The top race on the 2020 ballot for North Carolina’s District 56, and every district around the country, for that matter, has received plenty of attention.
But the last one on the ballot is quite different. It isn’t being fought with debates, rallies or millions of dollars in ad-buys, only a $5 filing fee from one candidate.
Gail Hughes is the only candidate on the ballot of District 56 (which includes East Chapel Hill High School) for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor, and she promotes her campaign mainly through Facebook and by word of mouth.
“When I talk to people in the community I will tell them, ‘When you see my name on the ballot, yes, that’s me,’” said Hughes, who has also filled out questionnaires from organizations like the Orange League of Women Voters. “And I’ve had a few people email me and ask me about my running and what a Soil and Water Supervisor is, so I’ve replied to them.”
The supervisor position is one of five that comprises the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation Board of Supervisors. The supervisors, three elected and two appointed by a state commission, appropriate funds for agricultural projects and work with local landowners to improve their soil conditions and combat erosion. Serving on the board is essentially a volunteer position, as the supervisors are paid only a small stipend to fund their travel around the county.
Before she retired in January, Hughes, who is involved with many agricultural organizations around North Carolina but has never held publicly-elected office, had worked on the staff under the Board of Supervisors for over 37 years.
“I decided it was time to let someone else have fun doing that,” said Hughes, who has been in soil and water conservation ever since a soil conservation class at N.C. State piqued her interest. “Then COVID hit.”
The novel coronavirus pandemic caused a hiring freeze, so Hughes returned to the Soil and Water Conservation District office to work part-time. But in May, board member Roger Tate announced that he wouldn’t be running for re-election, so Hughes spoke to him about running for his vacant seat.
“I guess as I got closer to retirement age I thought if there was ever an opportunity [to run for the board], that might be something that I would think about doing,” said Hughes, who is the sister of County Commissioner Earl McKee. “But I didn’t think I would be running this quickly.”
After speaking with each board member individually and gaining each of their support, Hughes made the decision to run, paid her $5 filing fee to the Board of Elections and was officially on the ballot.
“It was a little surreal,” Hughes said.
When the filing period ended in July, Hughes accessed the sample ballot and saw only her name under Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor.
“That was a little bit of a relief, because I have never run a campaign,” she said. “Then I pulled up the ballot probably about a month ago and saw my name on there and it was a different feeling. I was like, ‘Wow, okay. I’m running for office!’”
They may be on opposite ends of the ballot, but there is one connection between the race for the White House and the race for Orange County Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor: they are the only two elections on the ballot in which voters can write in a candidate.
The Board of Elections has traditionally sent the Board of Supervisors a report of the vote counts, including the write-ins.
“People have written in Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Roger Rabbit, but then
there were real people that were written too,” Hughes said. “I’ve had a couple friends tell me they’d been writing my name in for years.”
The Soil and Water Board of Supervisors is also the only nonpartisan election on the ballot for District 56, and Hughes said she is glad that the position is nonpartisan.
“For a soil and water supervisor, to me it really doesn’t matter what party or what side you’re on,” she said. “I think the goal is the same. Our goal is to make sound decisions for the county.”
Hughes recognizes the low profile of this race, but still hopes voters grasp its importance. As a supervisor, she would hope to hire more staff, make sure the district continues to receive the funding necessary to educate children about soil and water and help local landowners.
“Most people don’t realize what Soil and Water supervisors do,” Hughes said. “Keeping quality soil and water and protecting those natural resources is really our livelihood.”
If she wins, Hughes will officially join the board—after 30 years of reporting to and working for it—for a virtual meeting in early December.
“I’ll have to adjust to my role,” Hughes said. “Now I’ll have to sit back and listen and help make decisions.”
But even running unopposed, Hughes doesn’t want to take anything for granted.
“I don’t want to assume that I’ve won until after the elections,” she said. “Anything can happen, especially this year.”
Photo courtesy of Gail Hughes
