Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Second candidate announces bid for Catlin’s House seat

Holly Grange. Courtesy photo.
Holly Grange. Courtesy photo.

Another local Republican has thrown her name in the hat for a place in the N.C. General Assembly.

Political newcomer Holly Grange–currently a member of the N.C. Ports Authority Board of Directors–announced Tuesday her intention to seek her party’s nomination for the House seat currently occupied by Rep. Rick Catlin. The Republican lawmaker, who represents New Hanover County, said earlier this month that he would not seek re-election in 2016 to a third term in order to attend to some business affairs in his engineering firm.

“I have been extremely honored by the encouragement of so many friends in the Wilmington area,” Grange said.

She joins New Hanover County Board of Education member Tammy Covil, who also is vying for the seat. Covil, whose term is up on the school board next year, said she hopes to bring her knowledge of public schools to the General Assembly.

While this is her first attempt at elected office, Grange was appointed by N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory last year to serve on the ports authority board.

According to her website, Grange is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and is a 15-year Army veteran, serving on active duty and in the reserves as an officer in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.

“My training at West Point instilled a sense of service in me that I have continued to follow to this day,” she noted.

She currently works as director of community relations at Osprey Global Solutions, a local company offering full-spectrum life-support medical, logistics and construction, as well as security, training and business intelligence services. Prior to moving to the area in 2009, Grange worked as an attorney in Illinois.

Active in the Cape Fear Republican Women’s Club, Grange said she also volunteers with the Cape Fear Community College Foundation, Coastal Horizons and the USO of North Carolina.

Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at hilary.s@portcitydaily.com

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