Oaths sworn, as local officials assume office

Oaths were sworn Monday by local elected officials, who are officially beginning new terms following last month’s election.

Three Sampson County commissioners, the Clerk of Court and his staff and three Soil and Water District Supervisors sworn oaths Monday morning in the Sampson County Courthouse. The sheriff took his oath during a separate ceremony at noon Monday at the Clinton Family Worship Center.

All local races in November’s general election lacked competition.

Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, the five-term Republican sheriff, earned his sixth term last month, while Clerk of Court Chris Fann, also a Republican, won his second term in that post. Neither had opposition for their respective offices in the primary and similarly were uncontested for the November election.

For the Sampson Board of Commissioners, incumbents Republican Sue Lee, representative for District 3 and the current board chair, and Democrat Thaddeus Godwin, Sr., District 5 representative, had no opposition in their primaries and similarly have no competition for the general election. Similarly, newcomer Republican Allen McLamb was unopposed in November for the District 1 post.

McLamb took down incumbent Clark Wooten in the primary, and there was no Democrat challenger on the ballot for the winner. Wooten was chairman of the board for more than five years and has held the District 1 seat since the end of 2014, however it was McLamb that ran away with more than 70% of the vote in the primary.

Lee was elected to her first term back in 2014, making history as the first female county commissioner in Sampson. She took the chairperson seat at the end of last year, again making history as the first woman in to hold the gavel for the county board. Godwin was sworn in as District 5 appointee in February 2018 following Albert Kirby’s departure for a judgeship, and won election to the post later that year to keep the seat for the next four years. He did the same last month.

N.C. Senator Brent Jackson (R-Sampson) joined the bevy of local candidates who had no opposition the recent election. He has represented District 10, which includes Sampson, Duplin and Johnston, since Jan. 1, 2011. He earned his seventh term in office and, this time due to redistricting, it will be for District 9, which now encompasses Sampson.

District Attorney and Republican incumbent Ernie Lee is returning to North Carolina’s 5th Prosecutorial District, which includes Duplin, Jones, Onslow and Sampson counties. He had no competition in the general election, with no Democrat candidates filing early this year to contest him. Lee earned a victory in May’s Republican primary over challenger Kevin Kiernan, amassing nearly 69% of the district vote.

N.C. House of Representatives District 22 Rep. William Brisson (R-Bladen), whose district includes Sampson, also had no opposition, elected to his ninth term in the House.

Henry E. Moore III and Craig Thornton both retained their Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor posts, as there were no challengers. They swore oaths, along with James Lamb.