2/9/06 Kan
Nicole Quick
Media Report
Draft
June 18, 2020
Part I Introduction
This report reviews electronically available news stories on Nicole Quick, candidate for the NC House.
The Table of Contents in Part II of the report is a useful guide to the entire report and can be used as a stand-alone summary. In one section, it surveys the bulk of the news file, through the headlines we have assigned to each item.
Part III, the Greatest Hits section, identifies key points taken from available media articles.
Parts IV, The News File, contain edited copies of the most relevant electronically available stories.
We hope you find this useful.
Part II Table of Contents
Part I Introduction 2
Part II Table of Contents 2
Part III Quick - Greatest Hits from Media Review 3
Background 3
Guilford County Democratic Chair 4
Letters to Editor as County Dem Chair - Defended “Going to Hell” Cheap Shot 5
McCain/Bush Tributes 6
Supported Student Walkouts on Guns 6
Bogus Challenge of Hardister Residency 7
2020 Campaign 8
Part IV Quick – The News File, 1992-2020 9
1992 9
MAY 1992 Honors Recognition at College 9
JUN 1992 Inducted into Honors Society 9
1993 10
APR 1993 Graduates With Two Degrees 10
2017 11
JUN 2017 How She Became County Democratic Chair 11
2018 14
FEB 2018 Supports Student Gun Walkout 14
MAR 2018 Chair of Guilford County Democratic Party-Quoted on Boykin Candidacy 15
MAR 2018 Challenges Hardister Candidacy 15
APR 2018 Challenge to Candidacy Dismissed-Looked Foolish In Charge 16
JUL 2018 Picking New School Board Member 17
JUL 2018 Defends Cheap Shot By Party Official 18
AUG 2018 Tribute to McCain 19
DEC 2018 Praises Bush 41 19
2019 21
APR 2019 On High Point Elections 21
SEP 2019 “Quietly” Launches House Campaign 22
DEC 2019 Running For State House 23
2020 24
FEB 2020 Overview of Race 24
Part III Quick - Greatest Hits from Media Review
Background
• Her full maiden name is Lily Nicole Ward. She graduated from St. Andrews Presbyterian University in Laurinburg, NC in 1993. She’d been an intern for US Rep. Charlie Rose in 1992 (Brunswick Beacon, 4/8/93).
• Her father, Albert Ward, died in October 1992. The obituary mentions one sister, Desiree Ward Donaldson. (Brunswick Beacon, 10/29/92)
(From Campaign Website)
• Born in southeastern North Carolina, Nicole Quick grew up in Columbus and Brunswick Counties. Her bachelor’s degree is in politics and economics, and her master’s is in economics with a focus on economic development.
• After school, Nicole went to work in Greensboro, NC, managing a $40 million business segment of Guilford Mills. There she was responsible for all forecasting and budgeting and for planning and scheduling production. Simultaneously, she led and managed domestic and international sales forces for Guilford’s furniture and home fashions businesses.
• From Guilford Mills, she moved to a position with Brayton International, a division of Steelcase, in High Point, NC. At Brayton, she spearheaded process improvements to create greater efficiencies and led teams to reduce costs and waste while maintaining high standards of product quality.
• Nicole left Brayton to start a family. When her son Tad was diagnosed with autism, she decided to leave her career behind and undergo training in order to provide daily occupational therapy for him. Once Tad was in school, Nicole went on to work as a one-on-one aid in the classroom with him and, later, to lead teacher instruction and workshops focused on working with children with autism in inclusive classrooms.
• Currently, Nicole lives with her husband and son and 2 dogs in their home in eastern Guilford County. She and her husband have lived there for twenty years, though the son and dogs joined them more recently. ()
Guilford County Democratic Chair
Quick became County Demcoratic Chair in 2017. The alternative conservative newspaper Rhino Times of Greensboro had the background on how a squabble in the county party led to the chair who’d held the job just two weeks resigning and Quick getting a two year appointment.
• One lesson that can be taken from the Democratic political war that took place in April in Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 8 is this: Don’t cross Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston. The District 8 precinct, G-69, that nearly single-handedly kept Alston from regaining a vacant seat on the Board of Commissioners had three executive members – a chairman, vice chair and secretary – and, in the wake of the heated contest that Alston won, all three of those precinct executives have now resigned their posts and moved out of town.
• When former District 8 Guilford County Commissioner Ray Trapp stepped down from the District 8 county commissioners seat in early April to take a job with NC A&T State University, all heck broke lose during the special election process to fill that vacancy. When a handful of whites on the Guilford County Democratic Party Executive Committee – led by the three from precinct G-69 – came this close to keeping the highly popular Alston from taking that seat in the largely black district, there was outrage. And now, two months later, the chips are still falling and the county Democratic Party is scrambling to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
• The reason a small group of whites could nearly “hijack” the special election (to use Alston’s word) is that about three-quarters of the precincts in the district weren’t organized – which meant those that were, mostly white districts, had much more say in the process than the mostly black precincts that weren’t organized, since precinct chairs and vice chairs get weighted votes in the special party elections such as the one held to fill Trapp’s seat.
