Rickard was winding up a career at Duke Power and not really involved in politics. Keadle was working the telephone day and night as the 12th Congressional District GOP nominee, trying to unseat Democrat Mel Watt.

And Everhart continued working behind the scenes for Republican candidates in Davidson County.

Today, their paths have come together as Republican candidates contending for the 23rd N.C. Senate District seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Jim Phillips of Lexington.

The winner in the May 2 GOP primary goes on to face Democratic newcomer Calvin Cunningham of Lexington and Libertarian Larry Clark of Iredell County. Both of them are unopposed in their respective parties.

Everhart, Keadle and Rickard bring quite different approaches and backgrounds to their contest, which touches 20 precincts in Rowan County and 15 precincts each in Davidson and Iredell counties.

The sister of Davidson County Sheriff Gerald Hege, Everhart has worked most recently as a real estate broker, homebuilder and designer and previously as a homemaker, teacher and bank employee. She has served terms on the Davidson County Board of Education and the county’s social services board.

Her state and local committee work has included personnel, jail, welfare reform and economic development studies. She volunteered three years as a guardian ad litem, representing children who become wards of the court.

Though discouraged that the nomination will probably be decided by a small turnout of Republican and unaffiliated voters — as few as 6,500 in the three-county district — Everhart has worked quietly in targeting the people she thinks will go to the polls.

Meanwhile, Keadle relies heavily on the wealth of experience and organization he gained during his unsuccessful run against Mel Watt in 1998. A Salisbury dentist, he sees the 23rd District as leaning toward Republicans and says many of the same precincts he did well in against Watt also lie within the 23rd District.

Phillips’ pending retirement offered him a different opportunity, Keadle says.

“I’ve wanted to change government and keep government off people’s backs,” he adds.

Rickard, retired district manager for Duke Power in Salisbury, has worked hard to be visible during the weeks leading up to the primary. She has sent out one mailer to voters in the district and plans another one before next Tuesday.

A one-time public school teacher, Rickard filled many community-oriented roles in recent years, including chairmanship of the Rowan County United Way and leadership roles with the Rowan County Chamber of Commerce.

“This has been a lot of hard work,” Rickard says of her first run for public office, “but it also has been more enjoyable than I thought it would be.”

Different shades

The shades of difference among the candidates is evident in their responses to several questions, such as their views on state incentives for new industry.

Rickard says some incentives are necessary if North Carolina intends to compete with other states.

“I don’t feel like we need to be the highest bidder,” she adds. “We have a lot of other good things we can offer businesses.”

Everhart and Keadle adamantly oppose incentives. Everhart says companies’ profits and chief executives’ salaries are reason enough not to offer incentives.

A trained work force provides a better attraction for new industry, Everhart says.

Keadle complains that he has been in business 10 years and doesn’t get any state tax breaks.

“There are a lot more people like me than people like Federal Express,” he says.

“I’m in business. I know what I’m doing. All I want government to do is stay out of my way, and I’ll provide jobs and contribute to the economy.”

Keadle and Everhart also strongly oppose a city’s right to involuntarily annex areas outside its corporate limits. Everhart has personally fought an attempted annexation of her Davidson County home.

People in an area designated for annexation should be able to vote on it, Keadle says, describing the state’s current policy as one of the most aggressive in the country.

“It’s just wrong,” he adds.

Rickard says she recognizes that cities need annexation at times and realizes it’s a sensitive issue for those targeted by cities. “I would have to investigate,” she says. “I really don’t know enough about it to say yea or nay. If we could avoid involuntary annexation, I think that would be good.”

More choices?

Keadle favors taxpayer-funded vouchers that parents could use to send their children to private or public schools, and in a broader sense, Keadle favors giving parents more educational choices, period.

Debates such as whether the Ten Commandments should be placed in schools would be eliminated if parents could choose where to enroll their children, Keadle says.

Everhart opposes school vouchers, believing the money isn’t available for such a program. But she says some parents do need help for their children who can’t succeed in public schools. The focus, Everhart says, should ultimately be on educating children, no matter what the setting.

Rickard also opposes school vouchers. “Right now, we do have a good choice,” she said at a recent forum, referring to public and charter schools.

The N.C. Christian Coalition has circulated a “Family Values Voter Guide” on the 23rd Senate District race, based on survey responses it received from the candidates. Keadle supporters use it as evidence that he’s the true conservative in the GOP primary.

It lists Keadle as opposing a lottery referendum, state registration of firearms, allowing homosexuals to adopt children and statewide liquor by the drink. He is shown supporting a prohibition against abortion except when the mother’s life is endangered, a ban against partial birth abortions, a tax credit for private and home schools and local control of the school system.

Rickard and Everhart disagree with Keadle on the abortion question, according to the guide. Everhart also would support a referendum on a state lottery, which Rickard and Keadle oppose.

Overall, Rickard and Keadle gave different responses to six of the Christian Coalition’s hot-button issues.

Frankness

Everhart, 56, thinks she strikes a chord with voters who admire her frankness, her willingness to research issues and admit she’s not an expert on everything. She touts her experience in educational and business matters.

“I’m a woman who asks questions,” she says.

Everhart tempers her personal opposition to a lottery by acknowledging that people should be allowed to vote on the issue. The same goes in her mind for a 1-cent sales tax increase for local school construction needs, though she stresses that when building projects are placed before voters they have to be specific.

Everhart emphasizes the need to keep quality teachers and says small businesses are concerned about increasing government regulations. On law enforcement, voters tell her to stop slapping criminals on the wrist and keep them in jail.

The potholes on the district’s highways are part of poor planning, Everhart says. Priorities have to change, as she has seen them change in the past on local roads, she adds.

Everhart supports term limits for legislators, but says she isn’t sure how long.

Clinton backlash

“People are worried about the shape of government,” Keadle says. “When you talk about government, they’re very concerned about the honesty and integrity of officials. There’s still Clinton backlash out there.”

Keadle, 35, thinks if counties in the 23rd Senate District want to see improvements in road conditions they will have to send more Republicans to the state House and Senate and hope Republicans gain control of the General Assembly.

Funding formulas are set by “a group of politicians,” Keadle says, “and right now, there’s only one group in Raleigh. They control the House, Senate, governor’s office and executive offices. As long as Republicans don’t have a single vote, they’re not going to send money to Republicans.”

Keadle noted that four of Rowan County’s five legislators are Republican. A recent report showed Rowan to have the state’s worst state-maintained roads.

Keadle is a West Virginia native, and his mother was a school teacher. Besides his dental practice, he has developed some business properties.

Three issues

Rickard, 56, has emphasized three issues in her campaign: She wants to raise educational standards in public schools, enhance the state’s business environment and improve roads and transportation.

On transportation, Rickard says she would focus on shifting more maintenance money to counties such as Rowan that desperately need it. Davidson and Iredell residents also have road improvement issues, she says.

More generally, Rickard says, “I think mass transit does need to be pursued in North Carolina.”

In her ads, Rickard has labeled herself as “ a conservative with solutions.” She says she doesn’t favor any tax increases.

On education, Rickard stresses to people that she’s a N.C. native who attended public schools and a state university (Appalachian), besides a stint as a public school teacher in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg system.