Table Talk Episode 17: Shannon Jarvis for District 2 Judge & Stan Deatherage for County Commissioner | Eastern NC Now

    Table Talk host Stan Deatherage and co-host Down East Dave Hudson interviewed two Republican primary candidates: Shannon Jarvis, running for District 2 District Court Judge, and Stan Deatherage, running for reelection as Beaufort County Commissioner. Dave Hudson led most of the questioning to avoid bias, as Deatherage openly supports Jarvis. Nothing was prearranged, and both candidates answered spontaneously.

Shannon Jarvis, Candidate for District 2 District Court Judge

    Background and Qualifications: Shannon Jarvis is an assistant district attorney in District 2, which covers Beaufort, Hyde, Washington, Martin, and Tyrrell counties, the largest geographic judicial district in North Carolina. She has 16 years of legal experience and is a board certified specialist in state criminal law, the only attorney holding that distinction in the entire five-county district. She has served in private practice, as an assistant public defender in Pitt County for approximately seven and a half years, and as a prosecutor since 2018. She is the only female candidate in the race, the only married candidate, and the only candidate with children.

    Personal Story and Life Experience: Jarvis was born in Belhaven and raised in Bath, growing up in a poor family in a trailer on Kelly Road. Her family struggled with substance abuse and domestic violence. She moved out on her own at age 16, graduated high school independently, and became the first person in her family to attend college. She started at Pitt Community College earning a paralegal degree, then earned a bachelor's degree from East Carolina University before attending law school. She bought her first car by shedding soft crabs at her aunt's crab ranch at ages 14 and 15. She is married to a seventh-grade English teacher at P.S. Jones, and has three children, a 17-year-old stepson, an eight-year-old son, and a four-year-old daughter.

    Teaching and Community Involvement: Since 2013, Jarvis has taught at the college level, including paralegal classes, criminal justice classes, business classes, and basic law enforcement training (BLET) classes. She emphasizes that training law enforcement properly ensures constitutional rights are protected and communities are safer. She recently taught at the Conference of District Attorneys' fall conference and received a 4.71 out of 5 instructor rating from assistant district attorneys statewide, which she considers a significant professional achievement.


    Judicial Philosophy: Jarvis described her approach as "firm, but fair and ready", meaning firm does not mean overly strict, and fair does not mean soft. She stressed that a judge's responsibility is to follow and apply the law equally and fairly to everyone, without bias, prejudice, or influence from any "good old boy system." She committed to not legislating from the bench, instead applying the law as written based on the specific facts and circumstances of each case. She emphasized the importance of listening as the foundational skill of a good judge.

    Scope of District Court: Jarvis educated viewers that district court judges handle far more than criminal law. Their responsibilities include family law matters such as divorce, child custody, and child support; Department of Social Services and foster care cases; and juvenile law, among other areas. She argued that her experience as a wife, mother, stepmother, and co-parent gives her critical insight into the family law cases she would preside over, and that her difficult childhood gives her empathy and understanding for people from challenging backgrounds who appear in court.

    Board Certification Explained: To become a board certified specialist in state criminal law, Jarvis had to pass an additional bar exam beyond the standard one required to practice law, undergo peer review by other attorneys, and demonstrate a required number of jury trials and years of experience in state criminal law. She is the only attorney in the five-county district to hold this certification.

Stan Deatherage, Candidate for Beaufort County Commissioner

    Background and Experience: Deatherage is among the longest-serving county commissioners in Beaufort County history, first elected in 1994 with approximately 25 years of total service. He has taken breaks from office, including one forced by a loss in a Republican primary, though he has never lost a general election. He identifies as a conservative who represents taxpayers who believe in smaller, more efficient government and reduced spending. He currently resides in Washington but draws his electoral support primarily from rural areas of the county, generally winning the fourth ward while losing other Washington wards due to the city's more left-leaning demographics.

