ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, March 21, 1996 TAG: 9603210082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: ROCKY MOUNT
SOURCE: TODD JACKSON STAFF WRITER
MEMO: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.
He had to wait a little longer than expected, but Ben Pinckard Jr. of Rocky Mount was chosen as the Republican candidate for Franklin County Circuit Court clerk Tuesday night.
The clerk nomination was the scheduled main event for a GOP mass meeting at the County Courthouse, which was also held to select delegates to the state and 5th District congressional conventions, but a battle for control of the party ended up taking center stage., and the three Republicans vying for the clerk nomination - Pinckard, Amanda Davis and Daniel Boone - didn't get to speak until three hours into the meeting.
By that time, a number of people had left, some angered by the power struggle.
Pinckard said he was a little worried that the departures could affect the results of a secret ballot held to choose a candidate, but he said he was told by party officials that the vote count wasn't tight.
Pinckard, 25, is an internal auditor for Carilion Health System in Roanoke.
He says his accounting background suits the clerk's post, which includes handling money, keeping up with a budget and filing records.
``I have the qualifications to do the job,'' he said.
Meanwhile, Republicans and Democrats in Franklin County are wondering what the results of Tuesday's power play for leadership of the party will mean for the GOP.
Carthan Currin, widely known for bringing credibility to a Republican Party that wasn't a factor in the county just a few years ago, was ousted as chairman by Randy Huckaba of Ferrum after a vote of nearly 100 people who attended the meeting.
Currin said Wednesday that the vote count showed that he would have won re-election if not for more than 20 proxy votes that were allowed.
When asked if he's considering a challenge of the vote, Currin said: ``I'm keeping my options open.''
Pinckard, even with the controversy, said he believes the Republican Party offers many advantages.
``I've got a network of supporters to fall back on,'' he said.
Pinckard is one of three candidates for clerk to date.
Capt. Bill Overton of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office is the only candidate so far to announce his intentions to run in the Democratic Party primary in June.
Alice Hall, an employee of the clerk's office for 43 years, said she'll announce next week whether she'll run in the Democratic primary or as an independent.
Hall, the county's deputy clerk, has assumed the clerk's duties until November's special election. Bill Walker, the former clerk, retired Dec. 31. The election winner will serve the last four years of Walker's eight-year term.
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: headshot of Pinckard KEYWORDS: POLITICSby CNB