The Fate of Mac Butner

Josh Howard

The notoriously racist and otherwise just generally bigoted chair of the Rowan County Board of Elections will have his hearing before the State Board of Elections (SBOE) in about 30 minutes from now.

Wish we could be there to watch SBOE Chair Josh Howard -- he who found nothing either surprising or offensive in the revelation that Watauga County Commission attorney Stacey "Four" Eggers was actually running the Watauga County Board of Elections, despite Howard's previous observation that putting Four on the board would constitute a conflict of interest.

Howard also continues to rubber-stamp the public actions of Watauga BOE Republicans Bill Aceto and Luke Eggers, despite a judge's ruling that those actions are unconstitutional infringements on the rights of young voters.

Mr. Howard should find it fairly easy to relieve Mac Butner of his position this morning, but you never know how far Mr. Howard will go to justify the behavior of any Republican on any county BOE.

UPDATE
The SBOE just removed Mac Butner from his position on the Rowan County Board of Elections by a 2-3 vote, Chairman Josh Howard voting with the two Democrats to remove him.

Howard is quoted as saying, "I'm not leaving someone who says these things on a County Board of Elections - not on my watch."

Interesting. He's certainly allowed plenty of shit to remain in place RE Watauga County.

Rhonda Amoroso

FOOTNOTE
As remarkable as Josh Howard's siding with the Democrats today is the vote by Rhonda K. Amoroso and newly appointed member James Baker, both Republicans, to retain Mac Butner as chair of the Rowan County board.

They are purely partisan protectors of any status quo that any county Republican Party in North Carolina decides to install in the local "fair elections" office.