Last week’s election results were late in coming and no numbers were released until all precincts were tabulated. The problem came from a first-time use of computer modems and the occurrence of “red stripe” ballots that forced hand counts at many precincts, said Wilkes Elections Director Keith Erwin. Complaints about how results were tallied may cause Erwin to change the method. “It’s possible,” Erwin said. “We’re going to keep our options open. Our goal is to provide good service to the public when conducting elections.” The change was affected by the use of new computer software at the Board of Elections office. “I’ve received complaints that people didn’t like the new software,” Erwin said. “They like to see running totals and precincts come in.” Because of the complaints, Erwin added, “We might go back out to our old system where results are called in (by precinct workers) or we might look at a new system. We’re not going to rule anything out.” This was the first time Wilkes precinct workers attempted to send results to the Board of Elections office via computer modems. “We’ve had the modem capability for a long time and we felt that we ought to use it,” Erwin said during an interview with The Record. “My office initiated that and the Board of Elections approved it.” Why change? “We wanted to try the modems instead of having precinct workers call in the results,” Erwin said. Final results were reported around 10:30 p.m. County Manager Gary Page said he’s received 20 to 25 complaints about how and when the results were released. “When you have complaints, people try to do their best to correct the problem,” Page said. After the polls closed at 7:30 p.m. last Tuesday, problems with modems arose at six precincts. Erwin anticipated problems with three precincts (Mulberry 2, Moravian Falls and Somers) because of failures in pre-election tests.

       “All the rest, when I tested them, they were OK,” he said. But other modems failed when crunch time came. Erwin had said before the elections that all results would be announced at once and that no partial or individual precinct counts would be available before then. With a voter turnout of more than 60 percent, many Wilkes voters waited for the tally. Many of them expressed their dismay with the new method of tabulating votes. At the County Office Building, county commissioner candidates waited anxiously to learn the outcome. Tom Bowman sat quietly in a chair in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room. Charles Sink paced in the lobby outside, talking to supporters and reporters. The lack and lateness of results visibly upset Wilkes Republican Party Chairman Roger Smithey. He studied tallies from a Millers Creek precinct as he waited. Reporters from WKBC, WWWC and WIFM radio stations also seemed frustrated. In previous elections they had broadcast live updates as individual precincts were tabulated. Around 9:30 p.m. election night, Erwin told about 20 people gathered in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room that there had been trouble with “red stripe” or mis-marked ballots. That forced precinct workers to hand count those ballots.

       Page said that new computer software was purchased for the Board of Elections earlier this year. The new program is not designed to print partial results, he said. “That was the biggest thing that I’ve heard about election night is that people couldn’t have a running total of results,” Page said. Despite the problems, Erwin stands behind the modem-method. “Overall, the modems got the results in fast,” he said.

       The third-place candidate in the Wilkes County commissioners’ race has called for a recount. Tom Bowman, who took the third spot in a six-candidate field, requested the recount late Monday afternoon. The deadline for the request had been noon Tuesday. Bowman, a Republican, said he decided to ask that the votes be recounted after Friday’s canvassing. He was eligible to make the request because there was less than a 1-percent difference between his results and votes collected by Democrat Arnold Lakey. Bowman had collected 18.32 percent of the vote compared to Lakey’s 18.45 percent. The results of the canvass found that Republican Charles Sink collected 15,424 votes, Lakey had 12,630 votes and Bowman 12,543 votes. The numbers between Bowman and Lakey changed from a 124-vote difference to an 87-vote difference. The top three candidates won spots on the board. The top two receive four-year terms, while the third-place finisher gets a two-year term. Republican incumbent Jack Welborn got 12,196 votes according to the canvass and Democrats Joe Anthony and Michael Brinegar received 8,165 and 7,498 votes respectively. Vote numbers changed with the canvass. Unofficial results released election night showed that Sink received 15,311 votes; Lakey, 12,569 votes; Bowman, 12,445 votes; Welborn, 12,066 votes; Anthony, 7,977 votes, and Brinegar, 7,427 votes.

