County commissioner candidate William Etheridge Sr. believes his experience as head of the Currituck chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will be an asset if he's elected to the board.

However, he won't be coming to the job with an agenda focused only on minority needs, he said.

Justin Falls/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

William Etheridge Sr., a Democrat, is seeking the newly created second at-large seat on the Currituck Board of Commissioners in the May 6th Democratic primary.

"I'll handle that through the NAACP," Etheridge said. "I'm running for (commissioner to represent) all the people. That is what my focus is on: everybody, all the people in Currituck."

Etheridge, who has never run for a commission seat, is one of two Democrats seeking the newly created at-large seat on the commission board. His opponent in the May 6 Democratic primary is Stanley Griggs, the county's emergency management director. The winner will face Republican Paul O'Neal, a former Currituck commissioner, in the November general election.

Etheridge said as the county's NAACP president, he has made a lot of connections with public officials "all the way to Raleigh" that could benefit Currituck when it comes to obtaining grants.

"I know people to (contact to) be able to avoid political red tape," he said. "Being on the NAACP also helps me to know how to work with people, how to deal with people, and be able to learn from people. Sometimes, if you don't really ever work with people, you don't know how to work with people."

If he's elected, Etheridge said he plans to push for county government to be more transparent.

"What I'd like to accomplish is to try and keep people abreast of things going on in the county, and not try and hide anything away from them," he said. "I feel the county belongs to the people, and I'd just like people to know exactly what is going on in the county."

He also would push for development of a county-owned YMCA-type recreational facility for Currituck's youth, and supports the commission's recent efforts to bring public sewerage to the Moyock area as a way to attract business and industry.

"I think that's great for the county," he said. "It's going to help out a whole lot in commercial (development) and the building of homes. It will help out a whole lot to improve a lot of things, to start to get businesses out of Virginia to help to keep our taxes lower."

He said residents would also benefit from having more businesses coming to the county.

"The key thing is (bringing in) industry, economic industry, (and creating) some things for people to do," he said. "There is nothing to do (in Currituck). You have to either go to Elizabeth City or Virginia to go to movie or Wal-Mart."

He said the other benefit to bringing in businesses is that the money generated would be spent in Currituck.

Etheridge, who has served on the county's Zoning Board and Board of Adjustment, said limiting growth is a difficult task.

"How do you stop that?" he asked. "People are going to keep moving in."

He said the commission should carefully weigh where they approve new subdivisions, balking at allowing high-density residential development within eyeshot of the N.C. Highway 168 and U.S. Highway 158 corridors. He said this could create an eyesore and hurt the county's rural ambience.

"The only thing we can do is to control how many homes are built per year, and try and keep it so there are not a whole lot of subdivisions you can see when you are riding down the (highway) corridor from one end to the other," he said.

Etheridge said he supports new affordable housing projects as long as they are architecturally pleasing.

"I believe a whole lot of houses we are building are way up in price. We need affordable homes," Etheridge said. "Everyone who lives in Currituck can't afford $400,000 and $500,000 homes."

He said he decided to run for office because people feel disconnected from the county government.

"The people feel like too many things are being hid from them," he said. "Money is not being spent the right way, or not looked after. People are crying out."

William C. Etheridge Sr.

Age: 54

Occupation: self-employed in fiber-glass repair

Education: Graduate, J.P. Knapp High School, 1972

Political affiliation: Democrat

Previous political offices/campaigns: None

Civic, community affiliations: President, Currituck chapter of the NAACP

Religion: Disciples of Christ

Family: married with three children