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 Siler City, North Carolina  (919)663-3232   

Challenge dismissed!

Sanabria allowed to run for mayor

By Cara Rotondaro

Vince Sanabria was allowed to continue his campaign for mayor of Siler City after the Board of Elections voted Tuesday morning to dismiss a challenge to his candidacy brought by Don Tarkenton.

The decision was made after a one-hour continuation of a hearing that commenced on August 16 after Tarkenton, chairman of the Siler City Planning Board and Board of Adjustments, filed his challenge on August 11, alleging that Sanabria was not a resident of Siler City.

Board of Elections members Craig Bray and Ernest Dark voted to dismiss the challenge. Chairman Audrey Poe was absent from the proceedings but since a quorum was present the hearing went forward.

Sanabria was allowed to run because he had registered to vote in Siler City at least 30 days prior to filing to run for mayor, said Bray, stating that the decision was simply a matter of law.

“If you are registered to vote you are eligible to run,” said county lawyer Bob Gunn.

Both Sanabria and Tarkenton were asked to present additional evidence to support their cause at Tuesday’s continuation hearing.

The central issue argued by both sides was whether or not Sanabria had moved from his home at 206 Box Turtle Road, Pittsboro, to his new residence at 202 North Dogwood Avenue in Siler City, in an appropriate amount of time to run in this election cycle and whether or not Sanabria’s initial intent had been to move into the Siler City residence, or whether he’d done so after his candidacy was challenged.

Sanabria presented several items of evidence to the board proving he was now living solely at the Dogwood Avenue address and had ceased residing in Pittsboro.

Among the items presented were his driver’s license reflecting the Siler City address, a letter from the previous owner of the house stating Sanabria had purchased it in April and a U-Haul receipt from August 26, the date he moved.

more- See Thursday, Sept 1 paper: Vol 85, No. 40

Northwood sophomore Aaron Lamb jumps high after the Chargers scored the first goal of the match between them and Jordan-Matthews Monday evening, giving the Chargers a 1-0 lead at the half. But the Jets were the ones who wound up celebrating, taking a 4-3 win over Northwood on two finals goals by Jet Martin Hernandez.

Tax office enforces new mobile home rules

By Cara Rotondaro

A large amount of uncollected debt on mobile homes is the reason for a new requirement being enforced by the Chatham County Tax Office in conjunction with the Central Permitting Office, said Frances Wilson, Chatham County tax collector.

There is currently $197,000 in delinquent taxes on mobile homes in Chatham County, Wilson said.

The new requirement will mean that those seeking permits to move previously-owned mobile homes into the county must submit proof that taxes have been paid on that mobile home to the permitting office.

Previously, no proof of taxes was necessary to receive a permit, Wilson said; but the fact that many mobile home owners get around paying taxes brought the problem to the attention of county tax officials.

“We’re a relatively small county but that’s a large amount of debt,” Wilson said. “We’re striving to take whatever steps are necessary to see that we collect that debt”

Other counties in the state are adopting similar policies, she said, in the hopes that by working together the problem will be addressed as mobile homes move from county to county.

The problem, said Wilson, is that mobile homes are often sold or moved without proper protocol being followed.

If a home is sold from one owner to another, sometimes without the title being transferred correctly, the new owner often isn’t aware what taxes have and haven’t been paid, Wilson said. 

Repossessions are particularly tricky, with the new owner often unaware of what taxes have been paid and having no knowledge of the previous owners.

“Once they’re sold we lose our right to levy on that house,” Wilson said.

 more- See Thursday, Sept 1 paper: Vol 85, No. 40

Bear Creek lab's waste disposal under investigation

By Cara Rotondaro

Whether or not a laboratory’s failure to properly dispose of waste since the late 1980’s will cause any problems for those living nearby is not yet known, Chatham County environmental health director Holly Coleman told the county Board of Health at an  August 23 meeting.

Coleman said Chatham County issued a notice of violation on July 25 to Carolina Analytical Laboratory, formerly known as Woodson-Tenent Laboratory, at 17570 NC Hwy. 902, Bear Creek.

The notice is for violations of NC General Statute 130A-335, which requires that an approved wastewater system be provided, and 130A-337, which requires that a septic system be inspected prior to use.

The notice also ordered that the lab immediately stop all discharge of laboratory waste through its wastewater system.

Suspicion of potential contamination from the lab began when a fish kill occurred in January 2004 in a pond near the sit, Coleman said. Chatham County was notified of the situation by a resident who lived nearby. The state later declared that the fish died of “natural causes,” she said, and it wasn’t until this summer that the case was looked into further.

The site has been a laboratory, under different names, since 1987, said Coleman. The lab has produced animal feed and human food and well as performed pet food analysis.

 more- See Thursday, Sept 1 paper: Vol 85, No. 40

The Chatham News

is Published Every Thursday by The Chatham News Publishing Co, Inc at

303 West Raleigh Street, Siler City, NC 27344, (919)663-3232

Alan D. Resch Editor-Publisher

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