One applicant for the interim county manager position was interviewed by the Moore County Board of Commissioners Monday morning.

A second applicant will be interviewed at the end of a closed session planned for the Monday night board meeting.

"Both seem very suitable for Moore County and both seem able to do the job from the standpoint of experience," said Board Chairman David J. Cummings after the Monday meeting.

The board called a special session for 10 a.m. Monday to interview one prospect recommended by the Institute of Government.

Once the board had convened and handled routine ceremonial matters, members went into closed session to discuss the candidate's qualifications and for the interview.

Cummings said the board hopes to hire an interim manager within a week or two. That would enable the new interim manager to begin service prior to the Oct. 6 departure of the present interim manager, David Cotton. Once the new interim is on the job, the county should be assured of a smooth transition when new board members take office in December, Cummings says.

The new interim manager will serve at the pleasure of the new board, which can then go to work on hiring a full-time manager. Cummings says the salary will be negotiated.

COTTON -- Cotton, who had been serving as assistant manager, was named interim manager after Steve Wyatt resigned in February to become Henderson County manager.

Cotton resigned in August to become Haywood County manager.

The present board will lose three incumbents in December, when three new commissioners are sworn into office. That will give the board a new majority.

The present board decided not to hire a new manager because of the impending change in board makeup and to leave that task to the three new members and the two hold-over incumbents.

GOP MEN -- Kris Bailey, candidate for the North Carolina Court of Appeals, will be guest speaker at the Thursday, Sept. 14, meeting of the Moore County Republican Men's Club.

The club will convene at noon at the Country Club of North Carolina.

Bailey is general counsel to State Auditor Leslie Merritt. A former district court judge, he is a Special Olympics volunteer, Sunday School teacher and a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. He has the endorsement of both U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr.

DANIELS -- Julia and Frank Daniels Jr. joined Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker and Preservation North Carolina today as hosts for a breakfast meeting at which the speaker was Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

In attendance at the Cardinal Club this morning were business and civic leaders interested in discussing the vital role that historic preservation should play in Raleigh's future development plans.

Moe's address focused on how preservation, as a tool for economic revitalization and a vital component of smart growth, can make a real difference in Raleigh's quality of life.

Julia Daniels is a trustee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Her husband is an owner of The Pilot.

HOUSE CAUCUS -- The North Carolina House Repub-lican Caucus approved this year's position statement at a Sept. 8 meeting, according to a news release from the North Carolina Republican Party.

State GOP Chairman Ferrell Blount said that the vote was unanimous.

"I am confident that having seen where the Democrats have led us and where the Republicans want us to go, we will have a Republican majority in the North Carolina House after the election," Blount said.

The position statement covers such issues as ethics, illegal immigration, eminent domain, an anti-gay marriage amendment, budget reform, taxation and Medicaid relief for counties.

CONSERVATION The Moore Soil and Water Conservation District Board will meet Tuesday, Sept. 19, at 4 p.m. in the district board room in the Moore County Agriculture Center in Carthage.

Special accommodations for individuals with disabilities or impairments will be made upon request to the extent that reasonable notice is given to the county, according to a district spokesperson.

Florence Gilkeson can be reached at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.