BY MILES LAYTON

EDENTON — When Chowan County’s Democrats held their county convention Saturday at the Municipal Building, they talked about freedom, a desire for good government and equality for all under the law – ideals that we all should support. 

For the record, the Albemarle Observer also covered the Chowan County Republican Convention in March.

First, the business aspect of the meeting – the party’s officers were re-elected: 

• John Capitman as co-chair

• Lois Thompson as co-chair

• Colleen Nicholas as secretary 

• Evelyn Copeland as treasurer

These folks, whose bios appear at the end of this story, will lead the charge into the 2026 midterms – an election year that promises one of the most competitive congressional races in the nation with Democrat Don Davis seeking another term representing the First Congressional District.

Capitman touted Democratic successes in the 2024 election cycle, noting the “reelection of Don Davis to the US House, a great election of Josh Stein (Governor) and Rachel Hunt (Lt Governor) and other Democratic leaders in the state, pushing back some of the worst things that were put towards us.”

That said, Capitman noted the downside of 2024 for Democrats.

“It was also a tough year for us, locally and at state level. Democratic registration and voting levels were down compared to past years locally. And, data suggests that younger people, and white men in particular just didn’t show up in the same way. Men of color didn’t show up in the same way as in the past.”

Capitman continued, “This is really our challenge for this next two-year cycle — how do we get more people that we engage with more who will vote for Democratic leaders and policies.”

More from Capitman will appear further down in this story — also, the Albemarle Observer will try to connect with him for a more extensive interview same as we did for the new Chowan County GOP Chair Jennifer Rice.

Other takeaways from county’s Democratic convention – the party paid tribute to Lueta Sellers. Here is the link to her obituary – she died April 3.  

Nicholas read a proclamation dedicated to Sellers.  

“Whereas Lueta Sellers, a cherished member of our community, passed away on Thursday, April 3, 2025, following a long illness. She was a beloved member of the Chowan County Democratic Party. She was born in Florida, graduated from Vero Beach High School, and was deeply influenced by family and friends, especially her husband of 65 years, Frank Sellers.”

“These relationships instilled in her values of kindness, humor, civic and political engagement. Lueta’s professional journey led her to graduate from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in science in chemistry and she was employed by the university in its research laboratory. She then joined her husband, Frank Sellers, at RJ Reynolds and served with distinction in its research laboratory. Lueta just served as the president of North Carolina Women’s Political Caucus and was active in the National Women’s Political Caucus as a member of the finance, ERA, and training and education committees. She also served as a consultant to the National Woman’s Education Fund, on the Board of North Carolina United for Equal Rights Amendment, on the Board of Directors of the North Carolina Coalition of Choice, and served as the chairperson of the Chowan County Democratic Party.

“Throughout her lifelong commitment to democracy and the Democractic Party, Lueta supported causes, candidates, and guided our local party to register voters and shared national news reports to educate and keep us informed on topics that impacted our lives in Chowan County.”

Nicholas continued by saying Sellers’ life “was a testament to the power of kindness, humor, and unwavering dedication to the causes she believed in, leaving a legacy of love, community service, and advocacy. Therefore, it is proclaimed by the Chowan County Democratic Party, the Chowan County Democratic Party celebrates the life of Lueta Sellers, honoring her contributions to our community, her professional achievements, and the love and warmth she brought to those around her.”  

Sellers deserves this recognition and more.  

I remember meeting Lueta for the first time several years back. Like most people in those days, Lueta came to the office to chat. I don’t remember what we talked about, though Lueta may have been triggered by a story I had written, perhaps about then-state Senator Bob Steinburg, a resident of Edenton and conservative firebrand that I compared to Republican Jesse Helms, who served in the US Senate for 30 years.  Like Helms, Steinburg was considered the boogeyman by Democrats.  

A staunch Democrat, Lueta was firm in her convictions – I respect that and her commitment to her party. She was a true believer in what politics could accomplish.

Local Democrats also paid tribute to John Guard, Lynn Partin, and Jerald Perry, all of whom will retire from the Chowan County Board of Elections in May.  

“We pause to recognize the outstanding contributions each of them has made to our country and our community. While it goes without saying that each of these individuals has served competently and capably representing their party with integrity and the people of Chowan County with fairness and respect, the impact goes well beyond fulfilling their duties. Their work has exemplified the highest standards of public service.”

Inspired by Lueta’s passion for the Democratic Party, let’s circle back to Capitman’s speech, where he spoke about some of the party’s positions, including being a state and nation that supports a multicultural democracy and providing better access to markets for farmers and manufacturers.   

Echoing Democratic values, Capitman said, “We want to give every child a chance to learn about our history and the broader world. We want to see women have the choice to make their own choice about health care. We want to see elders, children, and all of us protected from hunger, poverty, despair, and indignity.”

Capitman said Democrats support education, economic development and raise the call that this is the political party to support at the polls for people who believe in all these values.    

“We want to see those kinds of programs that we take, as opposed to cutting away,” he said. “We want to expand opportunities for post-high school education, decent pay for teachers, and new service workers. We believe in protecting the environment, investing in economic development in small towns and underdeveloped places around. If you share some of these beliefs, please work with us in the coming two-year period to see Democratic Party get the leaders in the policies that we deserve.” 

Capitman, PhD, who formerly served as executive director of the Central Valley Health Policy Institute and Emeritus Nickerson Professor in the Department of Public Health retired on May of 2023 after nearly 20 years of service to the university, according to Fresno State University.  

Co-Chair of Chowan County’s Democratic Party, everyone knows Lois Thompson because she’s active in a lot things in the community and garners a lot of respect in the community. Thompson is a longtime volunteer at ECU Chowan Hospital and her grandson Zion plays on the Chowan Middle School baseball team, also a big time member of the Boy Scouts. Thompson has long been involved in Democratic politics, having served in the past as Co-Secretary/precinct chair for East Edenton.   

Secretary of Chowan County’s Democratic Party, Colleen Nicholas retired as a long career as an educator in special education. Nicholas served as president of the county’s party for about two years between 2017 and 2019.  Based on my interactions with Nicholas – she is a kind, caring, compassionate person.  

Treasurer of Chowan County’s Democratic Party, Evelyn Copeland is active in the community. I’m sorry, I don’t know much about Evelyn’s biography, though I know of the Copeland family’s good reputation in Edenton.