Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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ELECTION Guide 2010 John McCullough I am qualified to sit on the bench as I have already served on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, having been elected in 2000 and served on the court for eight years. During that time I authored more than 800 opinions and joined in several thousand more, mediated approximately 40 appellate cases while settling most of them. I also served on the North Carolina Sentencing Commission, was a member of the North Carolina Bar Committee on Medico- Legal Guidelines and taught for two years at UNC Law School. Prior to going on the bench I was a federal prosecutor until I took early retirement in 1996 and have been in private practice twice (1996-2000 and 2009-date). I am also a retired Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve. I wrote a book about one of my federal cases, a marijuana smuggling case which began with the seizure of 29,000 lbs. in Morehead City and led to the indictment of Manuel Noriega of Panama. You can learn more about the book at www.seaofgreedbook.com or about me at www. citizensforjudgemccullough.com. Pamela Vesper I have dedicated my legal career to seeking justice for the people of North Carolina, both as counsel for the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office, as a prosecuting attorney for the North Carolina Real Estate Commis- sion and as an investigator for that same agency, where I have gathered and evaluated evidence in hundreds of consumer complaint cases, including those involving complex mortgage fraud. I have worked diligently to seek justice for North Carolinians victimized by misrepresentation and dishonest dealing, and in 2008 I was chosen as the Association of Real Estate License Law Organizations (ARELLO) investigator of the year. I have handled rule-making and drafted rules for inclusion in the NC Administrative Code. I travel the state educating real estate licensees on statutory compliance as it relates to trust accounting and related principles. In addition, I was a law clerk for the Honorable Charles Ward on the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, and my work appears in the federal record. I also believe in giving back to my community. In New Orleans, I volunteered my legal services to the consumer foreclosure clinic, where I helped indigent families resolve foreclosure issues with various lending institutions. For the last seven years I have read to the blind with the Triangle Radio Reading Service, and for four years I taught the Constitution and English as a Second Language to new citizens. I feel that joining the judiciary is a natural next step in my service to the citizens of my state. Superior Court 12A Robert Hasty Jr. Being a Superior Court Judge carries with it great responsibility, and the decision as to which candidate to support for this job is important and should be made only after careful consideration. Superior Court judges hear and preside over many types of matters including felony jury trials, negligence actions, injunctions, land disputes and contract actions — just to name a few. Issues decided in Superior Court may determine freedom or prison in crimi- nal matters or millions of dollars at stake in civil cases. I have the experience required to serve as one of your Superior Court judges. I am in private practice with one of Fayetteville’s oldest law firms, Anderson, Johnson, Lawrence, Butler & Bock. For over a decade, I have represented my clients at every level of our court system, from small claims court to the North Carolina Supreme Court, but my cases are primarily in Superior Court. For more than a decade, I have stood before judges and juries in courtrooms in more than 15 North Carolina counties. There is no better preparation for an aspiring judge than actual courtroom experience. I am admitted to practice by the North Carolina State Bar; the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of North Carolina; the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals; and the U.S. Supreme Court. I am also a Dis- trict Court Arbitrator, and I generally hear civil matters assigned to me one day a month. My background has also allowed me the rewarding experience of teaching Paralegal students at Fayetteville Technical Community College from 2005 to 2009. With my experience, I fully understand and value the importance of fairness in our court system to everyone involved. It is the job of the judge to ensure that cases are heard fairly and impartially and that all parties leave the courtroom having had their day in court with their case decided on the merits and in accordance with the rule of law. I will be honored to serve as one of your Superior Court judges, and I respectfully ask for your support and vote. I am married to Yiotta Hasapis Hasty, and we are both natives of Cumberland County. We have a thirteen year old daughter, Lia, who attends Village Christian Academy. I am an active member in the Fayetteville Kiwanis Club, and I am a proud and active member of First Presbyterian Church where I have taught Sunday School and served as a church officer. Claire Hill For 20 years, I’ve proudly served Cumberland County as an Assistant Dis- trict Attorney, and most recently as a Senior Deputy in the office. Some of my duties include the supervision of the District Court Assistant District Attorneys, screening and felony cases, acting as the liaison from the District Attorney’s Office to the Cumberland County Detention Center. As an Assistant District Attorney, I’ve had the opportunity to be on the committee that implemented a successful case management system to handle our Superior Court dockets as well as serving on a variety of ad hoc committees tasked with improving the efficiency of case disposal. I am the prosecutor assigned to the Cumberland County Drug Court. I am also involved in the implementation of a newly formed DWI Sobriety Court. As such I have consistently been on the ground floor of initiatives designed WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Floyd Ammons. In the last 22 years, I have held court in 20 different counties, handled thousands of cases and pre- sided over hundreds of jury trials including many death penalty cases. I have tremendous respect for our law enforcement officers, social workers, assistant district attor- neys, public defenders, defense attorneys, fellow judges, clerks and court reporters who all serve our state by insuring that our courtrooms are a place of fairness and integrity. As a public servant for 29 years, I have tried to be both a good teacher and a good student. I taught students at FTCC and police cadets at the Fayetteville Police Academy. I taught at the North Carolina Judicial College and the National Judicial College. I have received special training in handling domestic violence, driving while impaired, drug, business and capital cases. I am proud of my record of service as an attorney and as a judge, but I am equally proud of my work outside of the courtroom. My family and I have served our community as volunteers with many civic, charitable and church causes. My wife, Sandy, and I strongly believe in giving back to the community that has given our family so much. Children and the dangers and problems they face in today’s world have been the focus of much of my volunteer service. I have spoken to youth groups in schools and in the courtroom for more than 25 OCTOBER 20-26, 2010 UCW 27 to utilize the court system to protect our community and improve the lives of offenders. Working in the community outside my job has been important to me as well. I am a long-time member of Fayetteville’s Junior League and served as the league president. I’ve served on Fayetteville/Cumberland Crime Stoppers Board. Additionally, I’ve served as Chair of the Cumberland County Board of Elections. I am currently on the Child Advocacy Board, Cumberland County Bar Association Board and a member of the Women’s Giving Circle of Fayetteville. Throughout my career as a prosecutor I’ve experienced the importance of treating everyone who enters the courtroom with dignity and respect. Every day as a Judge I will work to protect and preserve the rights of everyone regardless of their position in life. No one will receive special treatment in my courtroom and everyone will be treated with respect and in a fair and just manner. There is no substitute for hard work and no compromise for integrity and ethics. The ends of justice and public confidence in the judicial process dictate my actions in each case. I would objectively and fairly listen to each case before me and decide the case based on the law as exists, not how I might wish it to be. Superior Court 12C James Floyd Ammons Jr. It has been my honor and privilege to serve the citizens of Cumberland County for the past 29 years as a judge, prosecutor and attorney. I believe my training and experience uniquely qualify me to continue to serve you on the superior court. Our courts should be a place of fairness for everyone including the victims of crime, family members of victims, defendants, attorneys and our law enforcement professionals. The public should expect courtrooms to be run professionally and efficiently. It is the job of the judge to insure that all sides are heard and that cases are handled fairly. I have served for 12 years as a superior court judge and 10 years as a district court judge. Prior to becoming a judge, I served for six years as an assistant district attorney. I also practiced law with my father, the late J.