One thing we know for sure heading into tomorrow’s election: Guilford County Commission Chairman Skip Alston’s appointed successor–former Greensboro Zoning Commission Chairman Ray Trapp– will win.

Say what you will about the controversial Alston –who, along with his rivals Billy Yow and Steve Arnold, did indeed give media around here a lot to write about— but John Hammer says he’s doing us a final favor by tapping Trapp:

Trapp is one of those young guys who has what it takes to be a really good commissioner and could move on up the ladder. If you look at local races like the minor leagues in baseball, he is a player the scouts would be coming to see. From two terms as chairman of the Greensboro Zoning Commission, Trapp knows how to run a politically charged meeting without making people mad, which is a great skill. At one forum where he participated, even though he is running unopposed, half the folks on the stage used his lines because they were good and funny. It appears that Alston has done Guilford County a favor in choosing his successor.

Whether or not the country changes course tomorrow remains to be seen. But without Skip Alston –and with County Manager Brenda Jones Fox out in February — Guilford County is definitely entering a new era.