• In the end, Alston won the seat on the Board of Commissioners by the skin of his teeth over LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) activist and local Black Lives Matter leader April Parker – and, as soon as he did, he began striking back. Alston orchestrated filing a protest to the county and state Democratic executive committees and he and other Democratic officials have been on a blitzkrieg effort ever since to organize District 8 and transform it in a matter of months from the least organized Democratic district in the county to the most organized. Party officials now expect that, by mid-July, 100 percent of the precincts in District 8 will be organized.
• The three white leaders who led the opposition against Alston were Precinct G-69 Chairman Ryan Butler, Vice Chair Anne Evangelista and former NC District 58 Rep. Chris Sgro – who all left Greensboro right after the highly contentious proceedings of the special election………
• The county party also has a new chairman. Ralph Rodland, the former party chairman who ran the first April meeting to find Trapp’s replacement, resigned just days after that heated meeting even though he’d only held the job for two weeks.
• New Guilford County Democratic Party Chairman Nicole Quick was elected last month and now, after serving about three weeks, she’s already been at the helm longer than her predecessor and she expects to keep at it for the whole two-year term.
• Quick graduated St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, before getting her master’s degree in economics at the University of South Carolina. She worked as an efficiency manager before having a child and leaving that job to raise him and work for various causes. Quick, who’s been active in supporting programs that address autism, has a son who is autistic.
• Quick said the three vice chairs in charge of organizing districts are really getting the ball rolling across the county. “Some of our focus right now is on rural areas,” she said, adding that many precincts in southeast Guilford County need to be organized.
• There are 165 precincts in the county and 100 of those were organized on the Democratic Party side at the time of the District 8 ruckus. However, now that number is improving every week.
• In addition to a black/white divide in the party that showed itself in the Alston debate, there were other divisive elements at play as well. To a large extent, it was members of the LGBT community that fought against Alston and for Parker. Another evident split in the party is between those who supported Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee in last year’s election and those who supported Hillary Clinton.
• Parker was among a group of activists who came to the Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, June 1 to express their views on certain county budget matters.
• “For me, a big goal is more unity,” Quick said. “We have been divided, and that has not all been along racial lines. You have the Berniecrats – millennials who are more progressive – and the traditional Democrats, and I’m hoping we can find a middle ground.”
• Quick said the party has a lot of energy right now due to court rulings against gerrymandering and other factors. Quick said the protest Hayes filed will ultimately be decided by state Democratic Party executives and that, in light of the events earlier this year, party officials are making it a top priority to have widely advertised precinct meetings that are open and accessible to all.
• Quick also said Evangelista left Greensboro because she got a great job offer in Boone, and she added that Sgro took a new job in Washington, DC. She said the departures had nothing to do with crossing Alston. (Rhino Times of Greensboro, 6/15/17)
Letters to Editor as County Dem Chair - Defended “Going to Hell” Cheap Shot
As County Democratic Chair she wrote some letters to the editor. One was to defend the tasteless comment by a party official aimed at Rep. Mark Walker that said basically he’d end up in Hell because of his support of the Trump Administration
• In a recent letter to the editor (”Remark about Walker clearly went too far,” July 9), Jack Minor took issue with a Guilford County Democratic Party spokesperson, who said in response to a remark by Rep. Mark Walker (about the hot weather) that it is “probably a lot hotter in hell which is gonna be where you’ll end up.”
• We do appreciate Mr. Minor bringing this to our attention, but we would have appreciated it more if he had included the rest of the sentence: “... considering his total lack of regard for the literal babies living in tent cities on the border right now.” Consider Matthew 18:6: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and (that) he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
• For the record, the Democratic Party supports the biblical admonition against endangering children. Perhaps Rep. Walker would like to take the lead in condemning the actions of the administration he supports. Minor is right: Vulgarities have no place in political recourse. Neither does telling only the part of the story that suits you. We will ask: Where do you stand, Mark?
• Nicole Quick, Greensboro (GNR, 7/17/18)
This can still be framed as her defending a cheap shot and implying that support of Trump Administration policies on immigration will send you to Hell.
McCain/Bush Tributes
She also calculatingly wrote tribute letters after the deaths of Sen. John McCain and former President Bush, clearly to further highlight disdain for the Trump Administration.
• John McCain served his nation with honor As Democrats, we may not have always agreed with John McCain on the issues. However, one can never doubt his patriotism and his dedication to this country. (GNR, 8/28/18)
• The Guilford County Democratic Party extends our condolences to President Bush’s loved ones. His life is a testament to the ideal of country over self. (GNR, 12/8/18)
Supported Student Walkouts on Guns
• At Tuesday night's town hall, students asked lawmakers to back them up…….The Guilford County League of Women Voters and Guilford County Democratic Party are already on board.
• "They are kids, but they're truly inspiring," said Nicole Quick, the chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party. Quick is encouraging the students to reach out to Republican lawmakers too. The students say everyone is welcome to join their movement. (WGHP, 2/27/18)
Bogus Challenge of Hardister Residency
As County Chair, Quick filed a frivolous charge at Rep. Jon Hardister, whom she is now running against, over his residency eligibility in the district.
