THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994 TAG: 9406030569
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: D1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY ANNE SAITA, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: 940602 LENGTH: CURRITUCK
``One-on-one I can talk to you all day,'' he said. ``But I'm no speaker whatsoever, and I don't mind telling people that.''
{REST} On Tuesday, the people of Currituck County told Brinkley that his reticence was OK with them. Brinkley won his Democratic party's nomination for county sheriff with 1,446 votes to rival Dean Cartwright's 949.
Brinkley finished second to Cartwright by 21 votes in the primary a month earlier, and asked for a runoff.
``I feel good,'' Brinkley said Wednesday morning from his Bells Island home. ``I don't think it's sunk in yet.''
With no formal opposition in the fall, Brinkley will most likely succeed his longtime boss, Norman Newbern Jr., as Currituck County sheriff.
The 45-year-old Brinkley, born in Norfolk, and raised in Shawboro, returns to his job as a deputy supervisor on Friday after taking two months off to campaign.
Since April 11, Brinkley has spent his vacation time visiting Currituck residents at their home, rather than speaking to crowds at a lot of public forums and social events.
``Every day I knocked on doors and stayed on the telephone from morning 'til night,'' he said.
Campaigning during his second challenge for sheriff was much easier for the deputy, nearing his 24th anniversary with the Currituck County Sheriff's Department.
``The first time people didn't know who I was,'' he said. ``The second time they did. They'd say, `Hey, Glenn, how're you doing?' ''
While Brinkley does not expect to make any major personnel changes among a staff of 30, people probably will notice a difference under his command.
A dress code will be updated and enforced, he said, to create a more professional appearance for a growing police force in North Carolina's second-fastest-growing county.
``When I came on in 1971, we had 6,000 people. Now we've got 15,000. And we've gone from two deputies to 23 deputies,'' he said.
Brinkley thanked his supporters and the Democratic voters who cast ballots on Tuesday.
Currituck's 46 percent voter turnout was highest in a 12-county northeastern North Carolina region. Tyrrell County, which had delayed its primaries until this week, was close behind with 45 percent.
Perquimans County, the only other area with a local race to boost ballots, had a 35 percent turnout.
In northeastern localities voting only in a statewide runoff between two judicial candidates, turnout averaged below 5 percent.
Incumbent Elizabeth McCrodden won her Democratic party's nomination over second-time challenger John Tyson for the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Preliminary estimates indicate Tuesday's statewide voter turnout was an all-time low of 7.8 percent.
{KEYWORDS} ELECTION RUNOFF
by CNB