Mount Olive board already has 6 candidates
By News-Argus Staff
Published in News on July 8, 2005 1:45 PM
The Mount Olive Board of Commissioners has already attracted six candidates, and its first race, in the first week of filing for this fall's elections.
Mayor B.R. "Ruff" Huggins, of Crest Drive, followed through on his plans to seek re-election. He has been mayor since December 2002 and also served four years in the 1990s. So far, he's unchallenged.
Commissioner Ray Thompson, of Wells Street, filed for re-election to the at-large seat. He will face at least one opponent, Rick Kraft, of James Street.
Billy H. Rivenbark, of Crest Drive, will run in District 3, represented now by Lloyd Warren.
Warren announced last month he would not seek re-election.
"My wife recently retired from the school system, and we want to travel and see our grandkids," Warren said. He said he felt when he started his latest two-year term that six years was long enough to be on the board, "and we accomplished a great deal. I feel we're on the right track, and some new people can carry it even further."
Rivenbark was on the board eight years in the 1980s and early 1990s. He retired after 30 years at the Piggly Wiggly in Mount Olive at the beginning of the year, but he still works two days a week, Monday and Tuesday.
He said the long weekends are giving him more time to devote to the town. He said several people also asked him to run for election.
"I want to offer my services to the town like I did before," he said. "I have some good ideas to help with things like infrastructure."
He said the members currently on the town board are doing a good job, and he looks forward to working with them and the town employees. But he said he wants to discuss ways to bring more growth to the town.
Rivenbark said he looked after the town employees who made less money when he was on the board. One year while he was on the board, he said those who made less received a higher percentage raise than those who made higher salaries.
Earlier, Hosea M. Manley, of Patten Street, had filed in District 2 and incumbent Jimmy Kornegay in District 4.
Kornegay filed Tuesday. In a prepared statement, he said, "I would like to thank the people of District 4 for electing me to represent you for the past two terms. I want you to know that I really enjoyed the time spent, the contacts with people and the opportunity to be a part of the changes in the town of Mount Olive. In seeking reelection, I sincerely wish to have the chance to continue working with you and the town."
As of Wednesday, no one had yet filed for seats on the boards of Eureka, Pikeville, Seven Springs or Walnut Creek.
Three more people are seeking to return to sanitary district boards. Ernie Schmid, of Meadow Lark Lane, is running for the Eastern Wayne board, while Henry Braswell and Dexter Taylor, both of Friendly Drive, have filed for the Fork board.
Earlier filers were Edwin B. Beamon, Belfast-Patetown, and Bobby Outlaw, Southeastern Wayne.
The filing period continues through noon Friday, Aug. 1, at the Wayne County Board of Elections. For more information, call 731-1411.