By Erin Smith
The candidate filing period for elections begins at Monday, February 12, at 12 noon and ends on Wednesday, February 28, at 12 noon.
“We look forward to working with candidates during this important mid-term election year,” said Kim Westbrook Strach, State Board of Elections Executive Director.
Some offices in Bladen County which will be available include a host of local offices. They include the County Commissioner District 1 seat currently held by Arthur Bullock; the County Commissioner District 2 seat currently held by Charles Ray Peterson, and the County Commissioner District 3 seat currently held by Russell Priest.
There are also seats available on the Bladen County Board of Education. There are three countywide seats which are currently held by Vinston Rozier, Dennis Edwards, and Tim Benton. Also, the Board of Education District 1 seat which is currently held by Gary N. Rhoda, the Board of Education District 2 seat currently held by Roger Carroll, the Board of Education District 3 seat currently held by Alan T. West.
Other local elected offices available include Bladen County Clerk of Court currently held by Niki S. Dennis, Coroner currently held by Hubert Kinlaw, Register of Deeds currently held by Beverly Parks, and Sheriff currently held by Jim McVicker. There are two seats available on the Bladen County Soil and Water District Board currently held by Earl Storms and Charles Wendell Gillespie.
Other races of local interest include the U.S. Congress District 7 seat which is currently held by David Rouzer, the U.S. Congress District 9 seat which is currently held by Robert Pitenger, and the NC House District 22 seat which is currently held by William Brisson.
There are two seats for District Court District 13. The two seats are currently held by Fred Gore and Bill Fairley.
Candidates who wish to file for the U.S. House of Representatives will file at the State Board of Elections office in Raleigh. Barring any new court action, candidates for N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals also will file at the State Board of Elections office this month.
Candidates who wish to file for local office or state office must file notices of candidacy with their proper county board of elections. In Bladen County the Board of Elections Office is located at 301 South Cypress Street, Elizabethtown.
According to the State Board of Elections, a separate process exists for candidates qualifying by petition and those running for seats on District Courts and Superior Courts. The filing period for District Court and Superior Court candidates will be held June 18-29.
Once a candidate has filed, the deadline to withdraw a notice of candidacy is Friday, Feb. 23rd.
For more information about filing for elected office, you can contact the Bladen County Board of Elections at 910-862-6951.