GOP Names Interim Sink Replacement

The 2,328 Davidson County voters who supported Larry Allen in the May primary will get to see their preferred candidate in action after all.

The Goodwill classroom instructor, Reedy Creek resident and erstwhile political candidate has been tapped to replace Fred Sink on the Davidson County Board of Commissioners until December.

Allen, 45, was announced as Sink's replacement in a press release from the Davidson County Republican Party distributed this afternoon. His name was selected from a field of six candidates, which included Eric Osborne, the Rev. Dr. Ronald Coleman, Shelley Koonts Pack, John Faust Sr. and Sim DeLapp Jr.

"I couldn't be prouder of the group we had to select from," said party chairman Lance Barrett, but added that "at this time, Larry was the candidate to move forward with."

Allen received 10 percent of the vote in the May primary, his first bid for political office, failing to grab one of the party's four nominations by just more than 800 votes. On the night the votes were tallied, Allen told The Dispatch he didn't plan on running for public office again, a reaction Barrett attributed to simple "election night disappointment."

Allen today was in high spirits, saying he looked forward to working with the other commissioners for the remainder of Sink's term.

"Davidson County is my home," he said. "I love this county, I believe in this county and its people."

Fred Sink's seat was vacated in late June after the state Court of Appeals upheld his March 2005 conviction for having a county employee fix a toilet at his home on county time.

One Republican and one Democratic nominee will square off for Sink's seat in November. Allen, a member of the GOP executive committee for the past year, said whether he becomes the fall candidate is now a matter for the party committee, from which he will resign to serve on the board of commissioners.

Barrett remained mum on whether Allen would be the November candidate, saying the executive committee would reconvene in late August to discuss the matter. He did, however, say Allen's candidacy remained a possibility.

For the moment, however, Allen said he is focusing on the task at hand.

"I'm so excited, and very honored that the Republican Party believes in me," he said.

The county Democratic Party is currently accepting applications for candidates to vie for Sink's seat in November, and is expected to announce their candidate's name around the same time as the Republicans, shortly before the Sept. 1 deadline.