Orange County Board of Commissioners runs unopposed

Four candidates for the Orange County Board of County Commissioners celebrated their uncontested victories throughout North Carolina last night.

Penny Rich, Mark Dorosin and Renee Price, who are incumbents first elected in 2012, won a second term in office. Mark Marcoplos won his first term as an at-large commissioner.

“Right now I feel like I’m ready to take the seat,” Marcoplos said. “I’m ready to get in there and start working.”

His lack of opposition has allowed him to spend more time on the issues instead having to focus on the campaigning process.

“Campaigning is a strange thing to do, it is a strange state of mind to be in all day,” Marcoplos said. “There was that feeling of accomplishment and victory and then you settle into the reality that governing is way different than campaigning.”

As an Orange County commissioner, he wants to focus on tackling the issues that face affordable housing.

“Affordable housing has really come into the forefront as an issue that people all across the county, the towns, and local government agree — we’ve all got to do more,” Marcoplos said. “The time is ripe for real significant gains in affordable housing, and that’s what I’m going to focus on right out of the gate.”

Penny Rich said she was glad to have another term to keep working on her objectives.

“I feel like I can continue what I started to do — I can find closure to the projects I started,” she said.

In her next term, Rich said she wants to focus on many issues for Orange County.

“Economic development is first on my mind as well as affordable housing and they go hand in hand,” she said. “I also want to make sure as we’re growing, we’re protecting our environment.”

Renee Price celebrated her victory at Hot Tin Roof bar in Hillsborough with her friends and supporters.

“In a way (it was) uneventful, since you know, the decision was made in March in the primaries, but you know it’s always good to have that official seal that I won,” she said. “I’ve got another four years ahead, so I’m excited.”

Price is looking forward to her second term in office and is looking to increase community involvement.

“I think in the first four years you have to learn the ropes and just the way things work,” Price said. “In a crude way, learn how the game is played. Even though I’ve been in politics before, you’ve got a different scenario and different characters. I think in the next four years I’m really going to make a more concerted effort to really be out in the community and to bring them into the whole process.”

Even though the election was unopposed, Price still made an effort to participate in the contest.

“I still take it seriously,” she said. “I want people to know who I am, so I was out there at the polls today. I felt rather useless in a way, but people were actually pleased to see that you know whose name is on the ballot has actually shown up to be there.”

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