THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610250534
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SERIES: DECISION 96
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: EDENTON LENGTH: 36 lines
Only one county commissioner's seat will be contested when Chowan County residents go to the polls on Nov. 5.
Democrat Allen F. Downum, an Edenton optometrist, will face John L. Sams, a retired U.S. Navy commander, for a commissioner-at-large seat on the Chowan County Board.
Sams is listed as a Libertarian on sample ballots distributed by the Chowan County Board of Elections. Webster's New World Dictionary defines a libertarian as ``one who believes in full individual freedom of thought, expression, and action.''
Sams on Thursday said he generally agreed with the definition.
``I came to Chowan County to live after retiring from the Navy and I went to several county commissioner meetings to learn something about local government,'' Sams said.
``I found out from reading the minutes of previous meetings that 77 out of 79 votes were unanimous.
``That made me think about getting into local politics,'' Sams said.
National Libertarian candidates are included on the Chowan County ballots, along with Natural Law candidates and Reform candidates. Harry Browne and Jo Jorgensen are Libertarian Party candidates for president and vice president.
Running unopposed as an incumbent from District One, Seat One, on the seven member Chowan County Commission is Harry L. Winslow, of Belvidere.
George E. Jones, also an incumbent, is seeking the county commissioners' seat from District Two.
James E. Taylor, another incumbent, is running for a Third District county commissioner seat
KEYWORDS: CANDIDATE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RACE 1996 by CNB