Rich Square elects new mayor

Published 4:20 pm Friday, November 10, 2023

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Voters in towns across Northampton County chose to bring back familiar faces in many municipal races. But a few newcomers were victorious as well, according to unofficial results from Tuesday’s election.

Rich Square had a three-way race for mayor, and Victoria Newcombe secured the seat with 100 votes. The current mayor, Reginald White, received 65 votes while Rodney Majette got 46.

Five seats were up for grabs for Rich Square town commissioner, and many long-serving members were voted in for another term. The five candidates with the most votes were Charles Eason (143), Linwood Bryant (137), Larry Godwin (134), Peggy Cary (107), and Raymond Joyner (96). The sixth candidate, Marcia P. Majett, received 90 votes. There were also 87 write-in votes, 81 of which were for Latoya Futrell.

In Garysburg, a few incumbent town commissioners did not receive enough votes for another term. Those candidates were Lola Ausby (84 votes), Iris F. Williams (81), and James Mayo (66).

Instead, the top vote-getters in the Garysburg town commissioner race were Ky’Juan Faison-Mobley (134), Wallace Ransom (129), Rita C. Williams (122), Curtis Williams (89), and Semiko N. Jacobs (85).

Garysburg’s mayor, Roy Bell, ran unopposed for another term and received 144 votes.

In Conway, Walter Lee Duke, Jr. received 91 votes as the only candidate for mayor. Duke was already serving as the town’s mayor after having been appointed to the position after the death of Tommy Barrett last year. The election ensures that he will serve out the rest of Barrett’s original term.

There were three full-term seats up for grabs on Conway’s Board of Commissioners. One vote separated all four candidates in the race. Stewart Woodard led the way with 69 votes, followed by Jeff Daughtry (68) and Jonathan Martin (67). Michael Johnson received 66 votes.

Conway voters also selected a candidate to fill one unexpired term on the town’s board of commissioners. Steven W. Walls was the only candidate in that race and received 80 votes.

Gaston’s mayor Deborah Lee James won another term with 64 votes. Her challenger, Carlton Arp, received 37.

For Gaston’s town commissioner race, three seats were open. The three candidates with the most votes were Donald W. Conner (72), Gloria Motley Branch (66), and Kimberly Dickens (51). Other candidates on the ballot were Christopher Jones, who received 37 votes, and Terrance Lamont Smith (13 votes).

Voters in Jackson cast their ballots for mayor and two town commissioner seats. Monty Hux, who faced no opposition, was reelected for another term as mayor with 46 votes.

Town commissioner incumbents Bill Futrell and Stevie Harrell were also reelected, receiving 44 and 39 votes, respectively. The other candidate on the ballot, Garry Elliott, received 6 votes.

Familiar faces in Lasker all ran unopposed for mayor and town commissioner. Dick Collier received 12 votes for another term as mayor. Candidates for the three town commissioner seats were incumbents Steven Flythe (12 votes), Joan Lassiter (12), and Charles M. Daughtry, Jr. (10).

Seaboard’s only municipal race was for two town commissioner seats, and only two candidates were on the ballot. Carmelitia J. Coleman received 72 votes and Verlene D. Stephenson received 53.

Like Lasker, voters in Severn reelected the same mayor and town commissioners as before. Only incumbents were on this year’s ballot. George McGee secured another term as mayor with 21 votes. Town commissioner candidates were Tony Herman (21 votes), Marshall Lassiter (21), Parker Watson (21), Eloise Martin (20), and Paige Pinnix (20).

In Woodland, Randy Beale will serve another term as mayor with 33 votes. He had no opposition in the election.

Likewise, there were only two candidates for Woodland’s two town commissioner seats. Rickie Edward Morris received 28 votes and Barbara Outland received 25.

Northampton County residents who live in the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District also cast their votes for three seats on the district’s Board of Directors. There were only three candidates who filed for that race. Jon Baker received 63 votes, James E. Kerr II received 43 votes, and Colby Lyles received 36.

All results are unofficial until the polls are canvassed by the Northampton County Board of Elections. That canvass includes 21 provisional ballots cast in Northampton County, seven on Election Day (Nov. 7), seven during the One-Stop voting period, and seven by absentee ballot.

Voter turnout for this year’s municipal elections was just under 21 percent of eligible voters throughout Northampton County’s nine towns. That’s an increase from 18 percent during the municipal elections in 2021.

About Cal Bryant

Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.

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