THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 5, 1995 TAG: 9501050413
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
It was intended to be a routine announcement Wednesday when Pasquotank County Commissioner William C. ``Bill'' Owens Jr. circulated a letter stating he will officially resign Jan. 25 to take his seat as a new member of the N.C. General Assembly.
Instead, the announcement generated a new flurry of speculation over Owens' successor on the Pasquotank County Board of Commissioners.
Since Owens' Nov. 8 election to the 1st N.C. House seat, former Sheriff Davis N. Sawyer Jr. has been a widely supported candidate to fill out the remaining two years of Owens' term on the board.
But friends say the retired sheriff is still struggling to adjust to the death in mid-November of Talmadge Overton Sawyer, his wife of 47 years, who died after a long illness.
As a result, the friends said, Sawyer at 67 now seems less than enthusiastic about a further career in politics.
Sawyer was Pasquotank County sheriff or a sheriff's deputy for nearly half a century until he stepped down last year.
``About all I'll say now is that if I'm nominated I would feel it my duty to serve,'' Sawyer said Wednesday.
The procedure of selecting a successor to Owens will begin as soon as Owens' resignation become official on Jan. 25. Pasquotank County Democratic Chair Catherine Meggs will call a meeting of the party's executive committee to select one or more nominees to succeed Owens.
The six remaining members of the Pasquotank board elect the successor. They are not bound by the party recommendation. The successful candidate must be a Democrat and must reside in Precinct 1-A, as does Owens.
The possibility that Sawyer would not be offended if the names of other Democrats were offered as possible successors to Owens brought the flurry of speculation about other nominees.
Some younger Democrats would like to see another woman on the Pasquotank Board of Commissioners. Patsy R. McGee is the only female commissioner.
At least three prominent local women have been mentioned as possible nominees for Owens' job:
Anita Hummer, a member of the Elizabeth City Council, who has been active in crime-fighting initiatives.
Phyllis Nixon Bosomworth, a real-estate executive and civic leader, whose husband is City Councilman David P. Bosomworth.
Winifred J. Wood, a Democratic party leader who moved to Elizabeth City last year. Wood is an executive with a Camden County grain business and has long been active in N.C. Democratic politics.
An African-American candidate could also be forthcoming. W.C. Witherspoon, a former chairman of the county commissioners, is the only black commissioner. by CNB