Orange Schools Slate Lines Up

Hillsborough — One of the first votes to be cast by new

members of the Orange County School Board after the Sept. 10

election will be to hire a new superintendent.

The six candidates running for the four open seats face a

January 2003 deadline — which coincides with the month they

would take office — set by the current board to select a

replacement for Randy Bridges, who resigned in July to head the

Rock Hill, S.C., school district. The current board will work

with the new members in the selection process, with the final

vote being made by the new board.

The candidates — incumbent Brenda Stephens and political

newcomers Randy Copeland, Betty Tom Phelps Davidson, Al Hartkopf,

Libbie Hough, and Patrick Mulkey — have two other immediate

issues to contend with: the construction of a new middle school

and school funding. The school funding issue could prove to be a

particularly hot topic as the district explores its financial

options on the heels of the defeat earlier this month of a

proposal to establish a district tax.

Stephens, 49, is seeking her second term. She wants the board

to make a decision on an alternative school and work through the

system’s fiscal crunch. She said she sees her re-election bid as

a “sign of stability.”

“I am excited about the progress that Orange County Schools

has made over the years. The overall trends across the district

are positive. I hope to use the accomplishments of yesterday to

line our path into tomorrow,” she said. “My goal has always been

to maintain an open, ethical and fair relationship among the

members of the school board. In doing so, I can trust the

collective strength of our experience to aid in sound

decision-making.”

Copeland, 46, a lineman with Piedmont Electric Management

Corp., initially entered the race to campaign against the

district tax. When the proposal was voted down, he said he

decided to stay in the race because he wants to help children.

“I talked to my teenagers at church and heard about their

problems with drug and gang activity and violence in the schools,

and I felt like it was time for a Christian conservative that

wants to make a difference for my grandchildren and other young

people,” he said. “I am an average citizen, born and raised here.

I guess what makes me different is that a lot of times we sit

around and complain about problems, and I took it one step

further and decided to run for office.”

Davidson, 43, owns Olive Branch Inn and is an adjunct

professor at Elon University. She said she is running as a

teacher and staff advocate.

“I spent time as a science teacher at Stanford Middle a few

years ago, and that experience solidified my goal of supporting

those teachers. If we keep our teachers happy, our children will

soar,” she said. “I think the staff have been neglected. They

haven’t seen pay raises that in my mind warrant what they

deserve. But, it’s not always about money. It’s also about their

morale and restoring dignity to the profession of teaching.”

Hartkopf, 45, a program manager with Nortel Networks, said his

goal is to increase the board’s accountability to voters by

improving communication with the community.

“The current board does not reflect the values of the people

of Orange. I’ve only lived here for three years but I come from a

small town in North Carolina and the needs of Orange County

resonate with me. ‘Children first’ goes without saying, but I

think the board does not express an accountability to the

voters,” he said. “I want to use what I know to keep us growing

and do it efficiently.”

Hough, 40, is a public relations and marketing consultant. She

said her aim is to be an advocate for the district’s schools.

“I am passionate about providing an excellent education for

every child, no matter their grade, ability, race, or income

level. I think my background in social work makes me aware and

attuned to a wide variety of needs that you deal with whenever

you deal with the public and children and families,” she said. “I

think my professional life will benefit the board as it looks to

better communicate the system’s successes and needs externally

with parents and internally with staff and faculty.”

Mulkey, 47, a senior electronics technician at Duke

University, said he sees the race as an opportunity to bring a

fresh perspective to the board.

“I really think it’s become time to inject some new blood into

the board of education, fresh faces with new ideas. I think that

the things that make me qualified are the number of community

activities I have been involved with. I’ve been able to obtain

leadership roles in those organizations through my willingness to

be open and to be fair,” he said. “I want to make the best

possible decision for our students, and I want to create an

environment on the board where the public perception is that we

are approachable.”

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Randy Copeland

PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat

HOME: 3303 Mount Willing Road, Efland

born: April 10,1956

FAMILY: Wife, Deborah, two daughters, one son

EDUCATION: Attended Alamance Christian High School

OCCUPATION: Lineman, Piedmont Electric Membership Corp.

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: None

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Youth athletic coach, soccer, baseball,

Citizens for a Sound Economy

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Eastside Baptist Church, Mebane

HOBBIES: fishing, yard work

POLITICAL HERO: President Reagan

LAST BOOK READ: The Bible

WHAT MAKES me BEST QUALIFIED: “I guess what makes me different

is that a lot of times we sit around and complain about problems,

and I took it one step further and decided to run for office. I

want to see what is best for our children and also look at the

needs of the people who are paying their taxes and funding the

system.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “Getting a new superintendent is the

biggest thing in front of us now. I will work to get a

superintendent like the one we had, a person who works well with

the teachers, is very accessible to the public and mindful of the

needs of the schools.”

HOW TO CONTACT: Phone, 563-4389; e-mail, cope@@touchnc.net

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Betty Tom Phelps Davidson

PARTY AFFILIATION: Unaffiliated

HOME: 7015 N.C. 57 Rougemont

born: May 21, 1959

FAMILY: Divorced, two sons

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in science education, Duke

University, 1981; bachelor’s degree in biology, Old Dominion

University, 1987; master’s degree in biotechnology, Old Dominion

University, 1989

OCCUPATION: Owner, Olive Branch Inn; adjunct biology

professor, Elon University

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: none

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Soccer coach, Orange County Parks and

Recreation Department; Stanford Middle School PTSA, Orange County

Schools Homework Policy Committee; Cameron Park Elementary School

Governance Committee

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Presbyterian

HOBBIES: farming, soccer

POLITICAL HERO: Winston Churchill

LAST BOOK READ: A book from the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

series by Stephen R. Donaldson

WHAT MAKES me BEST QUALIFIED: “I believe I have the most

unique perspective of all the candidates running because I was

born and raised here. I’ve been a student, teacher and parent in

the schools. My experiences as a teacher have made me aware of

what is required of our exceptional teachers.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “The most immediate issue is

selecting a new superintendent who will move the district

forward. Also, I want to find solutions to the fiscal crunch,

including scrutinizing all personnel salaries. I will also look

at ways to improve job satisfaction for all district staff.”

