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News Archive 2005-2007
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Watauga County Democrats Resolve to Increase Political Power

April 19 , 2007
Ron Fitzwater, High Country Press

Watauga County Democrats gathered at Watauga High School Saturday, April 14, for their annual convention. Party Chair Diane Tilson welcomed the 146 party members, Second Vice Chair Marjory Holder gave the invocation, Laurinda Nicholson led the group in singing the National Anthem and John Fortenberry, president of ASU’s College Democrats, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Tilson recognized the honored guests, including Watauga County, Sheriff L.D. Hagaman, Clerk of Superior Court Glenn Hodges, Boone Mayor Loretta Clawson and Representative Cullie Tarleton.

Party Secretary J.W. Williamson took the roll of precincts; 16 of 17 precincts were present.

Rep. Cullie Tarleton Sworn In

January 15, 2007
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

Before a standing-room-only crowd, Cullie Tarleton took the oath of office in what he said was an emotional time for him and his family. Tarleton, a retired broadcaster from Blowing Rock, was sworn in as the state representative for North Carolina’s District 93 on Saturday. The ceremony was held in the Watauga County Administration Building in Boone, in keeping with Tarleton’s desire to be sworn in locally rather than in Raleigh.

He said the beginning of his term was a milestone he’d been working toward for several years, including his 2004 loss to the man he beat in November, incumbent Republican Gene Wilson. Tarleton said the successful campaign started the day after that first loss, and also said he was honored by the turnout of about 200 supporters for the ceremony.

Goss Takes Oath as State Senator

January 11, 2007
Kathleen McFadden, High Country Press

For Steve Goss—District 45’s new state senator representing Watauga, Ashe, Alexander and Wilkes counties—taking his oath of office locally instead of in Raleigh at the beginning of the legislative session later this month was important. Goss wanted to share the occasion with family, friends and supporters, and they turned out in force last Saturday morning to watch the retired minister, former school teacher and coach swear to uphold the constitutions of the United States and the State of North Carolina and to faithfully perform the duties of state senator. Superior Court Judge Phil Ginn administered the oath of office at the Ashe County Courthouse.

While most elected office holders place their left hands on a closed bible as they repeat the oath, Goss placed his left hand on an open bible turned to a specific page. The page he selected was Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose.”

New sheriff makes some changes

December 11, 2006
Scott Nicholson , Watauga Democrat

New Watauga County Sheriff Len Hagaman has made a few changes in the office’s command structure, including bringing back an officer who had resigned under the tenure of former Sheriff Mark Shook.

Hagaman said he would not use a chief deputy at this point, but will instead use four division captains. Shook’s chief deputy, Steve Thompson, was not reappointed, and Capt. Bryan Tolbert also resigned.

Capt. Dee Dee Rominger, who was the last female officer in Shook’s department and who had quit earlier this year, will serve as head of investigations under Hagaman.

Newly elected officials take office

December 6 , 2006
Scott Nicholson , Watauga Democrat

Watauga County now has a number of new elected officials on duty after they officially took oaths of office on Monday.

The Watauga County Board of Commissioners’ meeting opened with approval of minutes, followed by a recess during which a large crowd of supporters gathered for the swearing in of elected officials and court staff. A standing-room-only crowd gathered as county commissioners John Cooper, Mary Moretz and Billy Ralph Winkler took their oaths with their left hands placed on Bibles.

With Superior Court Judge Phil Ginn presiding over the ceremony, school board members Ron Henries, Lee Warren and Lowell Younce were also sworn in, along with Sheriff Len Hagaman, Clerk of Court Glenn Hodges and his staff, and Soil and Water Conservation District board members Jim Bryan and Diane Deal.

N.C. Rep-elect Cullie Tarleton tackles new goals in a new job

December 4 , 2006
Scott Nicholson , Watauga Democrat

N.C. Rep.-elect Cullie Tarleton has been busy getting his goals in shape as he prepares to take office next month, but mostly he wants a chance to tackle some of the issues he’s been talking about for several years.

