District Attorney – Benjamin Zellinger

Benjamin ‘Boz’ Zellinger
Democrat
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Occupation: Assistant District Attorney, Wake County DA OfficeWhat is the central role of the district attorney? The District Attorney is obviously the chief prosecutor in the county, so the elected DA determines what is appropriate and just in all of the cases that come through our criminal courts. I think the DA has a role as an administrator in running an office with a pretty big budget and a lot of folks working under it making sure the office continues to hum and is able to address the thousands and thousands of cases that come through court everyday. Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations. How would you handle cases like these in Wake County?

Wake County Commission: Joe Bryan

Joe Bryan
Party: Republican
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Age: 61
Occupation: Financial Advisor
City: Knightdale
Incumbent: Yes, first elected in 2002
Do you support the half-cent sales tax for public transit and why or why not? The current draft transit plan, I do not support. It’s my understanding that Triangle Transit is revamping the transit plan. There’s clearly a difference of opinion between the plan and some of the advocates as well as the business community – the Regional Transportation Alliance – on whether the effort is toward light rail or toward bus rapid transit. The methodology there is significant.

Clerk of Superior Court – Joe Teague

Joe E. Teague, Jr.
Republican
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Age: 67
Occupation: Professional Engineer
City: RaleighVery few people actually know what the Clerk of Court does, what information should voters know about this office in order to cast an informed vote? I think most people have no idea what Clerk of Court does. And they don’t know who the current Clerk of Court is or who served before her or what the history of the job is. There’s a Clerk of Court for Superior Court as well as the Appellate right on up to U.S. Supreme Court. The Clerk of Court here in North Carolina for Wake County is an elected position and essentially I guess the two primary things that I’m expecting is, and I have some other interests, the primary things I’m expecting is the file system for the court records.

District Court Judge District 10 (Fullwood)

Craig Croom

District 10
Party: Non-partisan race
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Age: 46
Occupation: Administrative Law Judge
City of Residence: Raleigh

Charles Gilliam

District 10
Party: Non-partisan race
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Age: 63
Occupation: Teaches legal classes at North Carolina State University
City of Residence: Raleigh

District Attorney – Nancy Lorrin Freeman

Nancy Lorrin Freeman
Democrat
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Occupation: Wake County Clerk of Superior Court

What is the central role of the district attorney? The role of the District Attorney’s Office is to make sure that the important work our law enforcement officers do in the community doesn’t fall apart when it gets to the courthouse. We file over 100,000 criminal matters here a year, there’s over 80 people in the DA’s office, and so the office needs a strong manager who can make sure that those cases are handled in a way that first and foremost promotes public safety, but that also seeks justice and is fair. Some judicial districts around the state make use of special courtroom procedures or pleas for minor offenses like traffic violations. How would you handle cases like these in Wake County?

Clerk of Superior Court – Jennifer Knox

Jennifer Knox
Republican
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Age: 39
Occupation: District Court Judge
City: RaleighVery few people actually know what the Clerk of Court does. What information should voters know about this office in order to cast an informed vote? The Clerk of Court’s office is responsible for all of the legal filings in Wake County. All 100 counties in North Carolina have a Clerk of Court. And, of course, Wake County is the second biggest county in the state.

NC Senate District 15: Jim Fulghum

Jim Fulghum
Republican
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Age: 69
Occupation: Neurosurgeon
City: RaleighWhat do you think about the ongoing discussions over turning the Dix property into a park and how would you help resolve the issue? The mental health purpose of the property has been somewhat replaced by, in Wake County, the Wakebrook facility, now serving as both a triage and also an acute care facility and an evaluation facility, which has greatly relieved some of the pressure that exists locally on the need for hospital beds and also relieving some of the emergency room parking that was going on with people with mental health issues actually being houses in emergency rooms awaiting bed placements. That relief of the problem in regard to closing Dix in Wake County has been somewhat lessened. I’m still listening to the lease discussions although they are essentially being held in private, they are ongoing and it will be a matter of the best use of the land, the buildings for the most part are not up to any hospital standards and a great deal of money would be required to get them back to the standard from the standpoint of hospital use. I had hoped at one time that might be possible, but I don’t see that as likely at this point.

Clerk of Superior Court – Blair Williams

Blair Williams
Democrat
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Age: 52
Occupation: Attorney, Legal Officer, and Probate Judge for the Wake County Clerk of Court
City of Residence: CaryVery few people actually know what the Clerk of Court does. What information should voters know about this office in order to cast an informed vote? That is a question that I have gotten a lot. I will be talking to folks that typically don’t have any interactions with the courthouse. The first thing is that they’re surprised that it’s an elected position, then they’re surprised that it is a partisan position, and then they are very surprised that anyone would want to run so that they can sit next to the judge while the judge is holding court.