    Government Size and Spending: Deatherage identified reducing the size of county government as the most pressing issue. He noted that in 1994, Beaufort County had approximately 280 employees, whereas the current number exceeds 430 employees, despite the county's population not growing significantly, a roughly 35% increase in workforce. The total payroll, including all costs, is approximately $28 million, which he considers excessive. He advocates cutting the payroll through greater efficiency while maximizing employee productivity. He votes every year to lower the tax rate or cut wasteful spending, and he emphasized that rising taxes are not his doing.

    Political Dynamics and the "Center-Left Coalition": Deatherage described what he calls a "center-left, left coalition" in Beaufort County, a group of commissioners and political figures who swap votes and share power, which he believes produces poor governance. He has been in the minority throughout his 25 years of service. He specifically criticized Republican commissioners Frankie Waters and Randy Walker for voting to keep a Democrat member as vice chair on what is technically a Republican-controlled board, calling it a violation of Republican ethics. He expressed hope for electing a conservative majority that would allow him and fellow commissioner Hood Richardson to lead effectively and implement reforms. He compared his goals to a local version of "DOGE" (Department of Government Efficiency) for Beaufort County.


    Economic Development and the Chocowinity Industrial Park: Deatherage highlighted the South Industrial Park in Chocowinity on Highway 17 as a prime location for economic development. The site has a gas line, railroad access, highway frontage, and high ground, ideal for heavy industry. However, Beaufort County previously allowed Chocowinity to rezone it to light industrial, which Deatherage voted against. He and Hood Richardson have spent two years trying to get it rezoned to heavy industrial to attract large employers with potentially 3,000 to 4,000 jobs, but the effort has been blocked by what he attributes to the coalition's influence. He argued that heavy industrial zoning would allow large-scale manufacturing operations, while light industrial limits development to small-footprint businesses. He also noted that the Chocowinity location offers cheaper electricity than the city of Washington's industrial park, which is approximately 18-20% more expensive.

    Potential for Defense Manufacturing: The discussion touched on the possibility of attracting defense drone manufacturing to Beaufort County. The area already has boat-building expertise, community college training programs, the Washington airport (once touted as a drone capital for the eastern seaboard), and nearby military bombing ranges for testing. Both Deatherage and Hudson suggested the Chocowinity industrial park as an ideal location for such development.

    Corruption and Oversight Concerns: Deatherage raised concerns about corruption at multiple levels of Beaufort County government. He referenced the recent Washington municipal elections and the upheaval that followed, including revelations of a lack of oversight by the former town council and mayor, with possible outright corruption among bureaucrats. He predicted that similar issues would be uncovered at the county level once a conservative majority begins investigating. He attributed many poor decisions by past council members to the influence of entrenched bureaucrats and the power-sharing coalition.

    Rural Representation: Hudson raised the concern that most county commissioners reside in Washington, which comprises only about 0.7% of the county's land mass and a small percentage of its overall population, while Beaufort County is the fifth-largest county in North Carolina at approximately 1,000 square miles including water. Rural areas have experienced school closures, hospital and healthcare facility closures, and declining populations of young families and children. Deatherage acknowledged the concern and emphasized that good governance and proper planning, including strategic industrial zoning and reducing wasteful spending, are essential to making the entire county a better place to live, not just Washington.


    Leadership Philosophy: Deatherage stressed that politicians, like judges, should make decisions from the heart and based on what is right, rather than being influenced by flattery, favors, or promises. He emphasized the importance of experienced leadership in guiding newer commissioners to understand their priorities and always endeavor to do what is right for all constituents. He argued that less government expansion leads to more private-sector growth, as people prefer to live and invest in well-managed counties with clear parameters and no favoritism.

Closing Remarks

    Both candidates emphasized that experience, fairness, and integrity are central to their campaigns. Jarvis asked for votes in the Republican primary in March, as did Deatherage. Hudson commended both candidates for their openness and willingness to engage with the public. The hosts encouraged viewers to attend Jarvis's upcoming meet and greet and to support both candidates at the polls. The episode concluded with Deatherage praising Hudson's performance as interviewer and promising to return as host for a future episode.