• Rep. Jon Hardister: The Republican faces a residency challenge from Lily Nicole Quick of Greensboro. Quick cites a state law saying that a legislator must have lived in “the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.”
• Hardister, first elected in 2012, moved from Greensboro to Whitsett last year. He wanted to remain in the district, which was changed slightly to eliminate the neighborhood where he had been living. Records with the Guilford County Register of Deeds show that Hardister’s parents bought the Whitsett home he claims as a residence in October 2017 - or 13 months before the Nov. 6, 2018, election. (GNR, 3/30/18)
The Board was quick to unanimously dismiss the challenge after Hardister produced evidence. The conservative alternative newspaper Rhino Times of Greensboro noted how Quick was reluctant to acknowledge her error.
• By far the most cut and dried case was that of Hardister, who brought binders of evidence that he had lived at 6427 Bellcross Trail in Whitsett since late last year. Hardister had a signed lease that began on Nov. 1, 2017, an affidavit from his next door neighbor and one from his property manager. He also had written testimony that he had been interviewed at the house by a News 2 reporter last year. He had copies of paid power and gas bills, as well as Spectrum cable bills.
• Hardister had an Instagram photo of snow outside the house’s window that he posted on Dec. 8, 2017 with a geomarker that said Whitsett, NC. About two dozen pieces of evidence were presented to the board before Kimel started hinting that they may have seen enough.
• One attorney in the room not connected with either side said after the hearing that if the horse wasn’t dead by exhibit four or five, it most certainly was by exhibit 25. Hardister and his attorneys also presented the board with the bill from movers as well as evidence of his payment of that bill for $931.43 cents……
• Guilford County Democratic Party Chair Nicole Quick filed the challenge against Hardister. When, after Hardister’s testimony, Quick was asked if she wanted to make any statement, said she was going to let the affidavit she filed “speak for itself.”
• After the meeting, when asked if the hearing convinced her of Hardister’s residency on Bellcross Trail, Quick said, “He did have a lot of evidence.” (Rhino Times of Greensboro, 4/12/18)
2020 Campaign
The leftist blog Watuaga Watch already noted ahead of media outlets that Quick was in the House race against Hardister in September 2019.
• Nicole Quick, currently the chair of the Guilford County Democrats, quietly launched[3] her campaign for the District 59 NC House seat a week ago with a private fundraiser in Greensboro. I say "quietly" because the mainstream media has taken no notice of her yet, but House Democratic Minority Leader Darren Jackson attended and so did Democratic freshman Ashton Clemmons from the neighboring 57th District. Also attending was Democratic freshman Senator Michael Garrett of the 27th Senatorial District in Guilford and Senator Gladys Robinson, also of Guilford.
• Just from that evidence alone -- pretty much every elected Democrat in Guilford County attended the Quick kick-off to show support -- we might say that Nicole Quick has been recruited, or if not directly recruited, certainly nurtured.She does have a website[4](well fleshed-out, so she's been planning this for some time), no campaign video yet, but she does have a Facebook page with a lengthy biography attached[5]. She also feeds the Twitter beast[6], and I like that in a candidate.
• What she needs: A robust field program, with aggressive field organizers who won't wait for door-knocking volunteers to appear via the website but who will hit the phones and recruit troops on the ground. For that, she'll also need comprehensive data and data managers who can turn up those high-scoring Democrats in District 59, some of whom have never volunteered for a campaign before but who will be unusually energized in 2020 because of the threat of another four years of Twitterman.
But even the leftist blogger noted that she faced an uphill climb.
• I must point out here that Jon Hardister is a popular incumbent Republican. He took almost 57% of the vote in 2018. After the most recent remapping of NC House districts, District 59 still has a 54.20% predicted Republican vote share. Michael Bitzer lists[7] the new 59th as "Lean Republican" but also "competitive." It's that last word that can send tingles down the spine. But competition also means "a hell of a lot of work!" Hope she has a campaign manager and a good bench of support staff, whether paid or volunteer. Can Nicole Quick do it? Dunno. But I'm watching from the mountains. (Watauga Watch, 9/30/19)
Her news release about running came in early December.
• ”I’m running because I believe the interest of our state’s people should come before the interests of corporate CEOs and shareholders,” Nicole Quick said in a news release, adding that her campaign would focus on such issues as the Republican-led General Assembly’s failure to expand Medicaid and approve significant teacher pay raises. (GNR, 12/3/19)
Part IV Quick – The News File, 1992-2020
1992
MAY 1992 Honors Recognition at College
Lily Nicole Ward of Holden Beach has been inducted into Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor
society in social science. She is a senior business and economics/politics major at St. Andrews College, a private liberal arts college in Laurinburg.
Juniors and seniors are eligible for membership if in the upper 35 percent of their class, with at least
20 semester hours in one of the five social science core areas, involvement in some other social science
disciplines and with a grade average of B or better. (Brunswick Beacon, 5/7/92)
JUN 1992 Inducted into Honors Society
Lily Nicole Ward of Holden Beach has been inducted into the St. Andrews Honor Society at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg. The society honors juniors and seniors who have at least a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average. (Brunswick Beacon, 6/25/92)
1993
APR 1993 Graduates With Two Degrees
[pic]
(Brunswick Beacon, 4/8/93)
2017
JUN 2017 How She Became County Democratic Chair
One lesson that can be taken from the Democratic political war that took place in April in Guilford County Board of Commissioners District 8 is this: Don’t cross Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston.
