Mayo gets GOP nod for county commissioner District 1
By Steve Herring
Published in News on May 9, 2012 1:46 PM
Just as he was when he was sworn into office as District 1 commissioner, Ray Mayo of Pikeville Tuesday night was surrounded by his family as he easily won a three-way race for the Republican nomination to remain in office.
With all precincts reporting, Mayo had 1,795 votes or 78.45 percent of the total. Jeff Pearsall was second with 343 votes (14.99 percent) and James Beckwith third with 150 (6.56 percent). The totals are unofficial until the May 15 canvass.
A native of the Nahunta community, Mayo, 64, who was appointed in December to the District 1 seat on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners, is unopposed on the November ballot.
"It makes me feel that the citizens of Wayne County know who I am and they want a strong conservative and I have already been that since I am an incumbent," Mayo said. "They were backing me based on what they have seen in the past and what I am standing for.
"I am just thankful and I am honored and I am humbled that these citizens in District 1 would put me in office by that amount. It is a feeling that is indescribable, really. I think people see in a candidate right off when they are honest and above all the credibility that they do what they say they are going to do. So far I have done that."
Mayo is running unopposed in November, but said he plans to continue to focus on issues like the jail, the economy and the budget.
"We know that our jail is in bad need of repairs," he said. "I am really making sure that I stay on top of that to make sure that we have the money available and that the money is spent wisely in order to update this jail to today's standards.
"The other thing I am working on is industry and creating jobs. I just feel like we need to create jobs in Wayne County and that is why I am on the development board here."
Along with that, the county needs to preserve its farmland, Mayo said.
"We need to use buildings that already exist whenever possible," he said. "We need to try to rebuild old building and not go out and buy new land, farmland and create new building."