Dead man is elected to Union County post
JULIA OLIVER
joliver@charlotteobserver.com

Union County elected a man who died last month to a little-known environmental post with more than 12,000 votes Tuesday.

More people voted for Sam Duncan, who died Oct. 7, than anyone else in the race for Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor. He got more votes than two living candidates, including the board's chairman, Warren Case.

Some people familiar with the board said its obscurity make elections unpredictable.

"The soil conservation district is not a high-profile election," said Osco Jackson, who served on the board for 10 years before being ousted in 2004. The job comes with no salary, and few people campaign.

"Most people are not aware of the candidates; they just vote by name," Jackson said. He also said Duncan's name was well-known in the county for his work in the agricultural community and for his cooking with a catering business.

The five-member board is charged with encouraging environmentally sound agricultural practices. It has a $250,000 budget, most of which is state and federal money to be distributed to farmers, Case said.

Voters were asked to choose two of three candidates for the board Tuesday. The candidate with the second-highest number of votes was newcomer Maria Teitleman. A replacement for Duncan will be appointed by the board and its staff, Case said.

-- Edited by Ruby at 19:47, 2006-11-09

-- Edited by Ruby at 20:06, 2006-11-09