The District 8 precinct, G-69, that nearly single-handedly kept Alston from regaining a vacant seat on the Board of Commissioners had three executive members – a chairman, vice chair and secretary – and, in the wake of the heated contest that Alston won, all three of those precinct executives have now resigned their posts and moved out of town.
When former District 8 Guilford County Commissioner Ray Trapp stepped down from the District 8 county commissioners seat in early April to take a job with NC A&T State University, all heck broke lose during the special election process to fill that vacancy. When a handful of whites on the Guilford County Democratic Party Executive Committee – led by the three from precinct G-69 – came this close to keeping the highly popular Alston from taking that seat in the largely black district, there was outrage. And now, two months later, the chips are still falling and the county Democratic Party is scrambling to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
The reason a small group of whites could nearly “hijack” the special election (to use Alston’s word) is that about three-quarters of the precincts in the district weren’t organized – which meant those that were, mostly white districts, had much more say in the process than the mostly black precincts that weren’t organized, since precinct chairs and vice chairs get weighted votes in the special party elections such as the one held to fill Trapp’s seat.
In the end, Alston won the seat on the Board of Commissioners by the skin of his teeth over LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) activist and local Black Lives Matter leader April Parker – and, as soon as he did, he began striking back.
Alston orchestrated filing a protest to the county and state Democratic executive committees and he and other Democratic officials have been on a blitzkrieg effort ever since to organize District 8 and transform it in a matter of months from the least organized Democratic district in the county to the most organized. Party officials now expect that, by mid-July, 100 percent of the precincts in District 8 will be organized.
The three white leaders who led the opposition against Alston were Precinct G-69 Chairman Ryan Butler, Vice Chair Anne Evangelista and former NC District 58 Rep. Chris Sgro – who all left Greensboro right after the highly contentious proceedings of the special election.
Alston said it wasn’t because of anything he did and he insists he isn’t riding people out of town on rails.
“That was just a coincidence,” Alston said. “I’m not taking credit for that.”
He also said that, just because he’s now sitting on the Board of Commissioners and the three leaders of the opposition are gone, it doesn’t mean he is letting go of the protest. Alston said that the complaint regarding the District 8 election – and what Alston said were improprieties in the way Precinct G-69 was organized – are still relevant concerns. The protest was filed by Guilford County Board of Education member Deena Hayes, who lives in that precinct.
Among the complaints about the way the precinct was formed, Alston said, is that the meeting was held in Butler’s home rather than in a public place, proper notice to citizens wasn’t given and there were no blacks present at the meeting – and therefore there was no African-American representation in the precinct leadership, even though G-69 is 88 percent black.
“The complaint is still live,” Alston said. “I don’t care if they did leave town.”
He said that Hayes had filed the protest with his backing so that things like this wouldn’t happen in the future.
“We have to get a hearing and make a determination of a violation,” Alston said of the situation that almost cost him a seat on the Board of Commissioners. “It’s the principle of the thing. It’s a clear violation. What they tried to get away with was totally disrespectful and they almost got away with it. They had a motive to manipulate the votes and you had a small group of whites trying to oppose the will of the black district.”
Alston also said that, as polarizing and contentious as the special election was, his goal is for something positive to come out of it – the complete organization of precincts in District 8. He said that’s why he and other party leaders have been on a mission to organize all the precincts in that district and make sure it’s all done in an aboveboard manner with a large amount of citizen participation where the will of the people is reflected in the party leadership.
“My goal was to get the precinct organized in 90 days,” Alston said.
He added that it’s been about 45 days since he took office and he and others are about halfway done with organizing the district.
“By July 15, every precinct will be organized even if I have to do it every week,” he said.
Bess Lewis, the executive director of the Guilford County Democratic Party, said this has been a productive time for the party and the anxiety surrounding the special election has died down.
“It’s relatively calm,” Lewis said.
She also said Guilford County and state Democratic officials are working their way through the protest procedure.
“This is an ongoing process,” Lewis said.
Lewis added that there was now a refocused effort to organize Democratic precincts across all of Guilford County, not just District 8. She said that, after a recent party election, the local Democratic Party has new people in key positions and everyone is working hard to organize precincts. One vice chair is focused on organizing precincts across Greensboro, another is dedicated to doing so in High Point and a third is focused on organizing the other parts of Guilford County.
The county party also has a new chairman. Ralph Rodland, the former party chairman who ran the first April meeting to find Trapp’s replacement, resigned just days after that heated meeting even though he’d only held the job for two weeks.
New Guilford County Democratic Party Chairman Nicole Quick was elected last month and now, after serving about three weeks, she’s already been at the helm longer than her predecessor and she expects to keep at it for the whole two-year term.
Quick graduated St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, before getting her master’s degree in economics at the University of South Carolina. She worked as an efficiency manager before having a child and leaving that job to raise him and work for various causes. Quick, who’s been active in supporting programs that address autism, has a son who is autistic.
