On Monday, DeVan Barbour III, Vice Chairman of the Johnston County Board of Commissioners announced he would not seek re-election in 2016. On Tuesday, his son, DeVan Barbour IV announced he would seek the District 4 seat his father has held.
DeVan Barbour III said, “After much thought and prayer, I have decided not to run for re-election for Johnston County Commissioner in District 4 in 2016. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the wonderful citizens of Johnston County for so long.
“This will complete 30 years of service in local government in our county. In 1984 I was first elected to the Board of Commissioners in Benson where I served for 8 years. In 1994, Linwood Parker came to my office and convinced me to run for the Johnston County Board of Education. Back then it was still a partisan race and no one could remember the last time a Republican had been elected to a county board. I teamed up with Cookie Pope and we campaigned hard for ten months without knowing if we even had a chance to win. With the help of Jackie Lee as our campaign manager and Linwood’s leadership as party chairman, we were able to sweep into office and break a decades old Democratic strangle hold on Johnston County Government. The rest is history as our party has been able to win and hold most of the elected offices in the county.”
“After ten years on the Board of Education, I ran for the Board of Commissioners when J.H. Langdon left the board to serve in the N.C. House. With the help of so many friends and party volunteers, I was successful in that election. I love serving in local government. To have been able to do what I love in politics for 30 years has been truly a wonderful experience. I have been blessed to serve with many great people that truly love Johnston County. The goal of local government is to work for the people to help make their lives easier, safer and better. Every board that I have had the privilege of serving on has followed that principle.”
“Thank you to the people of Johnston County, friends, supporters and all of the wonderful Johnston County Republican Party volunteers for your support throughout the years. A special thank you to the Republican women, the real workhorses and backbone of our party. Finally, to my family; thank you for supporting me while I shared much of my time serving our citizens.”
On Tuesday, his son, DeVan Barbour IV announced he would run for his father’s seat in 2016.
In a statement he said, “With low taxes, less regulation, safe towns, and strong schools, today is a great time to call Johnston County home. However, we must always remember that our tomorrow is only as good as our today will allow. We must embody a long term vision for the future of our county, and work to ensure that our children, and grandchildren, will have the ability to enjoy a thriving Johnston County as we do today. We must continue to stand beside our law enforcement and first responders who are always there for us when we need them most. We must support our veterans returning home from serving our country with training and preparation to reenter the workforce. We must promote our mental health systems to ensure that those who need help know they have a place they can turn to. But above all, we must always remember that the Johnston County of tomorrow will be molded by the decisions we make today.”