Tarleton, who handily defeated long-time Republican incumbent Gene Wilson for the District 93 House of Representatives seat, said he was in Raleigh last week interviewing for a legislative assistant and hopes to find someone who has worked with the N.C. General Assembly.

“I’d like someone with experience in that legislative assistant role so my learning curve and their learning curve is not quite as steep,” he said.

Hagaman Ready To Take Oath Of Office

November 30, 2006
Jerry Sena, The Mountain Times

It took 10 months of campaigning, one day to complete the vote, and two weeks to sort it all out, but newly certified sheriff-elect Len Hagaman says he’s already shrugged off a post-election delay and said he’ll be ready to take over the county’s largest law-enforcement agency on Monday, December 4.

Hagaman said he’s been busy since the county board of elections certified his narrow victory over one-term incumbent sheriff Mark Shook Nov. 22.

A Council's Courage

October 5, 2006
Winston Salem Journal

It would have been easy for the Boone Town Council to bow to loud and angry opposition from property owners Monday and reject measures to regulate development on steep slopes. Instead, the council voted 4-1 for regulation - a gutsy move that was in the best interest of both the environment and business.

The vote was the outcome of a process prompted by two events in the last few years, as Monte Mitchell reported in Tuesday's Journal. A development, The Village at Meadowview, marred the view on a slope above U.S. 321. And there was a scare when some homes in the White Laurel development, visible from U.S. 421, shifted on their foundations during hurricane-related rains.

Sharpe swings through Watauga, Foxx's record

September 13, 2006
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

Roger Sharpe, Democratic candidate for the 5th-District U.S. House of Representatives seat, challenged incumbent U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-Banner Elk, to a debate during a campaign stop in Boone Thursday.

The stop was part of a swing through the 12 counties in the district, in which Sharpe repeated the call for a debate and criticized Foxx’s voting record, saying, “I am running because my opponent’s voting record proves that she is out of touch with the needs and values of working families in Northwest North Carolina.”

Sharpe criticized yard signs of his opponents that read “Foxx Country.” “Well, let me tell you about Foxx Country,” he said.

Dear Editor:

The Watauga County Republican Party has now officially run out of gas.

In his recent column to the Watauga Democrat, Republican Chairman Denny Norris first acknowledges that his very own Party has devastated the country with $3.00 a gallon gasoline, a civil war in Iraq, violent crime in the United States up almost 5%, the failure of the Medicare drug plan to cover seniors, corporate scandals that stole middle class pension funds, a record national debt, out of control spending, and the American middle class being squeezed to death by oppressive Republican policies.

So now that Mr. Norris’ Party has taken care of national matters so effectively, he suggests we send more of the same on down to Raleigh to clean things up there.

Mr. Norris promises that Republicans will stare “down corruption in the face” if we send them to Raleigh. Yeah, right. Mr. Norris conveniently forgets to mention that for the last 16 years our Raleigh Representative, Gene Wilson, has been right there in the middle of that “culture of corruption” in Raleigh he refers to, voting for the coalition that made Republican Richard Morgan Co-Speaker and then taking a $4,000 donation from Morgan’s campaign committee. In the session just ended, while Democrats were trying to pass meaningful campaign ethics legislation, Wilson voted to weaken, not toughen, the rules requiring disclosure of gifts to legislators.

Mr. Norris explains that all those problems the Republicans have caused us are just too complicated for us folks up here in the hills to think about and that if we vote for new representation, there’s a chance we may be sorry.

We beg to differ.

We believe the voters who live in these hills are indeed smart enough to figure out they’ve been had by the promises and the corruption of the Republican Party. Steve Goss and Cullie Tarleton are the Democratic candidates for the North Carolina Senate and House this fall – they are NOT part of the “Raleigh Crowd”. The Watauga County Democratic Party is immensely proud of the quality of candidates we are offering to the people in this district – candidates that plan to clean up the mess the Republicans have made of things. We respectfully ask the voters of Watauga County to give Democrats a chance this November to prove it.

Sincerely,

Diane Tilson, Chair
Charlie Wallin, 1st Vice-Chair
Watauga County Democratic Party

Cultivating Zero Waste

July 3 , 2006
Frank Ruggiero , Watauga Democrat

It’s a grass roots effort in, perhaps, the most literal sense.

