DURHAM The Durham County Democratic party has selected the replacement for the late Rep. Paul Luebke. Chief District Judge Marcia Morey will be their permanent appointee to replace the long-serving member of the N.C. House who passed away in November after a bout with lymphoma. While Luebke passed away shortly before his re-election to represent N.C.’s District 30, his name remained on the ballot.Rep. Phillip Lehman was asked to temporarily replace Luebke the night before the election, with the understanding that his service would be short term. Lehman resigned his position March 30, in time for the Durham Democrats’ vote for Morey as a replacement.”I had a great experience of being a real citizen legislator because I didn’t have to run for office and have that baggage,” said Lehman in a phone interview. “I felt I made a contribution. I met a lot of great people, there’s a lot of partisanship, but overall it was very positive.”Morey is the former co-captain of the U.S. Olympic swim team in 1976, she attended Northwestern School of Law and has served on the bench for 18 years. A focus of her career has been in juvenile justice programs.
