It’s not usual for county commissioner memorabilia to merit a Miscellany mention, but then Coy Privette wasn’t your usual county commissioner.
Privette, an outspoken Kannapolis minister and social conservative who once ran for governor, saw his electoral career skid to a halt after pleading guilty to six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution.
Although his fellow Cabarrus County commissioners, all Republicans, demanded he resign, as did the state Republican Party, Privette resisted the “Just say NO” effort and held on for the duration of his term. Then he retired.
Privette died in 2015 at age 82.
When I got my first newspaper job at the Daily Independent in Kannapolis in 1964, the first and only person who came to welcome me was Coy Privette. He came weekly with news tips, stories to tell and lots of laughter. Quite a character.