ISO female, must love politics, long meetings

When Charlotte City Council member Edwin Peacock tried to find a woman council candidate, recently he did what a lot of men do: go to an Internet dating site.

Peacock, a Republican, filed a profile on eHarmony.

Peacock said he did it as a joke to make a point before a speech to a Republican women's group. Women, whether Democrat or Republican, tend to do well at the polls in Mecklenburg County.

"I was looking for a female, and what do people do in today's world?" he says. "They go to eHarmony or an Internet dating site."

Peacock is the only Republican at-large council member. He believes that a strong ticket would not only help him but his party.

He's not sure whether anybody responded to his eHarmony post. He filled out his profile under the name Grand O. Party and gave the county GOP web site as his own.

"It was a good joke, it got their attention," he says.

Myrick's son following her footsteps?

Twenty-four years ago, Dan Forest was a student at UNC Charlotte when his mother, Sue Myrick, was elected mayor of Charlotte.

Now he's running for office himself.

The Raleigh Republican is campaigning to be North Carolina's lieutenant governor. Though the race has stayed far below the radar, he's been speaking to GOP groups around the state.

Forest, 43, is the son of Myrick and her first husband, the late Jim Forest. He attended East Mecklenburg High School before transferring to a school in Columbia. He practiced architecture for 23 years before stepping down in late 2009 to start a political advocacy group. He left in March to start his campaign.

Filing for the office won't start until February. One other Republican, Wake County commissioner Tony Gurley, also is running.

Forest said his mother, a member of Congress since 1995, may campaign with him before its over.

"I think she will be very willing to once the time comes," he said. "She'll be in campaign mode too."