Quick said the three vice chairs in charge of organizing districts are really getting the ball rolling across the county.
“Some of our focus right now is on rural areas,” she said, adding that many precincts in southeast Guilford County need to be organized.
There are 165 precincts in the county and 100 of those were organized on the Democratic Party side at the time of the District 8 ruckus. However, now that number is improving every week.
In addition to a black/white divide in the party that showed itself in the Alston debate, there were other divisive elements at play as well. To a large extent, it was members of the LGBT community that fought against Alston and for Parker. Another evident split in the party is between those who supported Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee in last year’s election and those who supported Hillary Clinton.
Parker was among a group of activists who came to the Board of Commissioners meeting on Thursday, June 1 to express their views on certain county budget matters.
“For me, a big goal is more unity,” Quick said. “We have been divided, and that has not all been along racial lines. You have the Berniecrats – millennials who are more progressive – and the traditional Democrats, and I’m hoping we can find a middle ground.”
Quick said the party has a lot of energy right now due to court rulings against gerrymandering and other factors. Quick said the protest Hayes filed will ultimately be decided by state Democratic Party executives and that, in light of the events earlier this year, party officials are making it a top priority to have widely advertised precinct meetings that are open and accessible to all.
Quick also said Evangelista left Greensboro because she got a great job offer in Boone, and she added that Sgro took a new job in Washington, DC. She said the departures had nothing to do with crossing Alston. (Rhino Times of Greensboro, 6/15/17)
2018
FEB 2018 Supports Student Gun Walkout
A group of students in Guilford County is taking a stand against gun violence and they're asking the community and their lawmakers to get on board.
The students shared their message at Tuesday night's Town Hall for Guilford County, put on by the local Democratic Party and state lawmakers.
After the school shooting in Florida earlier this month, students like Dominic Patafie say they just want to feel safe when they go to school. Students are fed up with gun violence across the state.
Hundreds of them walked out at Grimsley High School last week, while other marched and spoke out in Raleigh. These students want to send a message to lawmakers.
"Not only to the legislatures in Washington but in Raleigh as well, that us as students are sick of having this threat of gun violence in the back of our heads," Patafie said.
"Pass sensible gun legislation, because we're not trying to take away guns, we're just trying to get control of guns and make sure they don't cause any more harm," Lauren Smith said.
Patafie and Smith are part of a bigger group of students organizing the March For Our Lives in North Carolina next month.
"We feel like there is something that can be done and we're trying to push for a common sense solution to this gun violence issue that has plagued our country," Patafie said.
The movement started after the Florida school shooting. The march is happening on Saturday, March 24, in Washington, D.C., but local students are planning events across the country to make sure all of their voices are heard.
At Tuesday night's town hall, students asked lawmakers to back them up.
"When politicians from both sides of the isle see all the different people from all the different walks of life coming together to say, 'Hey enough is enough,' hopefully that will inspire them to find some common ground," Patafie said.
The Guilford County League of Women Voters and Guilford County Democratic Party are already on board.
"They are kids, but they're truly inspiring," said Nicole Quick, the chair of the Guilford County Democratic Party.
Quick is encouraging the students to reach out to Republican lawmakers too. The students say everyone is welcome to join their movement.
"We're hoping, honestly, to look beyond political boundaries," Patafie said. "I don't care if you're Republican, Democrat or independent. Gun violence is an issue that should supersede that." (WGHP, 2/27/18)
MAR 2018 Chair of Guilford County Democratic Party-Quoted on Boykin Candidacy
. For nearly two years, Boykin and his husband David Smith have lived in Greensboro, North Carolina, one of North Carolina’s leading LGBT-inclusive districts, according to 2017 data by the Human Rights Campaign. Boykin claims that his campaign is not for attention, but to increase voting among residents.”I did not want the Democrats to win by default,” said Boykin, whose organization, Gays for Trump has nearly 2,000 members across the U.S. “I wanted to give them a run for their money.”The president of Log Cabin Republicans, Gregory T. Angelo, declined to comment on Boykin’s campaign. Representatives for the county’s Republican party did not immediately return requests for comment.In a message via Twitter to The Daily Beast, Boykin said remapping might favor his campaign. “The districts have all changed,” Boykin said. “So, hard to say now if its heavy Democratic anymore.”Justin Levitt, a redistricting expert from the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles said the district’s history counters these claims. “In 2011, it was reliably Democratic. Between 72 to 80 percent Democratic, depending on the particular race,” said Levitt in an email to The Daily Beast. “I’d estimate that the district was fairly reliably Democratic in 2011, and is still reliably Democratic in its new configuration.” Chairperson of the Guilford County Democratic Party, Nicole Quick, said Boykin has “little chance” of winning the 2018 election.”Even with a strong Republican candidate the odds of him winning that district would not be great,” said Quick in a phone interview with The Daily Beast. Quick said Boykin’s platform was controversial. “It’s an oxymoron because Trump is certainly not for gays,” Quick said. “He has come out to support Trump’s ban of trans folks in the military. That is not going to gain support in this district.””I’m not going to count anyone out,” she added. “We made that mistake when Trump ran.”For years, Boykin was a registered Democrat and created grassroots sites like Clintons4McCain and MissHillaryClinton, which supported their 2008 presidential campaigns. A year later, Boykin took a hiatus from politics and became an independent. In 2012, he changed his political affiliation to Republican. As a conservative, Boykin said that he often finds himself in a “Catch-22” because his views are often at a variance with many LGBT people and organizations. But, according to the Trump-supporting candidate, “In order for us to be properly represented on both sides we need gay people on all sides. You shouldn’t be able to figure out [someone’s] political stance because they happen to be gay.” Read more at The Daily Beast. (Daily Beast, 3/11/18)
MAR 2018 Challenges Hardister Candidacy
N.C. HOUSE DISTRICT 59
Rep. Jon Hardister: The Republican faces a residency challenge from Lily Nicole Quick of Greensboro.
