Grady not seeking re-election to state office (Jacksonville Daily News)
Long-time state Rep. Robert Grady announced Thursday that he plans to run for Onslow County Clerk of Court instead of seeking re-election to the General Assembly.
“Serving the people of Onslow County in the State House has been a part of my life for the past 24 years,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am grateful for the experience. And I will miss it.”
He served three terms on the Jacksonville City Council in the early 1980s and was elected to the N.C. House in 1986 as a Republican. He served 12 terms as a state representative.
While in the House, Grady served on the appropriations committee for education and Crime Control and Public Safety. Grady is also credited with helping to establish a veterans cemetery in Jacksonville and programs at Coastal Carolina Community College that allow students to receive a four-year degree without leaving Onslow County.
Grady said clerk of court is an important, but unappreciated, office that touches the lives of almost everyone in the community.
The recent 2-percent cut to the clerk’s budget ordered by the Administrative Office of the Courts is the right way to go, he said.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a government agency that couldn’t trim its budget and, I hope, through efficiencies and modernization we can find ways to save taxpayers even more,” he said.
Grady said he will not accept campaign donations from lawyers, employees of the clerk of court office or their families since that might led to an appearance of favoritism.
Grady, a graduate of both the University of North Carolina and Campbell University, has been married to his wife Neta Grady for 36 years. She works as the director of the Onslow County Alcohol Control Board.
January 07, 2010 4:27 PM
LINDELL KAY
Updated at 7:19 p.m.
