HALIFAX – It’s an official two-woman race to occupy the lead office in the newly created District 6.

On Feb. 17, Melissa Draffin Pelfrey, the current District Attorney in District 6A (HalifaxCounty), officially entered the race to become the DA for the newly combined District. Because of the recent consolidation, Pelfrey will be on the ballot in Bertie, Halifax, Hertford and Northampton counties. There she will face Valerie Asbell, the current District Attorney for District 6B (Bertie, Hertford and Northampton), who has also filed to become the DA of the new District.

In 2013, the final budget passed by the North Carolina legislature contained a provision that returned Prosecutorial Districts 6A and 6B to a single, united District 6, composed of Bertie, Halifax, Hertford, and Northampton counties.

When this consolidation was announced, Pelfrey had this to say: “In spite of the hand we’ve been dealt, I firmly believe that our new district can do better for the citizens of our four counties than just get by. We need to look on this situation as a new opportunity for service, and I am excited by the prospect of working with and for this community as we move forward together.”

Pelfrey said preparing to run in the new district has been a challenge.

“Because the law limits my jurisdiction to my prosecutorial district I have not had occasion to prosecute in other counties unless assisting other districts with conflict cases,” she said. “Since learning of the consolidation, I have been traveling across the district introducing myself to as many people as I can.  It’s hard to ask someone for their support when they haven’t even met you. While I have limited time that I can take off from work I will continue to get out in the community so folks can put a face with my name.

“I must say that since I began working towards being elected as the District Attorney for District 6, meeting new people in Bertie, Hertford and Northampton Counties as well as reaching out to people I represented for years has been incredible,” she continued. “It has reminded me of why I do this job and strengthened my resolve to continue to fight for the people who elect me to be their voice in the courtrooms across my district.”

Pelfrey stated that since becoming District 6A Attorney, first by the appointment of Governor Perdue, and then by the citizens of that district, she has worked diligently, both locally and at the state level, to build confidence in the local courts.

“There is nowhere I’d rather be than the courtroom,” she noted. “In order to keep our numbers down and dispose of cases in a timely manner, we have to use the court time that we are given to its fullest potential. What that means in my office is that significant resources are allocated for the disposition of cases—I believe that includes my time as well as that of my staff.

“If you haven’t had a chance to meet me and my staff, I invite you to come to the Halifax County courthouse and see what we’re all about,” Pelfrey said. “It has amazed me to learn of the connections people in our counties have with each other.  If you know someone from Halifax County please talk to them and ask them about me and my office.  If you cannot do these things please go to my web site, www.districtattorneypelfrey.com and read what I’m all about.  There are several ways to contact me on my web site I encourage you to do that. “

Pelfrey is hosting “Meet & Greets” on Friday, March 14 from 5-8 p.m. at Ruffin Law Firm in Windsor; Thursday, March 20 from 5-8 p.m. at the Conway Women’s Club, and Friday, March 21 5-8 p.m. at Ruffin Law Firm in Murfreesboro.

“We will be hosting other events in your communities, please look for the announcements in the papers and come out so we can talk about what I have done as an elected District Attorney for my local courts and what I want to do for all of our courts in the future,” Pelfrey concluded.