THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 22, 1996 TAG: 9610220246
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CAMDEN LENGTH: 88 lines
Even before the first ballot is cast, Camden County will have made history.
This year's general election will contain the most-ever - and perhaps the first - Republican candidates for local office.
One of them is Kristie Sawyer Corprew, the county's first-ever Republican for Register of Deeds.
The current deputy register of deeds earned the chance to be on the voting ticket by winning a Republican primary - also believed to be a first for the county.
Corprew, 22, is running against Democratic primary winner Peggy Ervinia Kight, 48, who has worked the past eight years at the Elizabeth City Area Chamber of Commerce.
Both are Camden natives who believe their experience makes them the ideal person for the job.
``I enjoy working with people and helping them get settled and solve their problems,'' Kight said. ``And this will give me a chance to serve in the county that I'm from.''
Like Kight, Corprew said her main goal would be ``to serve the people of Camden County.''
Corprew admits Republicans are long-shots in Camden County, but she remains optimistic about her chances. ``I think there are more people that are Democrat than Republican, but that doesn't mean a lot,'' she said.
The other Republican on next month's ballot is Michael E. Andrews, a retired government worker who is running against longtime incumbent J.C. Rountree to represent South Mills on the Board of Commissioners.
Andrews, 39, recently retired as a heavy mobile equipment mechanic at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. He is now a full-time student at College of The Albemarle in Elizabeth City.
He is studying secondary education and architecture with aspirations of becoming a high school industrial technology teacher.
Andrews has never before sought public office.
``Now that I'm retired, I have the time to get involved and devote to it,'' he said.
His Democratic opponent has served almost 16 years on the Camden County Board of Commissioners.
Rountree, 66, is a farmer of corn, soybean, wheat, oats and cattle. He works fields in Camden, Pasquotank and Currituck counties.
Rountree has had opposition during each of his last four elections, but always from within his own party.
``Only thing that's different is I've got a Republican running against me this time. That's never happened before,'' Rountree said.
Andrews, a Maryland native who has lived in Camden since 1988, said he's received financial backing from both Republicans and conservative Democrats in Camden.
Among his major goals, if elected: ``To make the county administration more responsible to the voice of the people.''
Andrews wants to improve recreational opportunities countywide, and not just in the Camden district. ``They seem to forget both ends of the county,'' he said.
The candidate also would like to start a public preschool similar to the federal Head Start program. ``Jump Start'' would be open to all county children, regardless of income level.
``Just because a child's parents make a fair salary or fair income, they shouldn't have to be discriminated against,'' Andrews said, noting that dual-income parents often ``don't have the time to go over the ABCs and those kind of things with their children because of their jobs.''
The Republican also wants to make child care affordable and to improve school conditions without raising county real estate property taxes, which are 80 cents (with fire protection) per $100 valuation.
Rountree also has made county schools a high priority.
Rountree was born in Gates County and settled in South Mills 26 years ago.
At a recent candidates forum, both men were at odds over a hog farm being built in their district, near the Virginia state line.
Andrews said he isn't against livestock farming, but believes such agricultural operations could be better placed away from residences and environmentally protected areas with locally controlled zoning.
Rountree believes hog-farm opponents are prematurely complaining about potential problems, including hog waste contaminating the nearby Dismal Swamp Canal.
Two of Rountree's fellow commissioners should have an easier time of it on Nov. 4.
Chairman Samuel K. Shaw Sr. of Camden is running unopposed for re-election. He beat Bill Taylor Jr. last May to become the Democratic candidate for the at-large seat.
Shaw, 78, is a cab driver in Elizabeth City and is proud of the Department of Social Services building and Camden Courthouse additions constructed during his tenure.
The other incumbent running unopposed is Larry G. Lamb Sr., a 53-year-old grocer. by CNB