Quinn upsets Parks in Edenton

Early turnout boosts retired businessman

By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Retired businessman Bob Quinn pulled off a major upset Tuesday, capturing the Edenton Town Councilman-at Large seat held by longtime incumbent Jerry Parks, thanks to overwhelming support during early voting.

Of 829 votes cast, Quinn received 404 to 316 for Parks and 100 for the other candidate, George Grother, according to unofficial results. A few write-in votes were also cast.

Quinn received 48 percent of the vote compared to 38 percent for Parks and 12 percent for Grother. Roughly one-quarter of the 3,406 registered voters turned out to vote.

Quinn, a Buxton native who ran his own manufacturing and distribution company, received 255 votes in early, one-stop voting compared to 110 for Parks, which exceeded his overall margin of victory.

Quinn said that he was very pleased to learn of the high number of voters who had cast early ballots.

“It shows that people are both concerned and willing to do something to bring about a better future for Edenton,” he said.

“I feel this has been a good, clean and fair campaign. Hopefully, this campaign will energize others to make the commitment to run for office and others to realize how important their vote is to their future,” Quinn added.

Parks, who watched as results from Edenton’s two precincts came into the Elections Office Tuesday night, was not immediately available for comment.

Parks, who has served as councilman-at-large for the past 18 years, eight of them as mayor pro tem, said earlier Tuesday he was grateful to all those who had voiced support for his campaign.

He added that he was proud of the clean campaigns run by all the candidates for the at-large seat.

“All the candidates have been very positive and respectful, which is refreshing,” said Parks, who is employed as director of Albemarle Regional Health Services.

Quinn has a long history of serving in public policy and community areas. He is president ex-officio of the Cupola House Association and served two terms as president, and served a four-year term on the executive committee of Edenton Historical Commission.

The contest drew strong interest from voters, with early voting setting a record among previous town council races here. More than 400 local residents cast ballots during “one-stop” voting in Edenton.

Quinn credited the hard work of volunteers for his success. He said he felt the campaign had been run in a positive manner and hoped that it might inspire others to run for public office.

The strong voter turnout, he said, “shows that people are both concerned and willing to do something to bring about a better future for Edenton.”

During his campaign, Parks said that key issues the town should be focusing on included continuing to maintain a sound fiscal plan, working to enhance the tax base to bring in more revenues, and maintaining and improving the town’s infrastructure to ensure good roads, water, sewer and electrical service.

Grother, a retired builder and contractor George Grother, characterized his campaign as one of “David versus Goliath.” He said that he too spent many hours going door-to-door talking with voters.

“I spent over three weeks walking the streets of Edenton,” Grother said. “I was out seven or eight hours a day.”

He said he would always remember the warmth and kindness shown by those who invited him into their homes to share their concerns about such things as big utility bills and the lack of jobs in the community.

“People feel they’re being left out of the process, and if I’m elected, I’d like to bring them back in,” Grother said.

Meanwhile, two last-minute write-in campaigns mounted by LoriAnn Curtin and Ellis Lawrence against incumbents Phyllis Britton and Willis Privott drew little interest from voters.

Curtin opposed the re-election bid of Privott, who represents Ward 4.

Lawrence was seeking election to the Ward 3 seat held by Britton.

Those vote totals were not immediately available, although Elections Director Rebecca Lowe said both Privott and Britton won easily.

Curtin works at Shoppes on Broad in downtown Edenton, and is the daughter-in-law of George Grother.

Grother said his daughter-in-law had planned to run a “full-on” campaign to oppose Privott’s re-election bid but put those plans on the back burner in order not to divert attention from his run for the at-large council seat.

Calls to Lawrence’s cell phone seeking comment about his candidacy and background had not been returned at press time Tuesday night.