       “You can have a two or three vote difference at each precinct without any trouble,” Bowman said Tuesday morning. During a Monday interview with The Record, Lakey said he had no trouble with a recount. “I was hoping to come in third, but coming in second is great,” Lakey said. “If a recount is called for, I’d have no objections to that. I’d have no legal right to do so anyway.” A recount is likely in various state races. For that reason Bowman said his recount will not cost Wilkes County any additional money. Wilkes Elections Director Keith Erwin said the recount would either be held on Nov. 20 or Nov. 21. But that’s up to the state Board of Elections. “There has been speculation there will be a recount in state races, but the state board hasn’t confirmed that as of this (Tuesday) morning,” Erwin said. About how much a recount may cost, Erwin said he wouldn’t be sure until the work is complete. Friday’s canvassing was completed around 10:30 p.m., Erwin said. A canvass is held following each election to certify totals. “We go back through and add the provisional ballots and get the total votes cast,” Erwin said.

       A Wilkesboro businesswoman who says her cats were killed by Wilkes Animal Control officers late last month says she wants an apology. Charlotte Porter, the manager of Hollywood Weight Loss Centre on Main Street in Wilkesboro, said she wants the words to come from County Manager Gary Page and Animal Control Supervisor Junior Simmons. “I’m waiting to see what happens,” Porter told The Record on Monday. “I want a public, ‘I’m sorry,’ from Gary and Junior,” she said. Since the two cats that were killed had been “fixed,” Porter said that she wants two female animals she wants to give up for adoption to be spayed at county expense. “All I want is what’s right for the animals,” Porter said. Tuesday morning, Porter said that Simmons apologized to her by phone. “I guess we’ll draw our swords in,” she said. “Nobody has won here, especially the animals unless it makes somebody more aware to what’s going on here.” Page said he didn’t want to respond to Porter’s requests until he spoke with her. Negotiations appeared to be underway by noon Tuesday. “If it helps get these two cats placed, then maybe my cats didn’t die in vain.” Porter said her cats were trapped in a cage near her home and business on Main Street following an argument with Simmons. She said the argument started during a conversation in which she asked Simmons to investigate a report of abused and neglected dogs. She added that her cats disappeared and that she called the animal shelter. Staff there told her that her cats were not there, she said. Later, she said, she discovered that the animals had been euthanized soon after they were taken there.

       Simmons said the cats were killed quickly because they were wild and unadoptable. Porter said the animals were probably frightened by being at the pound, but they were not wild. Porter is penning letters to send to Wilkes commissioners, which outline her problems with Animal Control. Page and Simmons both say the incident was “unfortunate.” However, no change in policy is planned at the animal shelter, Page said. “If we set out a trap and catch a normal stray you can pet and touch, we hang onto it,” Page said. Animals that appear to be particularly “adoptable” may be held longer than the required three days, Page added. “Those we might hang on to for a week or two,” he said. “If it’s an animal that, say, a kid can’t hold, we put it to sleep sometimes immediately or the next day,” Page. “It may sound cruel, but our job is to pick up nuisance animals and try to adopt them out,” Page said. “There just comes a time when the animal has used up its time and is unadoptable.” He added, “If you’re going to have an ordinance, then you pick them up and try to do what you can.” The old Wilkes Animal Control ordinance stated that animals were to be held at the shelter for seven days. This ordinance was amended in 1997 after incidents of rabies were discovered in Wilkes. The amendment states that animals must be held for 72 hours, or three days.

       Despite the recent complaint against Simmons, Page said, “I have received no formal written complaints about him since he’s been working here.” Simmons has held the position for more than four years, Page said. “I have had very few verbal complaints,” Page added. “For a department that picks up over 6,000 animals every year, I think that shows the success of our program.” Porter said the negotiations, “Won’t bring my cats back. But maybe this will help somebody else.”

       It’s unclear who may take the helm of the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners. A new chairman and vice chairman will be picked when the board meets on Dec. 4. Then Republican Charles Sink, Democrat Arnold Lakey and Republican Tom Bowman -- who were elected last week -- will go on the board. They will replace Chairman Robert Handy, Vice Chairman Roy Absher and Commissioner Jack Welborn. The three new commissioners will join Jerry Sidden and Joe Woodie, who have two years remaining in their terms. Typically the high votegetter from the most recent election claims the spot of chairman. That would mean Sink would take the center seat on the board. “If nominated and elected, I’d have no problem serving,” Sink told The Record on Monday. “I certainly feel like I could do the job.” Lakey, who took a second placed finish in the election, was reserved with his comments when interviewed this week. “I’d rather not say anything right now,” he said, adding, “I think practically anybody that’s been elected this time would serve well.”

