Editorial - Pender redistricting decision adds new dimension to House race

Star-News
April 25, 2010

Voters in New Hanover and Brunswick counties need to narrow down the choices of who will represent them in the N.C. House. Both parties have competitive primaries in District 17 and District 18.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling that gave Pender County its own N.C. House district also changed the stakes for a number of New Hanover County voters. Court-mandated redistricting altered the boundaries of House District 18, which previously had been a comfortably Democratic district.

It’s a different district today. Democrats still hold a majority, but it is less so. Add in unaffiliated and Libertarian voters and the registration is nearly equal. It also is less diverse. About

32.5 percent of residents are black, compared with 42.4 percent before the lines were redrawn. And the district is now entirely within the boundaries of New Hanover County.

Come next January, it will have a new representative, one of four first-time candidates seeking their party’s nomination in the May 4 primary. Sandra Spaulding Hughes, who was appointed then elected to the seat after disgraced Rep. Thomas Wright was ousted from the state House, is not seeking re-election.

All four candidates hoping to replace her agree that jobs and economic development are the most important issue facing the residents of House 18, and they are right. It is not the only issue, but what many of the people of House 18 have in common is the need for jobs that pay a living wage.

The new representative will need a good head for business as well as government, but also the understanding that there is a strong relationship between economic development and a region’s commitment to education, environmental stewardship and the quality-of-life factors that a civilized society expects – parks, libraries, museums and recreational opportunities. He or she also will need to be familiar with the diverse needs of a district that includes urban, suburban and rural voters.

Two Democrats and two Republicans are seeking the seat. All four bring different strengths, but to be effective the successful candidate must be well-rounded and able to work across party lines.

On the Democratic ticket, Susi Hamilton brings deep knowledge of both business and government. She’s been a city planner, headed up Wilmington Downtown Inc., the nonprofit agency that promotes downtown Wilmington, and now has her own business. She understands Wilmington and New Hanover County and would provide emphatic leadership.

The GOP race features two very different types of Republicans, but J. Michael Hutson brings the perspective of both a businessman struggling to make a living and a recreational fisherman who understands the importance of preserving our rivers, air and land. It’s a viewpoint that tends to be lacking in Raleigh.

In House District 17, which includes most of growing Brunswick County, the issues revolve around jobs, controversy over a proposed port and road needs. Frank Iler, who was appointed to fill out former Rep. Bonner Stiller’s unexpired term, seems the obvious choice for the Republican primary. On the Democratic side, Leonard Jenkins, a Brunswick County school system employee who also is active in the county’s economic development initiatives, is a solid choice.