Lyle Estill and his wife Tami Schwerin, both well-known figures in Pittsboro, tried to register to vote in the town, even though they live in Moncure. The election is next Tuesday.
Estill, who is a founder of Piedmont Biofuels, and Schwerin, a founder of Chatham Marketplace coop grocery store, came into the Chatham County Board of Elections office Oct. 12 -- the last day residents could register to vote -- said Dawn Stumpf, director of Chatham's elections.
They requested a change of address form, Stumpf said, and wrote that their new address was in Pittsboro.
"I came out and saw they had done that, and I said 'that's not where they live,'" Stumpf said."He's a well-known figure, and they live in Moncure."
Stumpf then investigated whether they really lived at 224 East Street. She actually went there and interviewed people, she said. Stumpf learned the couple was not living there, so the board of elections denied their request, Stumpf said. To qualify for a change of address, the resident must abandon his other home, she said.
"We found they did not abandon their home -- they have not left their children or their pets in Moncure," she said.
In an interview Monday, Estill said he spends most of his waking time in Pittsboro -- he works there, he eats there -- so he wanted to vote there, too. He said he has leased "a place" in Pittsboro and named the address as 224 East Street. He said he rented rooms in 224 East Street to house employees of his plant, which makes biodiesel for $3.50 a gallon. He also said his home is falling down, and he has hired an architect to build a home in Pittsboro.
When I asked who he leased the building from, Estill said "some builder" but did not know his name. But I pressed further and again asked who he rents the space from. He eventually said Randy Voller had leased the place to him.
The building, which is a white house located near the Hardees, houses several offices. In an interview Monday, Voller said he does not own the building, but rather leases it from the owner and then subleases it to others.
Voller said Piedmont Biofuels rents two spaces in the building, and an intern with biofuels lives there. The building he said is zoned for offices on the first floor and living quarters on the second.
As for Estill claiming to live there, Voller, who is running for re-election, said he had no comment on that.
According to campaign reports, Estill gave Pittsboro Together $1,000, and listed his address in Moncure. Tami Schwerin donated $250, and listed the same Moncure address. Pittsboro Together, a political action group, has endorsed Voller.
Estill is also a columnist for the Chapel Hill News.
Stumpf said the board of elections denied Estill and Schwerin's request in an open meeting. The board also made a new policy: Now, when someone wants to change his address, the elections staff will call him and ask if he is aware of the rule that he must abandon his previous residence to qualify, Stumpf said.
