Slow going for early voting
By Steve Herring
Published in News on October 29, 2017 1:45 AM
As of Friday afternoon, fewer than 90 people had cast ballots through early voting for the scattering of municipal and sanitary district elections to be decided on Nov. 7.
Since early voting began Thursday, Oct. 19, only 83 people had voted as of 5 p.m. Friday.
Early voting continues through Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Wayne County Board of Elections office, 209 S. William St.
The remaining dates are Oct. 30-31 and Nov. 1 to 4. The polling hours will be weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4
In Mount Olive, there are races for mayor and the at-large and District 1 board seats.
There is a four-way race for two seats on the Pikeville Town Board.
In Eureka, no one filed for mayor or the two town board seats. They will be filled by write-in votes.
There also are races in several sanitary districts.
Mount Olive Mayor Pro-Tem and District 4 Commissioner Joe Scott is in a three-way mayoral race with former town commissioner Jessie "Jack" Faison and James H. Mayo Jr.
Mayor Ray McDonald Sr. did not seek re-election.
At-large Commissioner Jerry Harper is being challenged by Steve Wiggins.
In District 1, Vicky Darden and Hobert Yates filed for the seat now held by Commissioner Kenny Talton who did not seek re-election.
The Rev. Dennis Draper is running in District 4 for the seat now held by Scott.
Barbara Kornegay filed in District 3. She was appointed to the seat in June after Tom Preston resigned to move to Wilmington.
District 2 Commissioner Harlie Junior Carmichael is unopposed in his re-election bid.
In Pikeville, Charles Hooks III filed for mayor.
There are two board seats on the ballot. Incumbent board member Michael Herring is seeking re-election. Also filing were Eric Snoddy, Russell Carpenter and Jimmy Gardner.
Other municipal elections are:
* Walnut Creek: two council seats. Filing were Councilman Pete Benton and John Seegars.
* Seven Springs: Mayor Stephen Potter and Commissioners John Lee and Ronda Hughes, filed for re-election. No one filed for the unexpired term of Lisa Cash that is being completed by Commissioner Robert Alan Cash.
The sanitary districts elections are:
* Belfast-Patetown: Six people filed for the five board seats, incumbents Ray Sullivan, Ben Casey, Fred J. Newcomb, Dawn Anderson and Landis H. Davis; and C.L. Minchew.
* Eastern Wayne: Four candidates filed for five board seats, incumbents, Daryl Ray Anderson and Ervin Watts; and Brandon Gray and Anthony L. Smith.
* Fork Township: Four filed for three board seats, incumbents Henry Braswell, Tim Gardner and Danny F. Hope; and Dan E. Seymour.
* Southeastern Wayne: Six filed for five board seats, incumbents Bobby Outlaw, Charlie M. Holloway, James A. Taylor and Rudy Peedin; and Philip Shivar and Debony T. Jones.
* Southern Wayne: Two filed for two board seats, incumbents Sally R. Bowles and Gary Scott.