LUMBERTON — The line begins forming on Friday for incumbents who wish to keep their municipal seats or challengers that want to take them
The filing period for candidates seeking the mayoral and council seats up for grabs starts at noon on Friday and closes at noon on July 21. The municipal elections are Nov. 7.
Candidates will have to pay for the privilege of running for elected office.
The standard filing fee is 1 percent of the annual salary allocated to the position sought by the candidate, according to G.L. Pridgen, county Board of Elections director. For example, if the position has an annual salary of $4,800, the filing fee would be $48. The minimum fee is $5. Filing fees vary from town to town, but all must be paid the day each candidate files for a political seat.
People who were displaced by Hurricane Matthew and the resulting flooding still can vote Nov. 7 even if they are living temporarily outside the political precinct or district in which their permanent home is located.
“The law reads, if you are planning on going back to that house, technically that is still your home,” Pridgen said. “If they are planning on moving home, they can vote, we haven’t marked them as not living there.”
The municipalities and seats being contested include the following:
— Fairmont: Mayor, incumbent Bobby Townsend, and three council seats, incumbents Terry Evans, Amelia McLean and Antonia McCallum.
— Lumber Bridge: Mayor, incumbent William “Skip” Davis, and two council seats, incumbents Lena Canady and Kenneth Jordan.
— Lumberton: Four council seats, Precinct 2 incumbent John “Big Wayne” Robinson, Precinct 3 incumbent Burnis Wilkins, Precinct 5 incumbent John Cantey Jr. and Precinct 8 incumbent Erich Hackney.
— Marietta: Mayor, incumbent Justin Oliver, and two council seats, incumbents John Bare and Donna Stubbs.
— Maxton: Two council seats. One is vacant and the other is held by Margaret Gilchrist.
— Orrum: Mayor, incumbent Wilton Caulder, and four council seats, incumbents Dannie Anderson, Jessie Stephens, Gene Horne and Cleo Smith.
— Parkton: Mayor, incumbent Al McMillan, and five council seats, incumbents Nathaniel Solomon, Robin Hill, Doris Underwood, Wanda Matute, and Annette McColl.
— Pembroke: Two council seats, incumbents Channing Jones and Theresa Locklear.
— Raynham: Mayor, incumbent Debra Lindsday Arnette, and three council seats, incumbents Datry Hunt, Martha Parker and Kathleen Lindsay.
— Red Springs: Mayor, incumbent John McNeill, and three council seats, incumbents Eula McNeill, Edward Henderson and Murray McKeithan.
— Rennert: Mayor, incumbent Elizabeth Locklear, and two council seats, incumbents Neal Locklear and Velenda Morgan.
— Rowland: Mayor, which was vacated with the resignation of James Hampton, and two council seats, incumbents Paul Hunt Jr. and Marvin Shooter.
— St. Pauls: Four council seats, incumbents Elbert Gibson Jr., Annie Stephens, Debra Inman and McClure “Buck” Terry Jr.
For information about candidate filing or any other election issue, call the Board of Elections at 910-671-3080.
