error.

Cheek needs 6,303 signitures to qualify for the ballot. Ashe said the election board would validate a "few hundred more" than the required number and then stop counting.

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Opinion commentary:

Ashe is a very competent and direct person. You can "take to the bank" what he said.

In my last DA election post, I said Lewis Cheek is a fine candidate in his own right, but that certainly many people who signed his petitions did so because of Mike Nifong.

Nifong’s unconscionable behavior in the Duke lacrosse case has outraged many, including some who were his former supporters (more about them in a future post). People are asking: “If that’s what he does when the public eye is on him, what must he be like when people aren’t paying attention?” He’s got people stirred up and with good cause.

Nifong, the energizer.

How about that 94% signature validation rate? Does it tell us anything?

Yes, at least two important things: 1) The people who organized Cheek’s petition drive knew what needed to be done and did it very well under a tough deadline; and 2) Cheek's petition drive organizers provide him with a solid core of experienced and able people to help lead the many volunteers like myself who'll be "helping out" in the Fall campaign.

A candidate's petition drive is something like a team’s preseason exhibition games: you get an idea of what kind of team you’ll have when the season starts.

Cheek’s "team" had a very good "preseason."

I’ll try to post on the election again Monday night.

Addendum: Many of you now visiting JinC are Duke people scattered across the country and world. With you in mind, I want to pass on some sad news those of us here in Durham have just heard.

Mr. John McDonald, the 9th Street pharmacist, “milk shake maker,” and outstanding community citizen whose kindness generations of you will remember, passed away Friday at age eighty-five after years of declining health.

The Durham Herald Sun reported his death in a news story Saturday. Mr. McDonald’s obituary from the H-S is here.

I'll remember him as a skilled pharmacist and a kind, generous and wise man. RIP
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Post URLs:

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-750599.html

http://www.heraldsun.com//durham/4-750835.html

http://www.heraldsun.com/obituaries/#29946