Filing ends with a flurry

Published 12:07 pm Saturday, February 27, 2010

Filing finished with a flurry.

After filing finished as 12 noon yesterday (Friday), nearly every elected official in the region will face opposition either in the May primary or the November general election.

Three incumbent county commissioners – one each in Bertie, Gates and Hertford counties – now face multiple opponents as they seek reelection.

In Bertie County, District 3 incumbent J. Wallace Perry will face two members of his own party for the Democratic nomination for that post. Lenton Brown of Powellsville and Curtis Bryan of Colerain, who failed in his bid for the Bertie County Board of Elections two years ago, each filed for the county commission seat.

Whoever is able to come out of that election will meet Harvey D. Ginn Jr. in the November election. Ginn will advance to the general election by virtue of being the lone Republican to file for the seat.

In Hertford County, veteran incumbent Johnnie R. Farmer will seek reelection to his District 1 seat. He will be opposed for the Democratic nomination by Hertford County NAACP President Carl White and Aulander Police Officer Jimmy Barmer. All three candidates have an Aulander mailing address.

No Republican filed in District 1.

Gates County Commissioner Kenneth Jernigan will also face multiple opponents in his bid to retain the District 3 seat on the board.

Former commissioner Marsha Langston had already filed against Jernigan and now another candidate, George Robert Walters, has also filed for the seat. All are Democrats.

Thanks to late-cycle filings, two incumbent sheriffs will also join the ranks of those facing opposition in the May primary.

Northampton County Sheriff Wardie Vincent is seeking the Democratic nomination for his fourth term in office. He will be opposed by Greg Colson of Conway.

Also facing opposition will be Gates County Sheriff Ed Webb who is seeking the Democratic Party’s nod for another term. He will be opposed by James Gary Ingram of Corapeake. Ingram filed as a Republican.

Gates County Clerk of Court Nell Wiggins will also be challenged in the May primary. Wanda Colbert-Wiggins of Gates has filed for the office.

Judicial District 6B Attorney Valerie Asbell will face the opposition of Gregory L. Perry of Gaston for the Democratic nomination for the post.

Both N.C. State Senator Ed Jones and Representative Annie W. Mobley have seen challengers file to seek the seats they currently hold.

Jones, who represents District 4, will face Tee Ferguson of Ahoskie for the Democratic nomination for the seat.

On the Republican side, Rich Halbert of Edenton will seek the seat against Warren Scott Nail of Roanoke Rapids.

The winners of the primaries will meet in the November general election.

Mobley will face no opponent in her own party, but will meet Republican Matt Peeler of Hertford in the general election.

Northampton County will see seven names on the ballot for the non-partisan Board of Education election with only three seats up for election. Two incumbents – Don Johnson and Grace Edwards – have filed to seek office.

Also filing are challengers Rhonda Taylor of Potecasi, Tyrone Hargrove of Garysburg, Ola H. Gathers of Severn, Kelvin M. Edwards of Pleasant Hill and Audrea A. Bennett of Garysburg.

Two-term incumbent Charles Tyner chose not to seek reelection citing personal and family reasons.

“I have some personal health issues with my family and I need to take some time with them,” Tyner said by telephone Friday. “The board of education is a job that takes a lot of time. I just feel like if I cannot give the time, I need to not run.

“I don’t want to put the board of education before my family,” he added.

The completed filing list as reported by the local boards of election include (I denotes incumbent):

North Carolina:

U.S. Senate (D): Elaine Marshall, Ann Worthy, Susan Harris, Marcus Williams, Ken Lewis, Cal Cunningham;

U.S. Senate (R): Richard Burr (I), Eddie Burks, Brad Jones, Larry Linney;

U.S. Senate (L): Michael Beitler;

U.S. House District I (D): G.K. Butterfield (I), Chad Larkins;

U.S. House District I (R): Jerry Grimes, Ashley Woolard, John Carter, Jim Miller;

N.C. Senate District 4 (D): Ed Jones (I), Tee Ferguson;

N.C. Senate District 4 (R): Warren Scott Nail, Rich Halbert;

N.C. House District 5 (D): Annie W. Mobley (I);

N.C. House District 5 (R): Matthew Peeler;

N.C. House District 27 (D): Michael H. Wray (I).

Judicial District 6B:

District Court Judge (Kwasikpui Seat): Alfred W. Kwasikpui (I), Thomas Jones Jr.;

District Court Judge (Lewis Seat): W. Rob Lewis II

District Attorney: Valerie Mitchell Asbell (I), Gregory L. Perry.

Bertie County:

Commissioner District 2 (D): Rick Harrell (I);

Commissioner District 3 (D): J. Wallace Perry (I); Lenton Brown, Curtis Bryan;

Commissioner District 3 (R): Harvey D. Ginn Jr.;

Commissioner District 5 (D): Charles L. Smith (I);

Sheriff (D): John B. Holley Jr. (I); Eddie Graham;

Sheriff (R): Brian Knowles, D.W. Knox;

Clerk of Superior Court (D): John C.P. Tyler (I).

Hertford County:

Commissioner District 1 (D): Johnnie R. Farmer (I), Jimmy Barmer, Carl A. White;

Commissioner District 2 (D): Curtis A. Freeman (I);

Sheriff (D): Juan Vaughan Sr. (I);

Clerk of Superior Court (D): Shirley Gatling Johnson (I).

Northampton County:

Commissioner District 3 (D): Chester J. Deloatch Sr. (I);

Commissioner District 4 (D): Robert V. Cater (I);

Commissioner District 4 (R): John Wood;

Commissioner District 5 (D): Fannie P. Greene (I), Terrence L. Boone;

Sheriff (D): Wardie P. Vincent Sr. (I), Greg Colson;

Clerk of Superior Court (D): Laquitta G. Cooper, Shelby W. Ricks;

Clerk of Superior Court (R): Caroline M. Long;

Board of Education: Audrea Bennett, Grace Edwards (I), Ola H. Gathers, Donald B. Johnson (I), Rhonda Taylor, Tyrone Hargrove, Kelvin Edwards;

Gates County:

Commissioner District 1 (D): Jack Owens, Carlton Nickens (I);

Commissioner District 1 (R): Jim Miller;

Commissioner District 2 (D): Wade Askew (I), John Hora;

Commissioner District 3 (D): Kenneth Jernigan (I), Marsha Langston, George Robert Walters;

Sheriff (D): Ed Webb (I);

Sheriff (R): James Gary Ingram;

Clerk of Superior Court: Nell Wiggins (I), Wanda Colbert-Wiggins;

Board of Education District 1: Doug Lilly (I);

Board of Education District 3: Glendale Boone (I);

Board of Education District 5: Leslie Byrum (I).

State Judgeships:

Supreme Court Association Justice (Brady Seat): Barbara Jackson, Robert C. Hunter;

Court of Appeals Judge (Steelman Seat): Sanford Steelman (I);

Court of Appeals Judge (Calabria Seat): Mark E. Klass, Jane Gray, Ann Maria Calabria (I);

Court of Appeals Judge (Elmore Seat): Steven Walker, Rick Elmore (I), Leto Copeley, Alton Bain;

Court of Appeals Judge (Geer Seat): Dean Poirier, Martha Geer (I).