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As they mourn the death of County Commissioner Deb Hays, the New Hanover County Republican Party is preparing to undergo the task of recommending someone to fill the 64-year-old's vacant seat.

"We're absolutely devastated by the untimely passing of Deb Hays. She was a phenomenal community servant and leader and an even greater person," according to a statement from the party, which is chaired by Nevin Carr. "Unfortunately we do have to go about the business of replacing her and we will be following a process similar to what we did with the recent opening at the register of deeds. We will open applications ... and we will begin an interviewing process in the coming days with an objective to have a name to the commissioners by April 14."

Because Hays was a Republican, the Republican party recommends a person to fill the seat on the Board of Commissioners, explained county spokeswoman Jessica Loeper in an email Monday. "That recommendation will come to the Board of Commissioners, but then it is the boards decision as to who fills that seat. The person must be a resident of New Hanover County and registered as Republican, since Commissioner Hays was elected as a Republican. This process must be done within 60 days of a seat becoming vacant."

Hays, who died of what was likely a heart attack Saturday, was elected to the board in 2020.

The board of commissioners, which now has two Republicans (LeAnn Pierce and Chairman Bill Rivenbark) and two Democrats (Jonathan Barfield and Rob Zapple) doesn't have to approve the party's choice. In 2012, the commissioners voted against the New Hanover County Republican Party's nominee to fill the seat that had been occupied by Rick Catlin, who left as a result of his election to the N.C. House of Representatives. Instead of physician Derrick Hickey, according to a WHQR story at the time, the BOC voted for Republican Thomas Wolfe to fill the vacancy.

But filling the seat was not on the minds of Hays' friends, colleagues and fellow elected officials Monday as they tried to absorb the news. In addition to serving as a county commissioner, Hays was a Realtor with Wilmington-based Intracoastal Realty Corp.

"Our team at Intracoastal is shocked and devastated by her passing. She had been with us for almost 20 years and was part of our companys cultural foundation. Deb was a servant leader, first and foremost," Trey Wallace, president of Intracoastal Realty, said Monday. "She always put her family, her clients, her friends, and the community above all else, and was doing great work for many of us as a recently elected New Hanover County Commissioner.

"In todays polarized world, she was one of the few bridge builders, and selfless champion that the world is already in short supply of."

In addition to her roles as commissioner and Realtor, Hays had served on other community boards, including chairing the Wilmington Planning Commission. She was most recently the chair of Wilmington Downtown Inc.

Barfield said she is already missed. "Deb Hays was very passionate about the work she did in county government. She wanted to see downtown businesses flourish, and she had a big passion for education. I am still trying to process this news; [she died] at such a young age. I'm grateful she was with her daughter and grandchildren; they were the highlight of her life."

According to Pierce, "This is a difficult time for the county and its citizens, mourning her loss. Deb's true passion was to represent the citizens of New Hanover County, and she was good at it. Right now, we're just working through everything and passing our condolences along to her daughter and grandchildren."

As of about 2 p.m. Monday, funeral arrangements for Hays had not yet been announced.

For the community, her death is a major loss, Wallace said.

"She has been involved in so many things, and in so many peoples lives, and there will be a void for many of us with her passing, me included, that may never be filled," he said. "We will miss her energy, her smile and her huge heart. The best way we can remember her is to be more like her, and if we can all do that, the world will be a better place, which is what she would have wanted."

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As they mourn Deb Hays, local Republican officials begin process of ... - Greater Wilmington Business Journal

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Letter to the editor: Those who vote Republican should think twice - Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Regarding "Trump is stoking the fires of Waco (Editorial)," (March 23): I am so disgusted by Republicans who seem to be interested only in power and not in the rule of law. This old white guy will probably never again vote for anyone with an "R" after their name.

Alan Jackson, Houston

Regarding "TEA needs to get its own house in order (Opinion)," (March 24): I taught many students from HISD at a local community college for many years.

I had a 30-year career as an English teacher. A large number of my first-year students were clearly unprepared.

Many were not used to reading anything they did not have to read. Administrators pushed large classes on teachers in areas like English, where there was great need for individual tutoring and basic literacy work. There were simply too many students and not enough time.

At the root are two related problems: What, or who, we value and thus are willing to spend money on. Everyone values their own children and wants them to do well. We must value other children and help them, too. There is only one race, and that is the human race.

Another article cites a successful takeover in Massachusetts, a state that seems to value the common good more than the state of Texas. There the students of low-income families improved in math and reading. A key reform was increasing classroom learning time and targeted small-group instruction.

Ruth N. Lpez Turley, who directs the Kinder Institute at Rice, points out that increased funding is central. As she indicates, and anyone who has read much of the research knows, learning success is highly correlated with economic status. Parents have more leisure and energy at higher economic levels to give personal help to their children, as well as more school knowledge themselves. Turley notes that HISD comprises mostly poor children, not the well-off.

We must have a revolution of values, for the good of all.

Paul L. Rowe, Houston

From school shootings to school district takeovers, it seems that parenting is the real key. Here are my thoughts and advice to parents after 67 years.