       Bowman, the third place candidate and a former commissioner, said, “I don’t have an opinion. It’s up to the commissioners.” He added, “I would hope that all groups would be included in this. We did have a Democrat finish second. I’ve been chairman two years already.” Woodie, who had been the board’s lone Democrat, said, “I think Charlie (Sink) or Arnold (Lakey) ought to have first shot at it if they want it.” Sidden, a Republican, campaigned for Sink during the election and primary. “I think he’s a good man,” he said. But last December, when commissioners elected new officers, Sidden said that he felt jilted. Then Handy and Absher swapped posts as one-year appointments as chairman and vice chairman. A deal had apparently been made between the two commissioners, Sidden said. Sidden had been the high votegetter in the 1998 election but has never served as chairman or vice chairman. When asked this week if he wanted one of the posts, Sidden said. “I don’t know. I really haven’t talked to anybody about it. I’m not campaigning for it.” But if appointed, “I’d be willing to serve,” Sidden said. “That is if they asked me to.” Woodie took a second-place finish in the 1998 election. Like Sidden, he has never served been picked as a board officer. He said he and Sidden, “have been wronged. I just feel that we were done wrong. I just hope that this board will be able to put in Charlie and Arnold.” Sidden says he’s anxious to serve with the new commissioners. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Sidden said. “I think it’s going to be a great year. I’m excited about going forward with it.”

       Work is underway to verify the signatures of Millers Creek and Cricket resident who signed a petition favoring incorporation. Wilkes Elections Director Keith Erwin said that all 1,830 signatures will be verified. State election officials say that only 15 percent of the names must be confirmed. “We’re going to verify all of them,” he said. The verification must be complete by Thursday, Erwin said. Those findings will be sent to a Joint Legislative Committee, according to County Manager Gary Page. That committee will make a recommendation to state legislators whether the incorporation proposal should be considered by the General Assembly. Efforts to incorporate began in April. Some residents in the Millers Creek/Cricket area feared that North Wilkesboro would annex their property. That, proponents say, would result in drastically increased property taxes. These concerns came after the town began a sewer line expansion project from its corporate limits on Old U.S. 421 to the intersection of N.C. 16 in Millers Creek. In the meantime, opposition has grown to the incorporation proposal. Wilkes businessman Burl Lankford, of Vannoy & Lankford Plumbing is leading that effort. Another petition is being circulated opposing incorporation.

       Lankford, on Tuesday morning, wasn’t sure how many signatures had been collected. “We’ve got several hundred,” he said. The opposition will be for a second time on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the warehouse of Vannoy & Lankford plumbing. Proponents of the incorporation presented a petition with 2,706 names. Erwin said that 876 of the names could not be counted because they were printed instead of being signed in cursive. With the elections over, Erwin said his staff could devote its time to completing the verification of signatures. “That’s what we’ll be working on now,” he said Monday. There are three steps involved in verifying signatures, according to election officials. The first is to confirm that the resident is registered to vote and that the address on their voter registration card matches that written on the petition. The second step is to compare the handwriting of signatures on the petition with that on voter registration cards. The final step is to confirm that the resident lives within the boundaries of the proposed town. “Our intent is to verify all of them,” Erwin said. “We are having a few problems, like some people not updating their addresses.” The Joint Legislative Committee will meet in Raleigh on Nov. 22, Page said. That board is made up of two state house members, two state senators, a county manager and a city manager. The members can come from any area in the state, Page said. “That panel of six reviews each application for incorporation and makes a recommendation to the legislature on whether to approve it,” Page said. “It also makes recommendations on whether or not a referendum should be held. In other words, the members try to determine if there is a consensus in the community.”

