ASHEBORO — Former Sheriff Litchard Hurley returned to the spotlight last week when he was elected chairman of the Randolph County Republican Party.

He takes the helm from Alan Pugh, who served two tenures 20 years apart as GOP head. Pugh had decided not to run again for the post, which he has held since 2005 and previously from 1977 to 1985.

The election came Thursday evening at the county courthouse as 163 registered delegates filled Courtroom 1A for the event. Other officers joining Hurley on the Executive Committee are Barry Bunting and Shirley McAnulty, reelected as vice chairman and secretary, respectively, and Allen McNeill, replacing Matthew Lambeth who didn’t run for reelection as treasurer. Both Bunting and McNeill are veterans with the Sheriff’s Office.

“This is a great honor you’ve given me tonight,” Hurley told the crowd. “I’m glad you remembered me.”

Citing the old saw “Out of sight, out of mind,” Hurley told of an elderly woman at church who wouldn’t let go of his hand as she talked to him. He said he finally asked if the woman knew who he was and she responded, “You used to be dog catcher, didn’t you?”

The former lawman said later that he remembered sitting on his father’s lap at precinct meetings and being fascinated with local politics. Back then, he said, “it was something to elect a Republican in Randolph County.”

Hurley told the audience he “believe(s) in grassroots campaigning,” and planned to use that strategy in supporting local Republican candidates.

“I had 17 good years as sheriff because the Republican Party was behind me,” he said. “I think it’s time I gave back to the party that did so much for me.”

Pugh, in relinquishing the GOP reins, called his terms as chairman “one of the great privileges of my life.”

He said in an interview after the meeting that he first became chairman after the Watergate scandal left the Republican Party in shambles at both the national and local levels.

In 1977 when he first became chairman, there was a Democratic sheriff, Democratic representative and senator in the General Assembly and Dems controlled the Board of County Commissioners.

Registered Democrats outnumbered registered Republicans in the county.

“I got to see Republicans gain control,” Pugh said. “I never thought I’d see Republicans on the N.C. Supreme Court or a Republican Speaker of the (N.C.) House” but both occurred, including Randolph’s own Harold Brubaker as Speaker.

Pugh counts as one of his greatest rewards the number of “good men and women” he’s seen elected to office. “I’m so proud of the people I’ve recruited and helped elect to public office.”

He said at the top of the list of experiences is “getting to know and become lifelong friends with so many people.”

A special guest at the convention was Linda Daves, chairman of the N.C. Republican Party and daughter of the late Floyd Langley, longtime county commissioner.

She complimented Randolph County for having such a large turnout “without a barbecue supper.”

Daves said the local legislators are representing the county well. All three – Sen. Jerry Tillman and Reps. Brubaker and Pat Hurley – were in Raleigh for the current session.

“What happened in the state and country was the perfect storm for the Democrats to gain control,” Daves said, referring to the election of Democrats for president, governor and U.S. senator.

However, she said, the state GOP “party is a stable organization ... working on fund-raising for the next elections. We have fine candidates across the state.”

Nominating speeches were given by County Commissioner Stan Haywood (for Hurley), Vic Parks (Bunting), District Court Judge Rob Wilkins (McAnulty) and Sheriff Maynard Reid (McNeill).

Haywood took a swat at the administration of President Barack Obama, saying less government is better. “Government needs to stay out of the lives of we citizens,” he said. “We can govern ourselves better than they can. We know we can do better than the communists in Washington.

“We need a chairman who can stand up and be conservative,” said Haywood, in nominating Hurley.

Parks called Bunting “dependable, honest, loyal, a patriot ... an outstanding man.”

Wilkins, in nominating McAnulty for another term, said she’s “somebody who has already proven she is smart, capable and trustworthy. She’s outlasted three chairmen.”

Reid said McNeill has done 18 budgets for the Sheriff’s Office, was treasurer of Reid’s campaign for sheriff and is treasurer at East Side Baptist Church. “He’s an outstanding public servant.”