Quick cites a state law saying that a legislator must have lived in “the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.”
Hardister, first elected in 2012, moved from Greensboro to Whitsett last year. He wanted to remain in the district, which was changed slightly to eliminate the neighborhood where he had been living.
Records with the Guilford County Register of Deeds show that Hardister’s parents bought the Whitsett home he claims as a residence in October 2017 - or 13 months before the Nov. 6, 2018, election.
The board also will hear the case April 10. (Greensboro News and Record, 3/30/18)
APR 2018 Challenge to Candidacy Dismissed-Looked Foolish In Charge
GREENSBORO - The Guilford County Board of Elections voted unanimously Tuesday to drop the residency challenge filed against state Rep. Jon Hardister.
Lily Nicole Quick had filed the complaint against Hardister, who is running for re-election in District 59.
Quick cited a state law saying that a legislator must have lived in “the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.”
Hardister, first elected in 2012, moved from Greensboro to Whitsett last year. He wanted to remain in the district, which was changed slightly to eliminate the neighborhood where he had been living.
Records with the Guilford County Register of Deeds show Hardister’s parents bought the Whitsett home he claims as a residence in October 2017 - or 13 months before the Nov. 6, 2018, election.
Hardister said he’s glad the matter is resolved. (GNR, 4/11/18)
By far the most cut and dried case was that of Hardister, who brought binders of evidence that he had lived at 6427 Bellcross Trail in Whitsett since late last year.
Hardister had a signed lease that began on Nov. 1, 2017, an affidavit from his next door neighbor and one from his property manager. He also had written testimony that he had been interviewed at the house by a News 2 reporter last year. He had copies of paid power and gas bills, as well as Spectrum cable bills.
Hardister had an Instagram photo of snow outside the house’s window that he posted on Dec. 8, 2017 with a geomarker that said Whitsett, NC. About two dozen pieces of evidence were presented to the board before Kimel started hinting that they may have seen enough.
One attorney in the room not connected with either side said after the hearing that if the horse wasn’t dead by exhibit four or five, it most certainly was by exhibit 25.
Hardister and his attorneys also presented the board with the bill from movers as well as evidence of his payment of that bill for $931.43 cents.
“Do you normally pay bills that you wouldn’t need to pay,” his attorney asked Hardister.
“No,” Hardister replied.
“You wouldn’t pay a mover just for the thrill of it?” he asked.
Hardister said he would not.
Guilford County Democratic Party Chair Nicole Quick filed the challenge against Hardister. When, after Hardister’s testimony, Quick was asked if she wanted to make any statement, said she was going to let the affidavit she filed “speak for itself.”
After the meeting, when asked if the hearing convinced her of Hardister’s residency on Bellcross Trail, Quick said, “He did have a lot of evidence.” (Rhino Times of Greensboro, 4/12/18)
JUL 2018 Picking New School Board Member
The Guilford County Democratic Party selected Winston McGregor to replace Alan Duncan on the Guilford County Board of Education.
The party’s executive committee on Saturday voted overwhelmingly in favor of McGregor, who currently serves as executive director of the Guilford Education Alliance, to fill Duncan’s seat until December. In addition, it agreed to place her on the November ballot for the at-large seat.
”I’m excited to get to work on the board and campaigning,” McGregor said. “I didn’t know what this process was a month ago, and so for the last three weeks, I have been learning and taking this journey and looking forward to how things unfolded today.”
McGregor received 457 votes to be placed on the ballot and 453.25 votes to fill Duncan’s vacancy in an interim capacity.
Running against McGregor to fill the vacancy and to be placed on the ballot were retired educators Angelo Kidd and Alfred Kraemer.
Kidd was formerly the western region superintendent for Guilford County Schools, retiring from that position in 2015. Kidd was not in attendance and was represented by current school board member Darlene Garrett.
Speaking on behalf of Kidd, Garrett alleged that appointing McGregor would present a conflict of interest due to her involvement with the Guilford Education Alliance, a nonprofit that offers support and resources to teachers, parents and students in Guilford County Schools.
These claims led to members of the executive committee actively voicing their disagreement, with many people yelling at Garrett, telling her she was “out of order.”
After being appointed, McGregor said she was unaware with whatever conflict of interest Garrett alluded to, adding she was willing to work with anyone.
”I look forward to working with all the members of the board of education, not one more than others,” McGregor said.