The Wilkes County Public Library Chess Club continues to meet Saturdays from Noon to 3:00 p.m. in the Friends of the Library Meeting Room. If you are interested in a good game of chess and meeting other players from this area, stop by for an hour or two. Chess boards will be provided, and the club is free and open to all levels of players. The November 18 Chess Club will meet from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

WCHS Class of 1965 reunion scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 25th at North Wilkesboro Elks Club. Please contact Marcia Little 667-3095, or mblittle99@aol.com for more information. Looking for addresses to these classmates: Bobby P. Jones, Jewel Hayes Sheppard, Diane Eller, Mary Ellis Jennings, Flora Souther Johnson, Betty Church Higgins, Betty Souther Adams, Brenda Jenkins Maynard, Carolyn Brown, Daisy Adams, Peggy Adams Baker, Duane Allen, Judy K. Anderson Prevette, Judy Andrews Burris, Larry Cooper, Dicky Grayson, Alberta Greene, Barbara Jennings Osborne, Jerry Jennings, Arville Johnson, Linda Minton Johnson, Robert Minton, Margie Pardue Walsh, Larry Prevette, Ralph Teague, Dorothy Teague Church, and Larry Wagoner.

Turn over a new leaf...The Wilkes County Health Department is a participant in North Carolina’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program. If you are a woman 50-60 years old, have a little or no health insurance and meet certain household income guidelines, you may qualify for free testing for breast and cervical cancer. Take care of yourself by taking advantage of this wonderful program. To find out if you qualify, please call Wilkes County Health Department at 651-7524.

There will be an educational for individual investors at Wilkes Senior Center, Tuesdays, 10 a.m.-12 noon, January 2, 9, 16, and 23 (four-week session) taught by Carla Cooksey, sponsored by Edward Jones Investment. To register call 838-1700.

T.O.P.S. take off pounds sensibly. Join us every Monday at 5 p.m. at St. John’s Church located on C.C. Wright School Road. For more information call 696-2442 or 696-4874.

The Wilkes County Public Library Book Club will next meet on Tuesday, November 21 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This is a great book for all ages and will be a fun discussion for the last meeting of the year for the Book Club. Anyone interested in attending, please do. Call 838-2818 for more information.

Communities In Schools will have a short Lunch Buddies volunteer training session on Friday, November 17 at 12 noon. The next training date for Lunch Buddies will be on the 28th at 12 noon for those who cannot attend on the 17th. Communities In Schools currently has over 90 children on their waiting list, who needs a mentor. If you are interested in being a friend to a needy child, or want more information about the volunteer training sessions, please call the CIS office at 651-7830.

Poetry Readings will be held on Tuesday, November 28 at 7 p.m. in the Friends of the Library Meeting Room. Turnout for the Poetry Readings has been very good, averaging about 12 people per month. If you are interested in original poetry, or would like to read a favorite poem, then please come by for an hour of poetry.

Local Author John R. Bumgarner will be reading from his latest book, PK: Life in a Methodist Parsonage, on Saturday, November 18 at 2 p.m. in the Friends of the Library Meeting Room. This is sponsored by the Friends of the Wilkes County Public Library.

The Wilkes County Public Library will be hosting several programs in the next month. All programs at the Library are free and open to the public. For more information, or if you are interested in sponsoring a program, contact James Ruszczyk, Adult Services Librarian at 838-2818, or email him at jruszczyk@ncsl.dcr.state.nc.us and he’ll return your email in a day or two.

The Wilkesboro Moose Lodge is sponsoring a benefit Chicken-Que for Billy Ray Porter, Sr. who was hurt by lightning. The event is this Saturday, November 18 beginning at 10 a.m. Free delivery of 10 or more plates. For more information or to order call 838-3451. Cost is $5 per plate.

A joint community Thanksgiving service will be held Sunday, November 19 at Arbor Grove United Methodist Church in Purlear. Service will begin at 7 p.m. The church is located at 1984 Arbor Grove Church Road. The service will include the congregations of Arbor Grove, Millers Creek and Union Methodist Churches. The public is cordially invited to attend. Following the service a dessert/finger food fellowship will be held in the church fellowship hall.

A Rummage Sale, baked goods, sausage biscuits will be Saturday, November 18 at 7 a.m. at Millers Creek Methodist Fellowship Hall. Lots of good items. Proceeds go to benefit the church.

The Town of North Wilkesboro Parks and Recreation Department will sponsor the 22nd Annual Senior Citizens Christmas Party. The party is open to Senior Citizens only and will be held on Monday, December 4 at 6 p.m. at the VFW in North Wilkesboro.