Cheek urges students to vote
By GREGORY PHILLIPS, The Herald-Sun
October 12, 2006 11:20 pm
DURHAM -- Insisting he wasn't campaigning for district attorney, Lewis Cheek appeared Thursday evening at a student voter registration drive at Duke University and spoke to a crowd of students hoping to hurl Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong out of office.
Cheek, whose name is on the ballot but says he won't serve if elected, urged about 100 students assembled on the new plaza outside the Bryan Student Center on West Campus to vote Nov. 7.
But he stopped short of telling them how to vote.
"What you should do is whatever you think is the right thing to do," Cheek said.
But if students want the governor to appoint the next DA, as would occur if Cheek wins but doesn't serve, "then you need to vote for Lewis Cheek and to make sure I get the most votes," the 50-year-old county commissioner added.
Nifong has drawn fire for his handling of rape charges against three Duke lacrosse players. He won the Democratic primary in May and had no opposition in November, until a petition put Cheek's name on the ballot.
Steve Monks, chairman of the Durham County Republican Party, also is running, as a write-in candidate. He wasn't invited to speak at Thursday's event, but showed up to hear what Cheek had to say.
"I want to see the definition of not campaigning," Monks said. Afterward, he said he had no problem with Cheek's remarks.
"He did mention my candidacy," Monks said. "That was a pleasant concession to the realities of the campaign."
In his gray suit, Cheek stood out at the spirited event as he walked among the sports gear-clad students wandering around in sandals to booming urban music.
Lacrosse players cooked chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers that were given free to students registering to vote, while team supporters sold lacrosse T-shirts and wristbands. Signs plugging the event had fliers attached reading, "Duke University takes no position on the viewpoints expressed at this event."
Cheek was invited to the event through the "Recall Nifong -- Vote Cheek" committee by one of the organizing groups, Duke Students for an Ethical Durham, which has been registering voters for the election since the school year began.
Christiane Regelbrugge, one of that group's founders, said the goal is registering 1,000 students to vote before today's 5 p.m. deadline.
"We're looking to ensure whoever does end up in that office is someone who will treat all Durham residents with respect," she said.
Monks said the students are misdirecting their energy, with the Cheek campaign splitting the anti-Nifong vote and all but guaranteeing a Nifong win. If Cheek's campaign is successful, the governor has no motivation to appoint anyone who won't see the case through because he'd want to avoid the political heat, according to Monks.
After his speech, Cheek said he wasn't violating a pledge he made when announcing he wouldn't run that he wouldn't campaign.
"I'm saying the same thing now that I said then, which is that you should do what you think is the right thing to do," Cheek said.
He added that he's accepted invitations to speak at a "flurry" of events before the election and will push the same message.
Cheek also dismissed rumors that he would accept the office if he wins -- although he admitted he might be tempted, if only for a second or two.
"Maybe, but I won't take it," he said. "I just couldn't do it."
Nifong was out of town and couldn't be reached for comment. Some good news for his campaign Thursday was the announcement that he had retained the endorsement of the People's Alliance of Durham's political action committee since the primary.
"We saw no reason to second-guess our previous endorsement," said Milo Pyne, co-coordinator of the committee. "It's not just about this case, it's about his 28 years of service in the prosecutors' office and his whole approach to things."
Pyne said the committee took a dim view of Cheek's approach.
"We feel if he wanted to run, he should have done so as a Democrat," Pyne said.
URL for this article: http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-778166.html
A vote for Nifong
I am sick and tired of people who accuse Mike Nifong of using the lacrosse case for political gain when they are using the case for their own political purposes. Let's put this mess into perspective. I am a long time Durham defense attorney. I have never tried a case against the district attorney. I have tried cases against Jim Hardin and Mike Nifong when they were assistant district attorneys (ADAs). The vast majority of cases are resolved between defense attorneys and ADAs. Sure the DA needs to understand the law and trial work so he can supervise those working under him, but the ADAs carry the load. Any DA is only as good as the people he gathers around him. He is primarily an administrator not a trial lawyer. He runs an office of several ADAs and a large support staff. Durham County has some of the most experienced, capable, and accessible ADAs that I have worked with. Nifong may have made mistakes concerning the lacrosse case, but he has done his job as an administrator by gathering around him people who do good work. Can we be sure that Lewis Cheek or Steve Monks or whomever the governor might select will surround himself with excellent ADAs? Neither candidate has addressed any issue but the lacrosse case. I will not vote based on a single case. I will vote based on the thousands of cases handled capably each year by the ADAs in Nifong's office. I will vote for Mike Nifong.
L.R. “LEE” CASTLE
Durham
October 13, 2006
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/hsletters/