Smithfield Elects New Mayor
Incumbent Upset In Smithfield Town Council Race
There will be some new faces on the Smithfield Town Council. A total of three seats were up for election this year.
Incumbent Councilman Emery Ashley won re-election Tuesday carrying 941 votes. John A. Dunn won the second seat with 659 votes. Steve Rabil won the third council seat with 527 votes upsetting incumbent Charles A. Williams who finished in fourth with 498 votes. Andy Byrd finished a distant fifth with 300 votes and Charles Snyder in sixth with 50 votes.
Andy Moore was elected as Smithfield’s new mayor. Moore, the Mayor Pro Tem, received 980 votes over challenger Jim Snyder’s 178. Moore will replace John Lampe who did not seek reelection after his first term.
Selma Mayor Wins Reelection Bid
Selma Mayor Cheryl Oliver held off Town Councilman William Overby in a bid for the mayor’s seat on Tuesday.
In unofficial results, Mayor Oliver won reelection with 270 votes to Overby’s 140. Jeffrey Watson, the third candidate for mayor, finished last with 21 votes.
Mark Peterson was elected to the Selma Town Council to the seat vacated by Eric Sellers who did not seek another term. Peterson was the top vote getter in the council race with 265 votes. Incumbent Tommy Holmes won reelection with 210 votes. Five others were unsuccessful in their bid for Selma Town Council: Lilly “Shorty” Jernigan 144 votes, Eric E. Jackson 85, Timmy Wayne Strickland 25, Anthony Baxley Jr. 18, and Byron Wickline 12.
Mayor, Incumbent Council Members Reelected In Clayton
Two incumbent members on the Clayton town council survived reelection after being challenged by three candidates at the polls on Tuesday.
Of the five running for two council seats, incumbent R.S. “Butch” Lawter Jr. was the top vote getter with 352 votes. Incumbent Jason Thompson appears to have won reelection to his second term with 189 votes, in unofficial results. Bobby Bunn finished just 9 votes behind with 180 votes. Kurk Bienias received 144 votes and Jacqueline Jones 94.
Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod was unopposed and received 439 votes. In unofficial results there appeared to have been 12 write-in candidates for Clayton Mayor.
Benson Mayor Wins Reelection
Benson Mayor William Massengill Jr. was returned to office by voters. Massengill received 346 votes Tuesday over challenger Tracy L. Johnson’s 214 votes.
Casandra Stack was unopposed for the District 1 Benson Commissioners seat. She received 84 votes.
In District 2, incumbent John R. Bonner narrowly held onto his seat. Bonner garnered 85 votes, just 7 more than Curtis Dean McLamb with 78.
In District 3, Max Raynor won the seat with 231 votes over Jack Chrismon who carried 63 votes.
Kenly Voters Elect Two New Council Members
Kenly residents voted to keep David Grady as their mayor on Tuesday. Grady received 128 votes over H.L. Tooie Hales who had 44 votes.
In the crowded field of 8 candidates seeking only 2 Kenly town council seats, both incumbents Larry T. Smith and Moses Robinson lost.
Voters elected Eleanor “Ellie” Johnson and Bobby Peele to the town council. Johnson received 104 votes and Peele 94.
Keith Davis finished third with79 votes, followed by Moses Robinson with 63, Mark Smith 44, Larry T. Smith 40, Linda Lassiter 23, and Christel McGowan with 16.
Princeton Voters Return Incumbents
Seven term incumbent Princeton Mayor Don Rains fought off a challenge for reelection this year by John Taylor Brantley. Rains won election to his eighth term Tuesday night after receiving 147 votes over Brantley’s 46.
Two incumbent town commissioners, Walter A. Martin and Mike Rose held off a challenge by Terri Toler Sutton who was seeking a council seat. In unofficial results, Martin received 123 votes, Rose 116, and Sutton 103.
Mayor Unseated In Micro
After serving just one term as Micro mayor, Jim Wiesner was defeated at the polls on Tuesday. Walter “Jay” Warren unseated the incumbent with a narrow 12 vote win. In unofficial results, Warren won election with 86 votes to Wiesner’s 74.
For the Micro Town Council, a crowded field of six candidates were seeking three seats. Russell Creech, Timothy Earp and Jay Langston won election. Creech received 116 votes, Earp 99 and Langston 97. Challengers Kenneth Holland finished with 58 votes, Christina Ward with 57, and Jimmy Wayne Lee with 23. There were 4 write-in candidates for town council.
Two Council Members Elected In Wilson’s Mills
Wilson’s Mills residents elected two town council members on Tuesday. Incumbent Johnny Eason was returned to office with 40 votes. J.C. Triplett will join the board after finishing with 61 votes. Maxine Eason Murdoch lost in her bid, finishing third with 17 votes, in unofficial results.
Incumbents Reelected In Archer Lodge
Archer Lodge residents re-elected their mayor and all three incumbent council members Tuesday.
Mayor Mike Gordon was unopposed. The three incumbent commissioners, Clyde Castleberry, J. Mark Jackson and Matt Mulhollem won reelection. Debbie Barnes had sought to win one of the seats.
In unofficial results, Mulhollem received 168 votes, Castleberry 154 and Jackson 148. Barnes finished a distance fourth with 99 votes.
Mayor Gordon has no opposition on the ballot and received 185 votes. There was 1 write in ballot cast for mayor.
Four Oaks, Pine Level Commissioners Return
Incumbent Four Oaks and Pine Level Town Board members ran without opposition this year.
Four Oaks Commissioners Chris Haley, Sandy Lee and Vic Medlin did not have opposition. Lee received 32 votes, Medlin 30, and Haley 6. There were 6 write in votes for town council.
Pine Level Mayor Jeff Holt who was unopposed received 44 votes.
Among the four incumbent Pine Level commissioners, Jimmy Garner received the most votes with 43, followed by Greg Baker with 42, Karen Anderson with 40 votes and Phil Pittman 39.