McGregor received the support of several key members of the Democratic Party. County Commissioner Skip Alston and State Rep. Amos Quick were among those who initially approached McGregor about running for the vacant seat, with both supporting her candidacy, according to McGregor.
Khem Irby, the Democratic candidate for the District 6 school board seat, was seeking to be named solely to the interim position.
Keith McInnis Sr., a former assistant principal and teacher, sought to be placed on the November ballot but did not want to be named to the interim position.
No candidate outside of McGregor received more than 218 votes in either election.
Despite having an estimated 134 eligible voters in attendance, the high number of votes can be explained by the party’s internal voting system.
The voting structure for the party’s executive committee is based on precinct, according to party chairwoman Nicole Quick. Each precinct receives 1 percent of the votes cast for Gov. Roy Cooper in that precinct from the last general election to determine how votes are distributed. For example, if 2,300 votes were cast for Cooper in a given precinct, then that precinct would receive 23 votes in the executive committee to be split between that precinct’s chair and vice chair.
Duncan resigned last month in order to focus on several responsibilities at the state level. He currently serves on the N.C. State Board of Education as representative of District 5, which includes Guilford County and several surrounding school districts in the Triad, on the N.C. Task Force for Safer Schools and the Governor’s Commission of Access to a Sound, Basic Education. (High Point Enterprise, 7/14/18)
JUL 2018 Defends Cheap Shot By Party Official
Walker’s spokesman told only part of story
In a recent letter to the editor (”Remark about Walker clearly went too far,” July 9), Jack Minor took issue with a Guilford County Democratic Party spokesperson, who said in response to a remark by Rep. Mark Walker (about the hot weather) that it is “probably a lot hotter in hell which is gonna be where you’ll end up.”
We do appreciate Mr. Minor bringing this to our attention, but we would have appreciated it more if he had included the rest of the sentence: “... considering his total lack of regard for the literal babies living in tent cities on the border right now.” Consider Matthew 18:6: “But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and (that) he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”
For the record, the Democratic Party supports the biblical admonition against endangering children. Perhaps Rep. Walker would like to take the lead in condemning the actions of the administration he supports.
Minor is right: Vulgarities have no place in political recourse. Neither does telling only the part of the story that suits you.
We will ask: Where do you stand, Mark?
Nicole Quick
Greensboro (GNR, 7/17/18)
AUG 2018 Tribute to McCain
John McCain served his nation with honor
As Democrats, we may not have always agreed with John McCain on the issues. However, one can never doubt his patriotism and his dedication to this country.
Following his father and grandfather into the U.S. Navy in 1958, he served 23 years, including more than five years as a POW in Vietnam. After his retirement from naval service, he entered politics and proceeded to serve his nation as a U.S. Representative for two terms. Subsequently, he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served for 30 years until his death Saturday. Often labeled a maverick for bucking the trend of party-line voting, he adhered to his conservative principles while acting in what he believed were the best interests of the country. His honor and integrity made him admired on both sides of the aisle.
The Guilford County Democratic Party would like to extend our gratitude to Sen. McCain for his lifetime of service to this nation. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.
Nicole Quick
Greensboro (GNR, 8/28/18)
DEC 2018 Praises Bush 41
George H.W. Bush put country over self
In the winter of 1992, I was interning as a legislative assistant for my congressman in Washington. One of the more exciting parts of the internship was attending the State of the Union address given by then-President George H.W. Bush. Though I disagreed with him on just about every single policy position (He did get “voodoo economics” right.), I respected his history of service to our country. President Bush served as a World War II naval pilot, a U.S. representative for Texas, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, CIA director, vice president and president. Throughout his lifetime of service, he embodied dignity and patriotism.
Later that same winter, I went on to campaign throughout New Hampshire for the Democratic candidate who prevented President Bush from serving a second term. Still, at the news of his death, I find myself remembering these moving words on diversity from him: “We are a nation of communities ... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.” The Guilford County Democratic Party extends our condolences to President Bush’s loved ones. His life is a testament to the ideal of country over self.
Nicole Quick
Greensboro (GNR, 12/8/18)
2019
APR 2019 On High Point Elections
Guilford County Commissioner Carlvena Foster said she’s giving serious consideration to running for High Point mayor.
Foster, who served on the Guilford County Board of Education before becoming a commissioner five years ago, said she’s been approached throughout this year by High Pointers saying they would like her to run for mayor.
”I had considered it sometime in the past,” Foster told The High Point Enterprise. “I really do have a heart for High Point. I think we have made a lot of progress. But I do think there are some areas that I could work towards making better because of the relationships I have across the city.”
If Foster enters the race, it would add to a growing field for the city’s top elected post. Mayor Jay Wagner intends to seek a second term, and former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis announced earlier this year he would make a second consecutive bid for mayor.
Wagner narrowly defeated Davis two years ago in one of the closest races for mayor in the city’s history.
Another candidate who intends to enter the race is educator and Southwest Guilford High School graduate James Upchurch, who at 23 years old is making his first bid for elected office.
If at least three candidates file to run for mayor this summer, it would ensure an Oct. 8 primary. The top two vote-getters would advance to the Nov. 5 general election.
