Blogs

Guest Post by Matt Compton

Bob Dumas, the host of radio-station G105's morning "Showgram" is organizing a "Heterosexual Pride Parade" to be held in Chapel Hill a week from Saturday. Anyhow, he's already gone through the proper legal hoops, and if I heard correctly on the radio this morning, he lacks only a central meeting location in order to attain permission from the Town of Chapel Hill.

Apparently, this is for real. Dumas told his listeners that he was expecting a huge crowd to show up for the event, including "hundreds of students." A listener of the Showgram is even manufacturing apparel for the event, which the disk jockey plugged on the radio program this morning.

Dumas and the Showgram are no strangers to controversy. Just months ago, a Durham minister circulated a petition calling for Dumas' resignation after he heard the disk jockey insult American Idols winner Fantasia Barrino as "ghetto" and "low class."

Guest Post by Terri Buckner

Periodically on OP the issue of voter-owned elections (also known as Clean Elections) has been raised as a solution to the rampant influence of money in politics. Legislation (SB 760) was before the state legislature last year to give local governments the authority to enact their own clean elections, but it never reached a vote so it will have to be reintroduced this year. Next year will bring us a new round of local elections. How might these elections be different if we had voter-owned elections? Would we see different kinds of candidates? Would there be more openness about controversial issues such as town/gown relationships?

Tuesday is the Democratic runoff primary contest between June Atkinson and Marshall Stewart. They are running against each other for the Democratic nomination for Superintendent of Public Instruction.

I'll let the candidates speak for themselves:

June Atkinson from the Herald-Sun Votebook:

Favorite Book: "Cold Sassy Tree . . . Laws and policy should be the honest and accurate expression of the will of the people."

Marshall Stewart from the Herald-Sun Votebook:

Favorite Book: "Bible . . . I have very strong values that are based on my faith."

The polls will be in their regular places and open for the regular amount of time (6:30 am - 7:30 pm). If you are registered Democrat or if you are Unaffiliated (and you voted in the Democratic Primary last month) then you are eligible to vote.