For Jasmine ShoShanna, Gardens for Humanity and Zero Waste aren’t merely efforts, but rather responsibilities.

Her devotion to both is based on the notion that vegetable gardens not only promote self-sufficiency, but they also “reconnect people to the land, get them interested in caring for our natural resources and teach children where food comes from,” ShoShanna said.

“Having one’s own food supply reduces fossil fuel and energy consumption. In this time of global warming, it is essential we reconnect with the earth – gardens are innately healing; they create healthy environments for people, animals, plants and the planet.”

She believes an essential component of this healthy state involves zero waste through an efficient use of compost. ShoShanna explained that 60 to 90 percent of trash can be easily composted and used in gardens as fertilizer.

“In terms of waste, we don’t think about it,” she said. “We throw things away, but where is ‘away?’”

Democrats Stress Pride

April 3 , 2006
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

Watauga County Democrats displayed a newfound sense of optimism at Saturday’s county convention, with party delegates and candidates repeatedly echoing the phrase, “I’m proud to be a Democrat.”

The convention, held at the Watauga County Administrative Building in Boone, drew about 130 people, including all local Democratic candidates.

County commission chairman Jim Deal opened remarks by saying he was proud to be a member of a party that had vision.

“We stand for education and we’re not afraid to do what’s right,” he said, adding the commissioners had sought to improve quality of life by investing in land to further business and economic opportunities. “We have the courage to plan for a better future.”

5th District Candidates to Participate in Forum

March 24, 2006
Press Release

Democratic candidates for Congress in North Carolina’s 5th district will participate in a Watauga County, Congressional Candidates Forum on Thursday, April 6, 2006. The forum will be held at the Watauga County Administration Building, located at the corner of Water and King Street in downtown Boone, beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Voters in Watauga and surrounding counties are invited to attend the forum and learn more about each candidate’s stand on the issues.

In addition to prepared questions from the moderator, audience members will be encouraged to submit written questions, which will be drawn at random during the second portion of the program. Each candidate will have the opportunity to answer audience questions.

Cullie Tarleton: Statement to Voters

March 22, 2006
Press Release

In a statement to the voters of Watauga and Ashe counties, Cullie Tarleton, a candidate for the NC State House, District 93, said:

This district deserves a representative who will be an engaging, active, energized, involved member, who will be a strong voice on the House floor and will work hard every day for the people of Ashe and Watauga. I am that person. I have the time, energy, knowledge and desire to serve.

Steve Goss Announces First Initiative

March 20 , 2006
Press Release

In a statement earlier today, Steve Goss, candidate for the 45th District NC Senate seat, announced his first initiative for consideration when he is elected to office. “As North Carolinians, most of us are acutely aware of the unabated rise in property values,” he stated. Goss went on to say, “Far too many citizens are being squeezed from every direction; they are forced to bear the burden of the higher property taxes that come relative to the rise in the value of their homes.” With no substantial increase in real wages, individuals and families are being asked to pay a disproportionate amount of the property tax burden as a result of the value of their primary residence. A large percentage of these homeowners do not want to sell their homes. They simply do not want to be priced out of the “roof over our heads,” as one homeowner stated.

Two Vie for David Blust's Commission Seat

February 27, 2006
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

The District 4 commissioners’ race will put at least one new face in county government as incumbent David Blust has filed to run for state senate and vacate the seat.

Republican David Triplett, a former county commissioner, and Democrat John Cooper have filed for the seat, with the filing period drawing to a close.

Cooper, owner of the Mast General Store chain, said he was running because he wanted to help guide the county’s future “to the benefit of all who live here.”

Rematch Set for House Race

February 22, 2006
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

The District 93 N.C. House of Representatives race is shaping up to be a series of rematches, as incumbent Republican Gene Wilson of Boone possibly faces two challengers he has defeated before.

