How Democratic candidates do in North Carolina’s 2014 and 2016 elections — when millions of voters will go to the polls — may depend a lot on a race about to be decided by less than one thousand Democratic party officials. On Saturday, February 2, six hundred or so members of the Democratic Party’s state executive committee will convene at the Durham Convention Center to elect the next state Party Chair.
Two candidates are vying for the Democrats’ top spot: former state Senator Eric Mansfield of Fayetteville and Pittsboro Mayor Randy Voller. WCHL program host Hampton Dellinger landed exclusive interviews with Mansfield and Voller (available below):
The interviews can be heard here.
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On the Porch: Chatham Commissioner David Delaney - A Life of Service and Leadership
This Week:
David Delaney is a Chatham County Commissioner representing residents in District 3, which extends from Pittsboro to the Orange County line. Elected in 2022, David's county work has focused on strategic planning, climate change, and good governance. David is a cybersecurity and privacy attorney, former senior executive with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, West Point graduate, and army veteran. He has taught national security law at Indiana University and UNC Chapel Hill, he chairs the criminal justice committee of his NAACP branch, and he is an assistant scoutmaster with a Carrboro troop.

On the Porch: Nicole Villano and Kirsha Dudenhausen on Your Local Co-op Grocery Store
This Week:
Kirsha Dudenhausen is the General Manager of Chatham Marketplace, a food co-op in Pittsboro, NC where she's worked since 2021. Working at The Chatham Marketplace means Kirsha can make a difference in her community by helping to provide access to fresh, local goods while supporting regional farmers and other producers. Kirsha celebrates working in a place where she shares common values with employees and customers. Kirsha and her family have lived in Pittsboro since 2018.
Nicole Villano is a Strategy and Development Manager for the National Cooperative of Grocers, a business service cooperative for retail food co-ops in the US. Prior to that she was the General Manager at Deep Roots Market in Greensboro, NC, where she still lives and works remotely. She earned an Anthropology degree from Appalachian State and is working on a Master’s in Sustainability at UNCG. Nicole also serves as Board President for Carolina Common Enterprise, a non-profit cooperative development agency. Nicole believes that food systems are unsustainable without cooperation and that local food economies are critical to our future.

On the Porch: Heather Washburn of Calico Creations
This Week:
Heather Washburn is the President of Calico Studio, a boutique multidisciplinary design firm with clients on both the East and West Coasts of the US. She has built her career on listening to her clients, looking for patterns, and thinking outside the box. Heather is also the owner of Calico Creates, the artistic arm of Calico where she creates fine art and upcycled accessories such as bags and wallets. She is the founder of Calico Makers Market which happens twice a year. Heather is a native of NC, local architect, an artist member of the Orange County Artists Guild, and other community organizations.

On the Porch: A Conversation about Ukraine and US Foreign Policy with Dr. Jim Crawford
This Week:
Born into a blue collar and agricultural clan in rural Pennsylvania, Jim Crawford was the first in his family to graduate from college. Earning his PhD from UNC, he taught US and World History at several universities in piedmont North Carolina for several decades. He served as chairman of the Chatham County board of commissioners, and currently serves as trustee for Central Carolina Community College. He is a firm believer in American democracy and trusts that the constitution will hold firm now as it has in past crises despite the broken, distempered electorate.

On the Porch: A Conversation with Dr. Jennifer Platt
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Dr. Jennifer Platt has three decades of public health leadership practice in policy and program development, implementation. She specializes in using systems thinking approaches to solve complex problems. Dr. Platt runs TickWarriors, LLC, specializing in eco-friendly pest control and their sister nonprofit Tick-borne Conditions United (TBCU). TBCU strives to bridge the gaps between patients, emerging science, and healthcare provider education.

On the Porch: A Conversation with Dr. Jim Crawford
This Week:
Born into a blue collar and agricultural clan in rural Pennsylvania, Jim Crawford was the first in his family to graduate from college. Earning his PhD from UNC, he taught US and World History at several universities in piedmont North Carolina for several decades. He served as chairman of the Chatham County board of commissioners, and currently serves as trustee for Central Carolina Community College. He is a firm believer in American democracy and trusts that the constitution will hold firm now as it has in past crises despite the broken, distempered electorate.

On the Porch: A Conversation with Elana Etten
This Week:
Host Randy Voller, welcomes Elana Etten, the digital marketing expert on a mission to help small businesses and nonprofits ‘Streamline. Strategize. Simplify.’ As the owner of Identity Marketing US, Elana uses powerful tools like AI and automation to take the work out of marketing and business processes, saving business owners valuable time and helping them reach more customers. Since 2015, her clients have seen game-changing results, like surviving the pandemic, increasing their customer base, and cutting their business process hours in half. Elana’s motto is simple: ‘It’s time to automate your business’ so you can focus on what matters most. Let Identity Marketing help you leave your mark today.
NC Democrats, Chairman Reach Complaint Settlement
The chairman of North Carolina's Democratic Party and four current or former party leaders are resolving their dispute.
Dellinger Interviews Candidates for NC Democratic Party Chair
How Democratic candidates do in North Carolina’s 2014 and 2016 elections — when millions of voters will go to the polls — may depend a lot on a race about to be decided by less than one thousand Democratic party officials. On Saturday, February 2, six hundred or so members of the Democratic Party’s state […]
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