Local News

BOLIVIA—And then there were five.

County commissioners on Monday appointed their newest member to the board—Marty Cooke.

Cooke was selected by the Brunswick County Republican Party Executive Committee last month to serve as county commissioner until the first meeting in December; and to appear on the ballot on Election Day this November.

The seat was vacated April 4 with the death of longtime county commissioner and past chairman David Sandifer.

The race for the next sheriff is drawing to a close. Ten candidates have expressed interest in the job, but any Democrat who meets the criteria could still pull a last-minute upset Saturday.

Members of the Brunswick County Democratic Party Executive Committee and other eligible voters, totaling at least 105, will cast their votes for a nominee for sheriff at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 10, at party headquarters on Old Ocean Highway, Supply.

Voter turnout in Brunswick County was good for a primary election, said Greg Bellamy, Brunswick County’s director of elections.

The unofficial tally Tuesday night showed a turnout of 23,573 voters or 33.6 percent of the county’s 70,139 registered voters.

Of that number, 16,808 voted in the Democratic primary, 6,690 in the Republican primary and 62 posted nonpartisan ballots.

Bellamy said the fact it was a presidential primary probably drew more voters.

“You had more candidates at the national, state and local level,” he said.

CAROLINA SHORES—After lengthy debate, town commissioners decided at a budget workshop Monday to reduce an initially proposed contribution to the Calabash Fire Department.

The initial proposal was for $37,000, plus $3,000 from town fire fees.

But when a consensus was taken, commissioners John Russo, Joseph Przywara and Tom Puls said they would not favor the proposed $37,000, which commissioner Gere Dale said represents half the federal SAFER grant awarded to the fire department to hire four fulltime firefighters.