Few local election filings listed as deadline nears
By Steve Herring
Published in News on December 14, 2015 1:46 PM
With only a week remaining to file for the 2016 elections, there has been little local activity at the Wayne County Board of Elections office since an opening-day flurry on Dec. 1.
Filing ends Monday, Dec. 21, at noon.
Candidates for district, statewide and/or national offices file at the state Board of Elections office in Raleigh.
Also, Legislative candidates file in their home counties.
As of this morning, there are not yet any local primary challenges.
Judy Denning Harrison of the Grantham community, who was appointed to the office in October following the retirement of Lois Mooring, filed on Dec. 1 as did Constance Bryant Coram of Goldsboro, a former employee of the office.
However, Mrs. Bryant Coram has since withdrawn her candidacy.
All seven seats on the Wayne County Board of Commissioners are up for election, and all seven incumbents have fled.
They are Republican incumbents Wayne Aycock of Pikeville, at-large; Ray Mayo of Pikeville, District 1; Joe Gurley of Goldsboro, District 4; Joe Daughtery of Goldsboro, District 6; and Bill Pate of Goldsboro, District 5.
Also filing were Democratic incumbents Ed Cromartie of Mount Olive, District 2, and John Bell of Goldsboro, District 3.
Three seats are up on the on the nonpartisan Board of Education: Eddie Radford, at-large; Dwight Cannon, District 2; and Patricia Burden, District 3.
Ven Faulk of Dudley has filed for the at-large seat currently held by Radford who has announced he will not seek re-election.
On the state level, Sen. Louis Pate of Mount Olive has filed for re-election in District 7 and Rep. John Bell of Goldsboro for a second term in District 10. They are both Republicans.
District 4 state Rep. Jimmy Dixon, a Republican, of Mount Olive (Duplin County), District 21 state Rep. Larry M. Bell, a Democrat, of Clinton (Sampson County), and District 5 state Sen. Don Davis, a Democrat, of Snow Hill (Greene County), have filed.
Annette W. Turik of Kinston, who was recently appointed to complete the unexpired term of the late District Court Judge Tim Finan, has filed for that seat.
Eighth District Court Judges Charles P. Gaylor III of Goldsboro; Les Turner of Pink Hill; David Brantley of Goldsboro; and Ericka James of Goldsboro, have all filed for re-election.
District 8B Superior Court Judge Arnold O. Jones of Pikeville has filed for re-election.
The races are nonpartisan.
Retired Superior Court Judge Paul Wright of Mount Olive has filed for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Richard Burr. Both are Republicans.