Wilson has twice defeated Dan Hense in the General Election for the seat, in 2000 and 2002. In 2004, Cullie Tarleton defeated Hense in the 2004 primary race for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the ticket. Undaunted, Hense has changed parties and is making another run at Wilson, this time in the Republican primary.

Hense has continually run on a campaign pledging to bring government back to the people, hammering Wilson for what Hense perceives as ineffectiveness. In a filing statement, Hense said, “I want to bring back to this county, this district, and to the state of North Carolina, the dignity, the respect, and honor that I feel has been lost in the General Assembly. Many people believe that things will never change. They will not change until the people stand up and begin to participate in the system again.”

Steve Goss Announces for State Senate

February 20, 2006
Press Release

Saying he wants to "bring government back home to the people,” retired Baptist minister Steve Goss announced his candidacy on the Democratic Party ticket for the North Carolina State Senate from the 45th District, the seat currently held by John Garwood of Wilkes County.

Goss says the High Country has not had effective representation in Raleigh in years. "I was born and raised in western North Carolina, and I believe it is time to bring the government home to the people. We deserve to be represented in this district by someone who knows and will stand firmly, without exception, for the issues important to us. Many times it is not just the things we choose, but those things that choose us which become important. To my family and friends who have encouraged me to run, I say thank you; this has become a calling. I love our people and our region, and I believe it is time our voices from Alexander, Ashe, Watauga, and Wilkes counties are heard in unison for a better region and state. It is our turn to lead."

Len Hagaman Files for Sheriff's Contest

February 17 , 2006
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

L.D. “Len” Hagaman became the first Democrat to throw his hat in the ring for Watauga County Sheriff this week.

Hagaman is a former police officer and municipal administrator who has served in a variety of local government roles, all of which will give him experience in running the sheriff’s office, he said. Hagaman is a former town manager of Boone and served four terms on the Watauga board of commissioners.

Hagaman served as a sworn officer and part-time volunteer for the sheriff’s office before taking a job with the Boone Police Department in 1976. He served as juvenile officer, then a patrol officer and investigator, before becoming an administrative assistant to the chief of police. In 1983, he became town manager, a position he held until 1991. He later worked for several other towns in a range of administrative positions. He’s consulted in a number of government roles as well, including terrorist vulnerability assessments.

School Board Honors Winkler

April 29 , 2005
Mike Shands, Watauga Democrat

The Watauga County Board of Education began its April 11 meeting on a high note by recognizing Watauga County High School band director Bill Winkler.

Winkler received the Award for Excellence from the Northwestern North Carolina Bandmasters Association at the regional All-State competition at Appalachian State University recently.

Convention: Democrats Pick Tilson As Next Chair

April 11 , 2005
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

The Watauga County Democratic Party held its annual convention Saturday, energized by last fall’s victory in three commissioners’ races.

The party elected its officers for the year, including a new chair, Diane Tilson. She worked on her first local campaign in 2000, and has served on steering committees for both county commissioners and Boone town council members. She has served on the county planning board and is currently vice-chair and has served as vice-chair of the party’s executive committee since 2001. Tilson replaced Sue Sweeting.

Tilson said the party’s goal should be to reelect commissioner Billy Ralph Winkler, whose term will be up in 2006, and to gain the other two seats currently held by Republicans. She said the party should also try to keep the clerk of court’s office, which will be contested in the next general election.

Local Democrats to Participate in Selection of State Party Chair

February 1 , 2005
Scott Nicholson, Watauga Democrat

County democratic officials are gearing up for a battle Saturday over who will be elected as the state's Democratic Party Chairman.

Jerry Meek, current vice-chair of the party, was an expected shoo-in for the position two years ago, but party insiders appeared to broker a deal in which Meek would allow outgoing chair Barbara Allen to assume the post before turning it over to Meek in 2005. However, Gov. Mike Easley announced his support for Raleigh lawyer Ed Turlington, and the vote for chair is playing out as a battle between capital insiders and grassroots county officials.

Sue Sweeting, chair of the Watauga Democratic Party, said the county committee met to discuss the issue and the county's three voting members of the state executive committee will be backing Meek. Sweeting said it's the first time she can recall the chairmanship receiving so much attention.