HOW TO CONTACT: Phone, 644-1685; e-mail, b.davidson@@rtmx.net

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Al Hartkopf

PARTY AFFILIATION: Republican

HOME: 2405 Uphill Court, Hillsborough

born: June 28, 1957

FAMILY: wife, Kathy, two daughters

EDUCATION: attended East Carolina University

OCCUPATION: Program manager, Nortel Networks

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: none

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Citizens for a Better Way, Citizens for a

Sound Economy, Cornwallis Hills Property Owners Association,

Project Management Institute

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Duke Memorial United Methodist Church

HOBBIES: woodworking, scuba diving

POLITICAL HERO: none listed

LAST BOOK READ: A book by Jesse Helms

WHAT MAKES me BEST QUALIFIED: “The needs of Orange County

resonate with me. I like to think that I am pretty fair-minded,

that I listen to someone no matter what their perspective is.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “I want to improve the communication

between the [school] board and the community. I want to create a

forum and a process for teachers to have open and honest

conversations with the board, and work on teacher retention. I

want to drive down class size, improve the way the system

contracts for building and other services, and have greater

accountability for the money the district spends.”

HOW TO CONTACT: Web site, www.alhartkopf.com

Libbie Hough

PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat

HOME: 5401 Hough Road, Hillsborough

born: Sept. 28, 1961

FAMILY: Husband, H.B., two daughters

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in religious studies, UNC-Chapel

Hill, 1984; master’s degree in social work, UNC-CH, 1988.

OCCUPATION: Public relations and marketing consultant

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: none

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Volunteer, Grady Brown Elementary School,

PTA cultural arts committee, alternative school funding task

force, North Carolina chapter of the Public Relations Society of

America

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: United Church of Chapel Hill

HOBBIES: gardening, reading, swimming

POLITICAL HERO: George Washington, Martin Luther King, Barbara

Jordan

LAST BOOK READ: “All Over But the Shoutin’,” by Rick Bragg

WHAT MAKES me BEST QUALIFIED: “I am passionate about providing

an excellent education for every child, no matter their ability,

race or income level. I think my volunteer activities in our

schools and the fact that I have been an advocate for the schools

for the last three years proves my commitment.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “One is hiring a new superintendent.

I want to work on the third middle school, address the funding

disparities between the two school districts, and work to

incorporate state and federal mandates into the system. I want to

support our faculty and staff by providing a healthy environment

in which to learn and work.”

HOW TO CONTACT: Phone, 967-0469; e-mail,

hough4schools@@yahoo.com

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Patrick H. Mulkey

HOME: 8702 Stanford Road, Chapel Hill

born: Dec. 10, 1954

FAMILY: Wife, Robin; one son, twin daughters

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in recreation and parks

administration, N.C. State University, 1980

OCCUPATION: Senior electronics technician, Duke University

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: none

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: President, A.L. Stanback Middle School

Athletic Booster Club, Grady Brown Elementary School PTA,

Carrboro Farmers Market board of directors, Orange County Parks

and Recreation Advisory Council

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Cane Creek Baptist Church

HOBBIES: Farming, watching sporting events

POLITICAL HERO: Abraham Lincoln

LAST BOOK READ: “Coach: The Life of Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant,” by

Keith Dunnavant

WHAT MAKES me BEST QUALIFIED: “I think that the things that

make me qualified are the number of community activities I have

been involved with that have allowed me to grow in that aspect.

I’ve been able to obtain leadership roles in those organizations

through my willingness to be open and to be fair.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “I think that we need to work on the

selection of a new superintendent. The funding is another area of

great concern to me. Another concern of importance is how the

board interacts with public. I want to improve that interaction.”

HOW TO CONTACT: Phone, 942-3814; e-mail, mulkey@@tunl.duke.edu

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Brenda Wilson Stephens

HOME: 5807 Craig Road, Durham

born: Oct. 22, 1952

FAMILY: Husband, Gregory; two sons, one daughter

EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in sociology, Winston-Salem State

University, 1974; master’s degree in library information science,

N.C. Central University, 1980

OCCUPATION: Director, legal secretary, Hyconeechee Regional

Library

POLITICAL EXPERIENCE: Orange County Board of Education, 1998

to present, chairwoman, 2001-02

CIVIC ACTIVITIES: Orange County Partnership for Young

Children, Kiwanis Club of Hillsborough, Orange County READS, N.C.

Public Library Director’s Association, Status of Women in

Librarianship, A.L. Stanback PTO, Orange County School Education

Foundation

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Lipscomb Grove Missionary Baptist

Church

HOBBIES: Baking, family

POLITICAL HERO: Former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan

LAST BOOK READ: “Open House,” by Elizabeth Berg

WHAT MAKES ME BEST QUALIFIED: “During my tenure on the board,

we have experienced many challenges. We have shouldered

unexpected issues. My bid for another term is a clear promise

that I will maintain priorities established for our school

system. My strength as a member of the board comes from my

commitment to the children of Orange County.”

TOP PRIORITY IF ELECTED: “The first business is to address the

selection of the new superintendent. Once a strong candidate for

the position has been identified; the board will begin the

strategic planning process for siting our third middle school. As

always, the strength and safety of our schools and high

achievement are always my action items. Equally as important to

the success of our children is the recruitment and retention of

the country’s best and brightest educators.”