A new county commissioner representing Seven Lakes was appointed on Tuesday, March 1, following the unexpected resignation last month of Louis Gregory.
Gregory announced in early February that he would be resigning, effective March 1, because of health reasons.
But just a day after announcing that, Gregory, who lives in Seven Lakes West, moved his resignation instead to Feb. 16 to maximize voters’ say in his replacement.
Had Gregory stuck to his original date, it would have affected the way his seat was filled for the remaining two and a half years of his term.
The interim replacement, chosen by the local Republican Party and appointed by commissioners at their March 1 meeting, is former Commissioner Nick Picerno, who represented the area prior to Gregory. He put his name in as Gregory’s replacement.
Picerno, who retired from the board in 2016, had planned to run for the redrawn state House District 78 but changed his mind after hearing of Gregory’s resignation and the need to redraw districts.
“In life, things change, that’s a given,” Picerno said in a statement sent out to supporters. “In the past couple of weeks since announcing my intention to run for NC House District 78, several events have taken place that significantly affect that decision.
“First, the confusion about voting maps and districts in NC have caused chaos and confusion even to those of us seeking to serve.
NC House district 78 may or may not even exist in its current form after this issue is settled. It also causes conservative candidates, like myself, to pause from asking people to contribute to a campaign that may not even happen.
“Second, the announcement of the candidacy of Pastor Neal Jackson for NC House 78 and my desire not to oppose him in the race.
“Third, my long time friend Louis Gregory has decided to retire from the Moore County Board of Commissioners effective Feb. 16. Three others on the board have announced they will not seek re-election.
“These events have prompted me to submit my name to the Moore County Republican Executive Committee as a candidate to replace Mr Gregory on the Board of Commissioners.”
Because Gregory is stepping down with more than half his term remaining, state law requires an election in November.
Had Gregory stuck to his original March 1 date, each party would have picked a candidate — absent any public input — to face off in a November election.
“I have always wanted the people to have a voice, especially regarding significant issues impacting the citizens of Moore County,” Gregory said in a statement issued Wednesday.
By moving up his resignation by two weeks, Gregory enables the normal primary election process to occur.
Now, like the other three seats already up for election this year, both Republicans and Democrats can file for Gregory’s District 2 seat and compete in a primary election, currently scheduled for May 17.
“My replacement should ultimately be voted on by the people of Moore County, beginning at the upcoming primary,” Gregory said in a statement.
Gregory was first elected to the board in 2016 and was re-elected in 2020. He has served as vice chair since being elected for his second term.
Before joining the commissioners, Gregory had a long career in public safety, including six years as Whispering Pines’ police chief from 2003 to 2009.
“For 60 years now I have done my best to protect and serve the public, often at the sacrifice of my family and myself,” Gregory wrote. “I find my health is such I should listen to my doctors and rest to get well.”
Gregory represents District 2, which he says is “probably the largest in the county,” encompassing Pinehurst, Seven Lakes, Taylortown and the majority of the Eastwood precinct.
In a phone interview, Gregory said he didn’t feel comfortable with the respective parties handpicking a candidate without any input from other voters.
“And I just don’t think that’s right. We live in a democracy,” he said.
Opening the seat up to the full electoral process “gives everybody an opportunity to be able to let people know they’re interested, and then let the people let us know who they want to sit at my seat,” Gregory said.
“My seat represents the majority of the county and for me to just either walk away from it and keep it vacant or to not let the public have some (say) as to who they want, I just don’t think is right.”
Gregory said that, as a commissioner, he was proudest of his role in working with Moore County Schools officials to renovate existing schools and build four new elementary schools.
“The greatest accomplishment is when I first got here and as a county commissioner I found our schools were in bad shape,” Gregory said. “For me to be able to make a complete turnaround and provide the little ones an opportunity of getting a good education no matter where they live in Moore County, (I) actually felt proud.”
Gregory also served as a liaison to the Board of Health during the pandemic. He said he was not able to influence the board’s decisions but could provide oversight in other ways.
“I would go and listen to what they were doing and make some comments. I had asked certain questions, especially during the COVID period of time — which we’re still experiencing — and I wanted something to be done (that was) very transparent, where the public had an understanding of what was going on,” Gregory said.
“And I would always try to get the public some knowledge of what we were trying to accomplish. A lot of those questions I asked were never answered. But anyways, I’ve tried.”
Gregory’s announced departure means there will now be four new commissioners come December. Graham and Commissioners Otis Ritter and Jerry Daeke announced last fall that they will not seek re-election this year. That meant just Quis and Gregory would be the only holdovers.
Now, Quis will be the lone incumbent commissioner after the November elections.
Contact Evey Weisblat at (910) 693-2474 or evey@thepilot.com.
