Rowan Democratic Party Chairman Hall Steele first worried that someone had resorted to dubious political tactics in stealing the campaign signs of local Democratic candidates.

Turns out, the main culprits behind the missing signs are the N.C. Department of Transportation and the city of Salisbury. DOT and city employees are removing political signs that are illegally placed in the state and city rights of way, respectively.

If you’re a candidate and the DOT has confiscated your signs, you can retrieve them by going by the DOT maintenance building off U.S. 29 South where the DOT keeps a pile of the ones it has removed.

The DOT does not issue a fine or have a charge for storage. Candidates can just pick up their signs, says David Lipe of the DOT. For more information, call 639-7560.

In the city, candidates are not as lucky. Any signs the city picks up off its right of way are gone for good. The city destroys them.

This fall hasn’t led to an unusual number of illegal signs in Salisbury, even with the hotly contested presidential year, according to Development Services Manager Hubert Furr.

“I was a little surprised that we haven’t had to pull up more,” he said.

Keadle followup: Stephen Dunn, attorney for Republican N.C. Senate candidate Scott Keadle, says his client “will pursue all available means to challenge” the Davidson County Board of Elections’ findings Tuesday and the “impromptu hearing” that accompanied those conclusions.

The elections board found no irregularities, non-performance of duties or violations of laws by Davidson election officers or Democratic N.C. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham in connection to Cunningham’s voter registration or notice of candidacy.

Keadle claims that Cunningham will not have lived in N.C. Senate District 23 the constitutionally required year before the Nov. 7 election. The Elections Board held an investigative hearing into the matter last Friday, announced its decision Tuesday and will forward the findings and transcripts of its proceedings to the N.C. Board of Elections.

In a letter to board attorney Joe Biesecker, Dunn complained of the board’s receiving documentary evidence and allowing Cunningham attorney Ted Royster to address the board without him or Keadle in attendance.

Dunn said Biesecker told him Monday that his presence would not be required for Tuesday’s meeting because the board would not accept any evidence or hear any additional arguments.

“This is not the first time Scott Keadle’s right to due process has been trampled without his being present to object,” Dunn said.

Gubernatorial debate: The final gubernatorial debate between Democrat Mike Easley and Republican Richard Vinroot will be held from 7 to 8 tonight in the Old House Chamber in Raleigh. The debate will have a town hall forum format and will be broadcast statewide.

Locally, the event will be televised on WCNC (broadcast channel 36, cable channel 6).

The Your Voice, Your Vote media coalition is sponsoring the debate. Libertarian Barbara Howe and Reform Party candidate Douglas Schell were not invited to participate.

GOP candidates in Cabarrus: Republican candidates for statewide office will be visiting the Cabarrus County Republican headquarters at noon Friday.

Candidates scheduled to visit include Henry McKoy, state treasurer; Les Merritt, state auditor; Doug McCullough, Court of Appeals; and Bob Edmunds, N.C. Supreme Court.

GOP candidates are traveling together in a “campaign caravan” today and Friday, with one caravan going east; the other, west. Besides Friday’s stop in Cabarrus, the “west” bus will stop in Alamance, Randolph, Davidson and Davie counties today and Iredell, Stanly and Union counties Friday.

Call Cabarrus GOP Chairman David Black at 784-4591 for more information on the Cabarrus stop.

Watt scores 100: The National Council of Senior Citizens says U.S. Rep. Mel Watt, D-Charlotte, was the only congressman from North Carolina to register a perfect score of 100 on 10 votes the advocacy group used for its ratings this year.

The council has more than 2,000 clubs nationwide.

The votes dealt with minimum wage, Social Security, prescription drugs, senior housing, Medicare, retirement and pensions.

Watt, seeking re-election in the 12th District, also has received an endorsement from the Consumer Federation of America. The group says Watt has a lifetime rating of 87 percent on key consumer issues.

NCAE endorsements: The North Carolina Association of Educators has endorsed Democrats Cal Cunningham and Lorene Coates.

Cunningham seeks the seat in N.C. Senate District 23, which includes portions of Rowan, Iredell and Davidson counties. Coates is a candidate for N.C. House District 35.