Foster said that, if she runs, her campaign theme would be “we’re better together.”
Foster is a supporter of the downtown stadium project and core city revitalization. In 2017, she was the lone Guilford County commissioner to support a plan that the city of High Point pitched to the commissioners to take part in a financing approach for the stadium construction.
Foster said the inspiration for her to consider running for mayor this year came from people approaching her about making a bid.
”People just out of the blue, who have heard that might be running, are calling me or asking me in person,” she told The Enterprise.
Foster said that, if she runs, it isn’t meant as a slight to the current mayor and council.
”I like and respect Jay. So it’s nothing personal,” she said. “I just think I would bring a different flavor.”
If Foster were to win the mayor’s race, the Guilford County Democratic Party would select her successor in District 1 on the board. The interim board member would serve until voters picked a permanent commissioner in an upcoming election.
District 1 covers parts of High Point, Jamestown, Greensboro and outlying parts of south-central Guilford County. Guilford County Democratic Party Chairwoman Nicole Quick said “it would be best to have someone from High Point.”
But any interim successor to Foster would depend on which candidates come forward and whom the party leadership members support. The chairs and vice chairs in the district precincts would vote on the District 1 position.
Foster said she’s not tired of serving as a commissioner and would continue in that role if she doesn’t become mayor. Foster was elected to her second term as a commissioner last fall and faced no opponent in the race. Her term continues through the end of 2022.
In addition to the mayor’s post, High Pointers will vote on all eight members of City Council this fall. The city’s municipal races are nonpartisan, meaning the party affiliation of the candidates doesn’t appear on the ballot. Candidates who win this fall will be the first to serve four-year terms under a new council structure. (High Point Enterprise, 4/19/19)
SEP 2019 “Quietly” Launches House Campaign
Nicole Quick, currently the chair of the Guilford County Democrats, quietly launched[3] her campaign for the District 59 NC House seat a week ago with a private fundraiser in Greensboro. I say "quietly" because the mainstream media has taken no notice of her yet, but House Democratic Minority Leader Darren Jackson attended and so did Democratic freshman Ashton Clemmons from the neighboring 57th District. Also attending was Democratic freshman Senator Michael Garrett of the 27th Senatorial District in Guilford and Senator Gladys Robinson, also of Guilford. Garrett became a starin 2018 by defeating incumbent bete noir Trudy Wade.Just from that evidence alone -- pretty much every elected Democrat in Guilford County attended the Quick kick-off to show support -- we might say that Nicole Quick has been recruited, or if not directly recruited, certainly nurtured.She does have a website[4](well fleshed-out, so she's been planning this for some time), no campaign video yet, but she does have a Facebook page with a lengthy biography attached[5]. She also feeds the Twitter beast[6], and I like that in a candidate.What she needs: A robust field program, with aggressive field organizers who won't wait for door-knocking volunteers to appear via the website but who will hit the phones and recruit troops on the ground. For that, she'll also need comprehensive data and data managers who can turn up those high-scoring Democrats in District 59, some of whom have never volunteered for a campaign before but who will be unusually energized in 2020 because of the threat of another four years of Twitterman.I must point out here that Jon Hardister is a popular incumbent Republican. He took almost 57% of the vote in 2018. After the most recent remapping of NC House districts, District 59 still has a 54.20% predicted Republican vote share. Michael Bitzer lists[7] the new 59th as "Lean Republican" but also "competitive." It's that last word that can send tingles down the spine. But competition also means "a hell of a lot of work!" Hope she has a campaign manager and a good bench of support staff, whether paid or volunteer.Can Nicole Quick do it? Dunno. But I'm watching from the mountains. (Watauga Watch, 9/30/19)
DEC 2019 Running For State House
Hardister will face a challenge from Nicole Quick, chairwoman of the Guilford County Democratic Party and no relation to Rep. Amos Quick.
The state districts also were redrawn in the outcome of another gerrymandering lawsuit, and Nicole Quick described Hardister’s reformed House District 59 as “highly competitive.”
”I’m running because I believe the interest of our state’s people should come before the interests of corporate CEOs and shareholders,” Nicole Quick said in a news release, adding that her campaign would focus on such issues as the Republican-led General Assembly’s failure to expand Medicaid and approve significant teacher pay raises.
Hardister said recent years of Republican legislative leadership in Raleigh “have made great strides in making North Carolina the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
”We have balanced our budget, reduced our debt and turned deficits into a surplus,” he said in a prepared statement. “We have enhanced funding for education, increased pay for teachers and worked to improve vocational training in our school system.” (GNR, 12/3/19)
2020
FEB 2020 Overview of Race
District 59, which represents much of eastern Guilford County, was slightly redrawn before the 2018 election and eliminated the Greensboro neighborhood where Hardister had been living. The veteran legislator moved to Whitsett to remain eligible to run in the district.
The winner of the Chappell-Hardister contest faces Democrat Nicole Quick of Greensboro (), who is running unopposed in the primary.
Quick, who has degrees in politics and economics, previously worked in the corporate sector. Her son’s autism diagnosis led to a change in career that now includes working with teachers and leading workshops focused on working with children with autism in inclusive classrooms. (GNR, 2/24/20)
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