At age 78, state Sen. Ellie Kinnaird joined fellow septuagenarian Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass, 75, on the ballot. Kinnaird will face Republican Ryan Hilliard, 34, in November. Pendergrass will face Hillsborough Police Chief Clarence Birkhead in the May Democratic primary. The winner will face Republican Buddy Parker, a Hillsborough police officer, in the fall.

In the race for at-large Orange County commissioner, Carrboro Aldermen Joal Hall Broun and former Hillsborough Mayor Joe Phelps will take on incumbent Barry Jacobs.

And in the biggest surprise, former Orange County Board of Education chairman Keith Cook will try to regain a seat he lost in 2004 after delivering a graduation speech he found on the Internet.

"If I could turn back the hands of time to reverse my actions that night I would," Cook said. "It was never my intent to hurt the first-ever graduates of Cedar Ridge High School, their families, the school district or our community."

Here is a look at some local races, based on interviews, the candidates' statements and their Web sites.

Board of Commissioners

Three seats are open on the seven-member Orange County Board of Commissioners.

In District 1, representing Chapel Hill-Carrboro, incumbent Alice Gordon, 72, is running unopposed.

"I thought for sure somebody would jump in against me," Gordon said Friday. "I still have the passion. I still enjoy it and still want to pursue the issues."

Gordon, seeking her sixth term, said maintaining the quality of government services amid severe budget cuts will be her top priority.

In District 2, three candidates are seeking office. The winner of the May Democratic primary - either Earl McKee or Renee Price - will face Republican Greg Andrews in November.

McKee, 47, a farmer, says he would ease homeowners' tax burden by extending water and sewer lines into the county's economic development districts to boost commercial development.

"I believe that we must be frugal with our spending," he says. "It is crucial that we maintain our exceptional school system for our children."

Price, 56, founded the Hillsborough Riverside Council that fought the extension of Elizabeth Brady Road. The $48 million extension plan, recently dropped by the state, would have built a four-lane bridge over the Eno River, across the Occonneechee Speedway and two dozen homes.

"My life has focused on conserving neighborhoods, building community, protecting the environment and preserving our cultural history," Price says. "Orange County is changing and growing, and we need to guide and manage this change so that it is ecologically sound, economically viable and socially just."

Andrews, 40, owner of THD Construction Inc., said county spending and tax increases got him into the race.

"It is easy to spend money that isn't coming out of your pocket, but the county has created a deficit that is steadily growing with no plans on how to create a balance for the tax payers that are suffering for it," Andrews said."Growth is necessary and can be beneficial to the county, but in a stressful economy the focus should be on the needs of the members of the community."

In the at-large race, incumbent Jacobs faces primary challenges from fellow politicians Broun and Phelps. Efforts to reach them were unsucessful Friday.

Orange County Board of Education

Eight candidates are vying for four seats in the non-partisan school board race.

Incumbent Anne Medenblik, 50, the current board chairwoman is seeking her second term.

"We have to provide a quality education for each and every child in our school system while at the same time face a shrinking budget," she said. "It is a challenge, but not an impossible one. The data shows we are making progress and experiencing many successes along the way. I look forward to seeing that trend continue."

Incumbent Debbie Piscitelli, 45, a pharmacist and medical writer, is seeking her second term.

"Over the past four years, I have brought a scientific view to the board," she said. "We have improved our use of data to evaluate student performance and district programs. In these economic times we must continue this approach to assure the taxpayers we are wisely using our limited resources."

Former school board member Brenda Stephens, 57, is seeking her third term after stepping down in 2006. She is the former director of the Orange County Public Library and Hyconeechee Regional Library System. She retired from her job in 2008.

"I am in it to win it," Stephens said. Although she stepped down because of work, she always intended to come back. "I said this is not a period, just a comma,'" she said.

Stephens said budget cuts will be the next board's biggest challenge. "Everybody in America's having to deal with budget cuts," she said. "We're just going to have to work through it."

Will Atherton, 37, a system engineer at IBM, chairs the Orange County Sportsplex Community Advisory Committee, where he says he and others are working to make sure the recreation center serves people of all incomes.

"This year and last year have shown we can't do things the same way," he said of the schools. "You're going to need some innovative solutions. We don't want to lose these very skilled teachers. At the same time we don't want to cut programs for kids who really need them the most."

Laura Nicholson, 30, is a business manager for a pharmaceutical wholesaler. She recently started the OCS Parent Council, a group that unites individual school PTA's and advocates for children throughout the district. She also serves as PTSA President at Central Elementary.

On her Web site she says she is running on a platform of fiscal responsibility, increased communication, community involvement, and transparency and is committed "to uniting parents throughout the community and to ensuring that all parents have access to the information and decisions made by the school board."

Donna Dean Coffey, 50, said he wants to build on relationships she had as former budget director of Orange County.

"As a society, we are facing some of the most challenging times in history - balancing ever increasing needs with strained financial, capital, and human resources. The Orange County Board of Education is no exception," Coffey said. "With almost 30 years of experience in local government budgeting, finance, and policy development, I believe I will be a very valuable asset to the District on this front."

Keith Cook, 66, the former board chairman, said he spent time praying and talking with people before filing.

He wants to see the district continue focusing on dropout and suspension rates, raising the performance of all students and closing the achievemement gap.

He said he has learned from his mistake six years ago.

"I'm not perfect, but who is?' Cook said. "I have indeed grown from that experience."

Efforts to reach Charles (Greg) Williams, 43, were unsuccessful Friday.