Nonpartisan voting issue attracts attention of Fox News

The national media spotlight shone a little brighter on Kinston Monday as a crew from the Fox News Channel rolled into town to interview various local figures in the ongoing nonpartisan voting issue.

The four-person crew, led by reporter Griff Jenkins, started the day at Christopher’s restaurant downtown, interviewing local citizens and elected officials about their views on the U.S. Justice Department’s rejection of a referendum to have nonpartisan municipal elections.

The segment is scheduled to run this week on Sean Hannity’s show, which airs weeknights at 9 p.m.

“I said, ‘Look, over 5,000 voters voted to have nonpartisan elections in Kinston,’” Kinston resident and mayoral candidate B.J. Murphy said. “ ‘We’ve waited two decades for this to come to fruition, and it was passed 2-1 and one person in D.C., an employee, tells over 5,000 voters their vote doesn’t matter?’ ”

The national media — including The Washington Times and conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh — have picked up the story in recent days after local advocates railed against Acting Assistant Attorney General Loretta King’s ruling that nonpartisan elections would disenfranchise black voters.

More than 7,600 local voters cast their ballots last November on a charter amendment allowing nonpartisan voting. The amendment was approved by about a 2-1 margin.

“I just don’t think that the federal government or the state government should come into a community and overrule the will of the people,” said City Councilman Jimmy Cousins, who is also running for mayor and was interviewed at Christopher’s.

Cousins and his fellow council members voted 4-1 last month to table discussion of appealing the DOJ’s decision, though. Councilman Will Barker cast the dissenting vote.

On Monday afternoon, Jenkins and his crew paid a visit to Stephen LaRoque, who began pushing for nonpartisan voting two years ago.

LaRoque, who was head of the Lenoir County Republican Party at the time, reasoned that it would help non-Democratic candidates run without a party label, giving them a better shot at city offices.

Hilary Greene — who was also scheduled to be interviewed Monday — had obtained a signed petition to run as an unaffiliated candidate for City Council in 2007, and Earl Harper had to do the same to run for mayor this year.

“I thought that was ridiculous that someone would have to go out and get 600 signatures,” LaRoque told Jenkins during their interview.

He spoke out against King’s decision, which he called “racist in itself; it’s condescending and insulting,” and discussed how he is pursuing a citizens’ appeal of the DOJ decision if the Kinston City Council does not contest it.

“I think an appeal will put Kinston in a positive light,” LaRoque said after the interview.

Jenkins’ crew also interviewed City Councilman Joe Tyson, who cast the lone dissenting vote against a resolution in favor of nonpartisan voting last August.

Tyson did not approve because the resolution had no provision for creating city wards or districts to ensure minority representation on the council.

“I indicated very clearly that I agreed with the DOJ’s position and I would not do anything to overturn that decision,” he said of his interview. “I’m a servant of the people and I voted my convictions then, and I continue to believe that I voted the right way.”

David Anderson can be reached at 252-559-1077 or danderson@freedomenc.com.