Pasquotank County NcArchives News.....PERQUMANS MAN MAY RUN FOR GOVERNOR (OF N.C) IN " 96 November 30, 1995 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: GERALD WIGGINS www.gwiggins@inteliport.com December 2, 2005, 9:38 pm THE DAILY ADVANCE November 30, 1995 TITLE : UNKNOWN DEMOCRATIC HOEPFUL SAYS HE CHANGED PARTIES ONLY WEEKS AGO, BY TOM LANGHORNE STAFF WRITER , FOR THE DAILY ADVANCE IN NORTH CAROLINA. READS IN PART HAS, THIRTY YEAR-OLD STATE EMPLOYEE GERALD GLENN WIGGINS OF PERQUIMANS COUNTY ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY THAT HE MAY RUN FOR GOVERNOR AS A DEMOCRAT NEXT YEAR-BUT BEFORE HE DOES HAVE TO GET REGISTER TO VOTE. FOLLOWING WIGGINS' 2.30 P.M. PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE ELIZABETH CITY HOLIDAY INN, PERQUIMANS COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIRWOMAN LILLIAN HOLMAN SAID AN ELECTIONS BOARD EMMPLOYEE HAD TOLD HER THAT WIGGINS IS NOT REGISTERED TO VOTE IN THE COUNTY. THE PERQUIMANS ELECTIONS BOARD OFFICE IS OPEN ONLY NINE HOURS A WEEK, AND EMPLOYEES THERE COULD NOT BE REACHED WEDNESDAY. AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE, WIGGINS SAID HES IS REGISTERED TO VOTE IN PERQUIMANS COUNTY. ARTICLE 6' SECTION OF THE NORTH CAROLINA CONSTITUTION STATES THAT ONE OF THE REQUIRMENTS FOR STATEWIDE CANDIDATES IS BEING A "QUALIFIED NORTH CAROLINA VOTER." WIGGINS SAID WEDNESDAY THAT HES HAS BEEN AN EMPLOYEE WITH THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS. AS A "GENERAL UTILITY WORKER." HE SAID,HE DELIVERS PARTS WITHIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT OFFICES SWEEPS FLOORS AND DUMPS TRASH. WEDNESDAY's PRESS CONFERENCE ATTENDED ONLY BY THREE PEOPLE WHO IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES AS MEMBER OF THE CANDIDATE'S FAMILY, LASTED ABOUT 10 MINUTES. DURING THAT TIME WIGGINS SAID HE ISN'T YET READY TO ANNOUNCE A FULL_FLEDGED CANDIDACY. "I'M INVESTIGATING WHETHER THE LAW ALLOWS ME TO RUN AS A STATE EMPLOYEE," EMPLOYEE, " HE SAID. IF IT DOESN't THEN I WILL BE EXAMINE IT AT THAT TIME." DESCRIBING HIMSELF HAS A CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT," CONTINUD FROM PAGE 1A (WIGGINS SWITCHED PARTIES) READS ON IN PART, WIGINS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT HE SWITCHED FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY ONLY WEEKS AGO. HE SAID HE HAD DONE SO "BECAUSE YOU CAN VOTE EITHER WAY THAT WAY, " FURTHER ATTEMPTS TO QUESTON HIM ABOUT THE MATTER ELICITED VAGUE RESPONSES. THE DAILY ADVANCE RECEIVED A NOTICE LAST MONTH THAT WIGGINS WOULD ANNOUNCE HIS CADIDACY FOR GOVERNOR AS A REPUBLICAN BUT THAT PRESS CONFERENCE WAS CONCELED , REACTION AMONG STATE AND LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OFFICIALS TO WIGGINS ' PROSPECTIVE CANDIDACY WAS INDIFFERENT. HOLMAN SAID SHE HAD NEVER HEARD OF WIGINS UNTL SHE SAW ON ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE IN THE DAILY ADVANCE EARLER THIS WEEK. SHE SAID HADN"T KNOWN EVEN THEN THAT WIGGINS IS RESIDENT OF PERQUIMANS COUNTY. SALLIE STOHER, COMMUNICATONS DIRECTOR FOR THE NORTH CAROLINA DEMOCRATIC PARTY SAID SHE TOO HAD NEVER HEARD OF WIGGINS. SEAN WALSH ASSISTANT PRESS SECRETARY FOR GOV JIM HUNT SAID HES HAS NO KNOWLEDGED OF WIGGINS " OTHER THAN SEEING HIS NAME IN THE AP WIRE. WALSH LATER REPORTED THAT THE GOVERNOR" OFFICE HAS NO RESPONSE TO WIGGINS' ANNOUNCE HIS CANDIDACY FOR RE-ELECTION WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. ASKED WEDNESDAY IF HE REALIZES THAT HE WILL HAVE TO DEFEAT HUNT IN A DEMOCRATIC PARTY PRIMARY TO BE SUCCESSFUL WIGGINS SAID ONLY THAT HE WILL DO HIS BEST. HE SAID STATE DEMOCRATS SHOULD CHOOSE HIM OVER HUNT BECAUSE HE CAN DO A BETTER JOB" than the governor. AS GOVERNOR, WIGGINS SAID, HE WOULD COMBAT WASTE IN GOVERMENT, FIGHT FOR BETTER BENEFITS AND WAGES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND TEACHERS, PUT HARDENED CRIMINALS TO WORK IN ROAD GANGS, LOBBY FOR ABOLITON OF PAROLE AND FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, AND GIVE WELFARE RECIPIENTS INCENTIVES TO BE PRODUCTIVE.( TAKEN FROM FRONT PAGE OF THE DAILY ADVANCE AND CONTINUED ON TO PAGE 5A ,THE DAILY ADVANCE IS A PUBLICATIONS IN ELIZABETH CITY NORTH CAROLINA. OF NOVEMBER 30, 1995) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/pasquotank/newspapers/perquman10gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ncfiles/ File size: 4.3 Kb