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Last week ago Roger Bullis announced his withdrawal from the County Commissioner’s race, citing an obscene and potentially threatening call to his home.

Today Oriental resident Greg Piner has put his name forth as a replacement for Bullis as the Democratic nominee for Pamlico County Commissioner, Township 2. For that to happen Piner has to be formally voted on by the county Democratic Party Executive Committee. They will meet and vote on the issue on Sept 29. Meanwhile, with the election drawing near and absentee voting already underway, Greg Piner has starting to campaign. He issued this press release today, titled “Why I’m Running”:

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Last week I was approached by concerned voters in Township 2 asking me to consider running as a candidate for county commissioner in light of Roger Bullis’ recent withdrawal from the race. After careful consideration, and with the full support of my wife Nancy, I have decided to run, pending formal approval. I’ve been told that it will take about one week to insure that all the legal procedures have been completed for a proper transition.

Greg Piner with a Roger Bullis sign in front of his home. Piner says he asking asking for the Bullis signs to stay up. If Piner is confirmed as the replacement candidate, a vote for Roger Bullis will count as a vote for Greg Piner.

I came to this decision because I believe that focusing on the strengths that bring us together will better solve the challenges we face in Pamlico County. I do not believe that our voters want an election to be defined by the unfortunate events that led Roger Bullis to withdraw from the race. Each voter in Township 2 should have a choice on Election Day.

I want to be very clear that I do not believe that the verbal attack inflicted on Roger Bullis and his family in any way reflects the views of my Republican friends, nor do I believe that Chris Mele or her followers had anything to do with that phone call. I ask that we all forget about that issue as we move forward with this election.

I want you to know that I understand that every dollar spent by our county government comes out of our pockets, and that spending those dollars in a wasteful manner is an affront to us all. I also want you to know that I believe that we must continue to improve and support sound programs that guard our safety, that better educate our children, and that strengthen our economic future. If elected I will make these decisions based on reason and facts.

Finally, I want to run for county commissioner because of lessons we all learned from Hurricane Irene. A little over a year ago we all watched the flood waters envelop our county. The flood waters didn’t care whether we were Republicans or Democrats. The flood waters didn’t care if we had lived in Pamlico County for 50 years or 50 days. When the waters receded and we began our recovery, we began it as a community. We didn’t ask what party one belonged to before we took out our chainsaws, or ask how long one had lived here before we patched a leaky roof. I believe that politics, especially local politics, is about people more than dogma. I’m not naïve. I understand that we hold strong political views that sometimes separate us, but I’m also not cynical. I am running for county commissioner because I believe that what binds us together is more powerful than what tears us apart.

I hope by the end of this week I will be a formal candidate. I look forward to meeting you before November 6th. I ask for your support, and hope that you choose to let me serve as your county commissioner.

Greg Piner

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If confirmed, Piner will face incumbent Christine Mele, running on the Republican ticket. It is likely, if not almost certain, that Roger Bullis name cannot be changed on the ballot this close to the election (Election day is Tuesday Nov 6). Those wishing to vote for Mr. Piner will actually have to vote for Roger Bullis.

Posted Monday September 24, 2012 by Keith N. Smith