Ritter replacing Kennedy on Moore County board of commissioners

The resignation of Moore County commissioner Craig Kennedy, a few weeks back, has added a little bit of drama to Moore County politics.   Kennedy, in 2010, came out of nowhere to upset incumbent commissioner Cindy Morgan — wife of SpeakerrrrrRichardMorgan™  — in the GOP primary.

Well, the drama came to a conclusion last night when the Moore County GOP executive committee appointed longtime county party activist Otis Ritter as Kennedy’s replacement on the board.  Ritter has been a precinct chairman and influential grassroots political figure in northern Moore County for decades.   One local pol I spoke with joked:

“I’m not saying Otis is old, but he’s been involved in the Republican Party for so long that I think he actually knew Abe Lincoln.”

Ritter won a state appointment from Governor Jim Martin, and has been serving on Moore County’s emergency services board.

Longtime political observers see Ritter  developing a voting record to the right of Kennedy’s.   The term for this seat on the board expires in 2014.  Ritter has not indicated whether he will run for a full term.  If he does, he will be a formidable candidate.   Ritter’s blessing is often KEY to winning northern Moore County.