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April 28. 2003 12:00AM The Dispatch
Potts elected district GOP chairman
By WILLIAM KEESLER
The Dispatch
Former Davidson County commissioners chairman Larry Potts won
election Saturday as Republican chairman for the 12th Congressional
District.
At the district GOP convention at the Davidson County Courthouse, about 30
delegates from a total of five counties elected Potts by acclamation to
replace David Faust of Midway.
Faust, whose voting precinct was shifted from the 12th District to the 6th
after the 2000 census, did not seek re-election.
"I consider the main function of my position to be to elect a Republican to
the congressional seat," Potts said in an interview. "Anything less will be
unsatisfactory."
Mel Watt, a Democrat from Charlotte, has held the 12th District seat for
more than 10 years.
Ada Fisher, a retired Rowan County physician who is considering running
against Watt, attended the convention Saturday and addressed the delegates.
In the bold speaking style for which she became known as a candidate during
the 2002 Republican U.S. Senate primary, Fisher called for "new ways of
thinking" to create new jobs in the district. "Instead of giving everybody a
piece of the pie, let´s make more pies ... ," she said. "We´ve got plenty of
flour. We´ve got plenty of sugar."
She also advocated establishing English as the national language, amending
the Constitution to make 18 the official year of adulthood and changing
environmental policies to encourage sustainability. She further argued for
improving education, cutting not only taxes but also spending, and always
keeping the Constitution and its protections of civil liberties in the
forefront.
She concluded the speech by saying she was not ready to announce "that I´m
running. But if you don´t get my drift, you´re not too bright."
Last August, Republicans elected Faust, then Davidson County GOP chairman,
as district chairman to fill a vacancy. Faust said he did not realize that
the state General Assembly had shifted him into the 6th District during
redistricting.
While the N.C. Republican Party Plan of Organization is not clear on the
issue, some area Republicans contended that Faust was no longer eligible to
hold the 12th District chairmanship because of his residency. One of those
was Leon Rickard, former county vice chairman under Faust, who tried to
recruit someone to replace Faust as district chairman.
Rickard´s efforts did not sit well with Faust, who spent time immediately
before and after Saturday´s convention expressing concern to Rickard´s son,
David Rickard, the newly elected county GOP chairman. Potts, who was
recruited by Leon Rickard, agreed to run for the district chairmanship but
only if Faust no longer wanted the post.
No opposition surfaced. Warren Cooksey, Mecklenburg County GOP vice
chairman, said he was prepared to run if no other candidate sought the
chairmanship but was happy to stop his name from being placed in nomination
after Potts was nominated. The party has plenty of other positions to fill,
he said.
On Potts´ recommendation, the delegates chose Doris Nunn of Mecklenburg
County as vice chairwoman and immediate past Vice Chairwoman Nancy J.R.
Wells of Guilford County as secretary and re-elected Randy Ardis of
Mecklenburg as treasurer.
The delegates also elected 10 members to the party´s State Executive
Committee. The Davidson Countians will be Zane Hedgecock of Abbotts Creek,
who helped lead U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole´s campaign in the county last fall,
and Ron Coleman of Linwood, a former state House and state Senate candidate.
Potts, who left the county board of commissioners last December after nine
years, seven as chairman, acknowledged he is considering running next year
for state senator, commissioner or a third local office he would not
identify, but said that would not necessarily mean giving up the district
chairmanship.
"I plan to become active" as district chairman, he said. He wants
fund-raisers to increase the $518.70 balance the district organization had
in the bank as of March 31. He also wants the 12th District to help elect
Republicans next year to the U.S. Senate seat now held by Democrat John
Edwards and to the governorship now held by Democrat Mike Easley.
The conservative Potts warned, however: "We´re here to elect Republicans,
but if I´m going to work for them, they´re going to have to be true
Republicans who believe in the core values of the party. If they´re
liberals, they might as well re-register as Democrats."
While stressing he will have to remain neutral if more than one Republican
files for the congressional seat, he said he could be comfortable with
Fisher as a candidate. In her convention speech, "I thought she made some
good, down-home, common-sense remarks," he said, "and we need somebody in
Congress with some common sense."
Fisher, who is black, said in her speech: "Let me tell you a secret about
black folks. Black folks can out-conservative white folks."
Later Saturday at Carthage, delegates to the 6th Congressional District
convention re-elected Elizabeth Kelly of Moore County as district chairwoman
and Connie Leonard, former Davidson County aide to Congressman Howard Coble,
as district secretary.
Faust tried unsuccessfully to persuade Davidson County delegates to elect
him to the district executive committee. Instead, the Davidson delegation
chose former county GOP Chairwoman Betty Rickard, wife of Leon Rickard and
mother of David Rickard, of east Davidson, Sim DeLapp of Holly Grove and
Mike Elberson of Liberty.
David Rickard was elected to the executive committee of the Republican State
Chairman´s Association.
William Keesler can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 221, or at
bill.keesler@the-dispatch.com.
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