Officials now in office

Two long-serving Onslow County public officials took the oaths of the newly re-elected offices Monday.

Court of Court Bettie Gurganus, 68, and Sheriff Ed Brown, 66, were sworn in by N.C. Superior Court Judge Charles Henry.

Brown has been the elected sheriff since 1990. Gurganus was appointed clerk in 2004, and has won two elections since. Both are Democrats.

“It was a tough election, it was a tough year for Democrats,” Gurganus said, referring to the heavy losses the Democrat Party took in the General Assembly.

Almost an anomaly in a Republican-dominated election year, Gurganus soundly defeated a long-time member of the GOP to retain her office with 60 percent of the vote.

N.C. Rep. Robert Grady chose not to seek a 13th term in the General Assembly in order to run for the clerk’s office.

Gurganus said she expects the coming state budget cuts to affect her office.

“I know we are going to be doing a lot more of doing more with less,” she said, adding that she was confident her staff will continue to ensure the courthouse runs as smooth as possible.

Henry also swore in seven assistant clerks of court, 36 deputy clerks of court Monday morning at the Onslow County Superior Courthouse and around 150 deputies Monday night at a ceremony at Jacksonville High School attended by around 800 people.

The judge said he appreciated all the hard work and dedication the clerks and deputies have demonstrated over the years.

Brown, beginning his sixth term, said he promised the people of Onslow County could count on him to be fair and honest.

“The greatest thing about it is the trust the people have placed in me going into my second decade as their sheriff,” Brown said, adding he will pray and work hard to keep the people’s trust as long as he is sheriff.

At a recent departmental meeting, Brown told his employees that being a deputy was more than just a job. He told them they were guardians with the charge, custody and care of Onslow County’s citizens, their property and their society.

“We are role models, an example for all citizens of our society and we must live that way all of the time,” he told them.

Contact Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456 or lkay@freedomenc.com. Read his crime blog, "Off the Cuff," at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com.