Local News - November 2003

Hovis keeps seat; Cherryville cleans house

Democrats retain hold in Lincolnton 

By ALICE SMITH, Staff Writer

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In the city’s only race this year, Democrat Larry Mac Hovis defeated Republican Chafin Rhyne for the Ward IV City Council seat in a landslide victory Tuesday night.

Hovis garnered 654 votes, 71.7 percent of the total. Rhyne received 258 votes, adding up to 28.3 percent.

Again, the five seats on the City Council will be filled by Democrats.

“I’m just glad to get reelected and serve the city and to head up the projects we’ve started and get them completed,” Hovis said Tuesday night after hearing the results outside the Board of Elections office.

Mayor Bobby Huitt and Councilman Les Cloninger, who were both running unopposed, received 717 and 720 votes, respectively.

The three candidates waited on the second floor of the Citizens Center with family and friends for hours while votes were tabulated.

Every so often the elevator doors slid open and ballot boxes were carried in and whisked down the hall to another room.

As each five precinct’s ballots were counted and confirmed, an elections official passed out pieces of paper announcing the totals.

A total 924 people turned out for this year’s municipal elections, just 18 percent of Lincolnton’s 5,120 registered voters.

That’s more than the last city elections, said Board of Elections Director Judy Caudill.

That election brought out only 12.7 percent — or 760 people. She attributes the increase in voters to the opposition on the ballot.

The Boger City precinct had the poorest turnout, with less than 5 percent of the area’s registered voters coming to the polls. Lincolnton North had the highest turnout — 18.6 percent of the 1,519 voters cast ballots.

Rhyne beat Hovis in the Asbury precinct, taking 19 votes to Hovis’ 16.

Hovis handily won the other four precincts and was especially successful in the absentee category. He garnered 182 votes to Rhyne’s two.

Hovis commended Rhyne on running a clean campaign and said he was a worthy opponent.

The winners were enthusiastic and ready to continue their work on the council, they said Tuesday night.

“I’m very pleased that the people of Lincolnton have chosen to let us stay in office to complete the projects we’ve started,” Cloninger said.

Huitt also took their victories as a sign of public confidence.

“I think the public is proud of what we’ve done,” he said.

Some voters chose to write in their own candidates for mayor and the council’s Ward II seat.

Topping the write-ins for mayor were David Machado, 6; Ted Heavner, 1; John Cloninger, 2; Fred Jarrett, 2; Raymond Langlois, 1; and Mickey Mouse, 1.

Receiving votes for City Council were Peter Acker, 2; James Hoyle, 2; Everette Haigler, 1; Dale Punch, 2; and Kojack, 1.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

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