Lovin, Snow win
By Dwight Otwell Editor

Sheriff Keith Lovin and North Carolina Senator John Snow have been elected to return to the office they have served for the past four years.

Snow, a Democrat, received about 60 percent of the overall vote. In Cherokee County, the District 50 Senator got 5,959 votes to 3,199 for Republican Kim McKim. Snow won 15 of 16 precincts. He lost only in Hot House. Snow will begin his second term of office.

Democratic Sheriff Keith Lovin also won his second term in office, soundly defeating Republican challenger Ralph Kephart. Lovin received more than twice the votes of Kephart, a former Register of Deeds for Cherokee County.

Lovin got 6,114 votes to 2,986 for Kephart. Lovin won 15 of 16 Cherokee County precincts, losing only in Hanging Dog.

Loving, at the Cherokee County Courthouse, said after his victory, "I think we have been successful because the people in Cherokee County worked with us. It has been an effort from everyone in the community. I feel good that we won by that margin."

Snow, speaking at the Democratic headquarters in Murphy, said that overall, he won by about a 60/40 percentage.

"The people know I really worked hard for them," he said. "I worked on the septic permit problem here and I worked with Roger (West), (Republican representative for Cherokee County).

Snow pointed out that during his first year as a state senator he was able to chair an important appropriations committee. The lack of experience by McKim probably hurt him, Snow said.

"I hope the people look at the fact that I worked so hard and tried to do a good job," Snow said. "I had all these people calling and working for me. My family really supported me. I think that tomorrow I might be able to clean out my car and garage."

Snow said that a big issue he will work on in the immediate future is health care. Over 48 million people in the United States and 1.3 million in North Carolina have no health care, he said. He wants to boost funding for the Health Choice program for kids.

He will also work on economic issues and other health care issues such as a cancer research center in Raleigh and an aging research center for western North Carolina.

"We might look into alzheimer's and osteoporosis," he said. A $48 million building will be built for aging care, he said.

NC State House District 120 Representative Roger West had no opposition and will return to Raleigh.

Cherokee County Clerk of Court Gerald Breedlove also had no opposition and will continue in that position.

Local elected officials will take office December 1 or shortly after the first of December.