LUMBERTON — The line is forming to fill the seat on the Robeson County Board of Commissioners left vacant by the death of Berlester Campbell.

Five names have surfaced as possible replacements for Campbell, including two people who ran and lost to Campbell in the primary. His widow has also expressed an interest.

Campbell died at his home on Sept. 28, a little more than four months after effectively assuring himself another four-year term as the District 2 representative by winning the May 8 Democratic Party primary. He would have been unopposed in the Nov. 6 general election. Campbell first joined the county board in 1992 and served until 2002. He won re-election to the board in 2014.

Campbell defeated Nick Evans and Hubert Sealey in the primary by receiving 1,533 votes to Sealey’s 785 and Evans’ 723.

“Yes, absolutely,” Evans said when asked if he wants to be considered.

The fact that he entered the May 8 primary is evidence of that, said Evans, a self-employed, lifelong farmer in the Whitehouse Township of the Marietta community.

He wants the opportunity to bring his level-headed approach to the county board and vote the way most of the district’s residents would vote if they had the chance, Evans said. He wants to raise county support in addressing the issues faced in District 2.

“I’m not for sale,” he said. “My vote can’t be bought.”

Sealey said he has lived in District 2 for all his life. He defeated Campbell in 2002 and then served three terms, before losing in 2014.

“I have the experience of serving,” he said.

He said he knows the district’s needs and has the knowledge to address them.

Political novice Brisco Stackhouse, 50, also plans to throw his hat in the selection ring. This may be his first venture into the political landscape, but he is familiar with a lot of people in local politics, Stackhouse said.

“My biggest interest is to make sure the people of Robeson County actually are represented, and represented as a whole,” Stackhouse said.

He wants to make sure the needs of all people, young and old, are met, Stackhouse said. His fiancé, Kellie Sampson, is a member of the Lumbee Tribe, and he has lived and worked with people of all races.

Stackhouse, who lives in Fairmont, runs his own landscaping business, called Stackhouse Farms. He also works as an electrician at Steven Roberts Original Desserts in Pembroke.

Stackhouse is a retired member of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, for which he served as the sergeant-at-arms. He is a member of Masonic Lodge 427 in Fairmont and is a trustee at Spring Branch Baptist Church in Proctorville.

He has yet to approach leaders of the local Democratic Party to make known his interest in the vacant Board of Commissioners seat.

“I was looking for the appropriate time,” Stackhouse said. “I have learned that other people are interested.”

Pauline Campbell has publicly stated her interest in filling her late husband’s seat on the board.

Campbell, who could not be reached for comment, asked on Tuesday for the support of the Fairmont Board of Commissioners in her bid to serve her late husband’s term. She told the commissioners she has years of experience and is prepared for the task of serving the term for which her late husband was re-elected.

“He accomplished a lot while he was in office, but he did not do it alone,” she said. “I am asking for your support in representing District 2.”

Campbell was at Monday’s county Board of Commissioners meeting. Almost immediately after accepting a plaque honoring her late husband, Campbell said she wanted to replace him on the board.

Terry Evans, a member of the Fairmont Board of Commissioners, is the fifth person whose name is being mentioned in conversations about who should serve Campbell’s next four-year term. But Evans is serving his second four-year term on the Fairmont board and hasn’t talked to anyone about moving to the county board.

He has thought about presenting himself as a candidate, Evans said. But he isn’t planning to approach local party leaders to express an interest.

“This is up to the people of the district,” Evans said.

However, if he is elected by the district’s executive committee he will serve in Campbell’s stead, Evans said.

And it will be up to the District 2 executive committee to decide who serves come January.

“The board has no say in it,” Gary Locklear, interim county attorney, said recently.

The county board can only appoint someone to serve the remainder of Campbell’s current term, Locklear said. So far that has not happened.

Whoever serves Berlester Campbell’s four-year term must be nominated by executive committee members participating in the selection meeting, said Edward Henderson, Red Springs mayor and Robeson County Democratic Party chairman.

No date has been set for the selection meeting, Henderson said.

“There’s been a lot going on getting early voting started,” he said.

The goal is to have someone selected by December so the person picked can take part in the board’s swearing-in ceremony, he said.

“A couple people have called me to say they want to be considered,” said Henderson, identifying them as Pauline Campbell and Sealey.

He told them they need to contact precinct leaders and say they want to be considered, Henderson said. He can’t nominate anyone or vote on a nominee because he doesn’t live in District 2.

Nick Evans
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_evans-nick.jpgNick Evans

Sealey
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Sealey-Hubert.jpgSealey

Pauline Campbell
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Campbell-Pauline.jpgPauline Campbell

Terry Evans
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_Evans-Terry.jpgTerry Evans

T.C. Hunter

Managing editor

Reach T.C. Hunter by calling 910-816-1974 or via email at [email protected].