Mark Brooker, Houston

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This old white guy won't vote for a Republican any time soon (Opinion) - Houston Chronicle

Bina Shah, a Republican who ran for the 14th legislative district in 2019 and 2021, will run again for the Assembly this year despite not getting party support.

I ran in 2019, when nobody wanted to run, Shah told the New Jersey Globe. In 2021, I ran and came very close. So why not again in 2023?

The 14th district, which covers parts of Mercer and Middlesex Counties, leans Democratic but has hosted competitive races in the past. In 2021, Shah came in fourth place with 21% of the vote, losing to incumbent Assemblymen Wayne DeAngelo (D-Hamilton) and Dan Benson (D-Hamilton).

Central Jersey Republicans, who see the 14th district as a longshot pickup opportunity this year, are backing Patricia Johnson for the Senate and Adam Elias and Skye Gilmartin for the Assembly. Shah said that she was not consulted before the slate of candidates was chosen.

There was no discussion on anything, she said. They had the convention and told me, these are the winners, youre off the party line. And I said, okay, fine.

Excerpt from:
Republican Assembly slate in LD14 gets off-the-line challenger - New Jersey Globe | New Jersey Politics

Semester after semester, UMs opposing political organizations College Democrats and College Republicans have been mostly void of members with little presence on the Ole Miss campus. Recently, however, these groups have gained relevance among the student body.

This new wave of cultural campus significance can be attributed to the organizations new leadership. For College Democrats, that leader is President Ethan Robertson.

Robertson hails from Pontotoc, Miss., a town particularly influenced by conservative ideology. This right-leaning environment easily had an influence on Robertson for most of his youth, but a series of political happenings during his later teen years influenced his personal doctrine toward a more liberal view.

I definitely think all the stuff that happened with COVID-19 sort of broadened my (liberal mindset), Robertson said.

The Black Lives Matter movement and the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., also held a huge influence on Robertsons path to becoming a Democrat.

Of course, Id already been leaning on over to the moderate side before that, and then when all of that happened, I decided to switch over to being a Democrat, Robertson said.

Because of the conservative climate of his home town, Robertson revealed that he experienced some backlash from the community.

Whenever people found out, I went from being student body president and Mr. North Pontotoc to really having no friends simply because a friend found out I was a Democrat and spread the word to everybody, Robertson said.

This experience still affects Robertson, but he said that coming to a more politically diverse and accepting environment has acted as a Band-Aid to those cultural wounds. Part of that healing process included joining the University of Mississippi College Democrats, a club that on his first visit included only about five individuals yelling present at roll call.

His group debut happened to be on the same day as club executive elections. Robertson would go on to become the vice president from that round of voting. Over the following Christmas break, the then-president reached out to him and said she would be traveling abroad the following semester, meaning that Robertson would become the active president of College Democrats as a freshman.

During his appointed time as the groups leader, there has been a sharp spike in attendance. Robertson acknowledged that the route to this accomplishment was one of determination.

We dont really have outreach material. We dont have any tablecloths, signs nothing like that, Robertson said. In the past, it would just be me going to Dollar General, staying up all night painting on like a little $1 tablecloth with our little donkey on it to get people to come.

Under Robertsons lead, College Democrats have made waves not only around UM but also in the Oxford community. Just last month, the club teamed with other groups to hold a rally supporting the protection of trans youth.

It is community involvement like this that has sparked compliments from College Republicans President Colton Jones.

Theyre getting really involved in the community. Theyve been involved in several events Ive seen, Jones said. I think that means so much because its always important to remember there is no University of Mississippi without Oxford.

Similar to Robertson, Jones saw limited involvement when he arrived at his respective clubs initial meetings. The Prentiss, Miss., native was also appointed to one of his first positions.

The chairman at the time messaged me (and asked) if I would come in as secretary because, I think, someone had left the position. I wasnt expecting it, but I took it on, and weve been trying to build everything up since then, Jones said.

In April 2022, Jones was voted president of College Republicans. Since then, the organization has seen a noteworthy increase in student interaction with the organization. Jones estimates a total of 20 active members and hopes to expand these numbers.

One of my focal points would be trying to establish a good alumni base. Theres been several times that College Republicans have kind of gone down, and I want us to get to a point where we dont really go down again, Jones said. We want to make sure theres longevity and that were doing everything right.

Among his other goals for College Republicans is to form a deeper understanding of political discourse and create connections with similar-minded individuals, whether that be elected officials or fellow students.

The group is undertaking revision and enforcement of the clubs constitution. According to Jones, the book of bylaws has been updated since 2019.

One way new members have been enticed to join the organization is through guest speakers. Most recently, U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, Transportation Commissioner John Caldwell and state Sen. Chris McDaniel were guests at the College Republicans meetings.

Both presidents seem to respect each others organization.

Jones admires the way College Democrats expands their horizons to the Oxford community. Robertson applauds the College Republicans success with influential guest speakers at meetings.

Although Jones and Robertson likely disagree on a lengthy amount of policy-related topics, they share two threads: the desire for new active members within their respective organizations and acceptance that they can learn something from each other despite their differences.

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Democrat and Republican club presidents bring new life to UM ... - Daily Mississippian