Talton to run for commission seat
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 6, 2011 1:46 PM
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Kenny Talton
MOUNT OLIVE -- Town Commissioner and Mayor Pro-Tem Kenny Talton, 41, has announced his candidacy for the Wayne County Board of Commissioners District 2 seat held by Democrat J.D. Evans of Dudley. Talton is a Republican.
Filing for the May 8 primary will begin at noon on Feb. 13 and end at noon on Feb. 29. The general election will be held Nov. 6.
District 2 is one of the county's two minority districts and the town board District 1 seat held by Talton for the past six years represents one of Mount Olive's two minority districts.
No one from Mount Olive has served on the county commission since the 1980s when current Mayor Ray McDonald Sr. was elected prior to the county implementing the district system that divided the town between two districts.
The county's proposed redistricting has brought all of Mount Olive into District 2 with the exception of a small area in the southwest section of the town -- that area would remain in District 4 now represented by Commissioner Steve Keen.
Evans was appointed to the county board in mid-2000 to replace Jimmie Ford, who had become a state legislator, and was elected in November 2000 to his first four-year term.
"Lately, rising taxes and increased spending initiatives are becoming the norm in government for the citizens of Wayne County," Talton said in a prepared statement. "At the same time, doing more with less continues to plague our local municipalities.
"Tough economic times have forced citizens and local governments across Wayne County to tighten their belts and re-evaluate how we live our lives and operate efficiently and effectively within the confines of state mandates and regulations. I believe in fiscal accountability, social responsibility and a strong work ethic. If elected, I will use these principles to serve the citizens of Wayne County."
A native of Mount Olive, Talton is the son of longtime Mount Olive City Clerk Arlene Talton and the late J. Hoover Talton.
He has been employed as a building inspector with the city of Goldsboro for more than six years. Prior to that time, he was code enforcement officer for the town of Mount Olive for almost nine years.
Talton earned his bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in business administration from East Carolina University in 1993. He completed post-graduate coursework at East Carolina University from 2001-03.
He has professional state certification as a building, fire, plumbing, electrical and mechanical inspector. He is a real estate broker and a licensed home inspector.
Talton is a member of First Baptist Church of Mount Olive, where he is a trustee and deacon. He has served as chairman of the church's facilities and campus committee since 2009 and as church council member since 2009.
He is a leader for Cub Scout Pack 34, volunteers with Boy Scout Troop 200 and is assistant basketball and soccer coach at Saint Mary Catholic School in Goldsboro.
An Eagle Scout, Talton was honored by the Mount Olive Jaycees as Jaycee of the Year in 1999 and Officer of the Year in 1998. He was the 2007 recipient of the Jaycees' Distinguished Service Award and is a past chairman of the Mount Olive Heart Walk.
Talton and his wife, Carrie, have two children, Jack, 11, and Mary Emma, 7. He has a sister, Dr. Kathy Best, Ph.D. of Mount Olive, and a brother, Dr. Kevin Talton of Goldsboro.