ROCKINGHAM — As the second week of filing for the 2020 election came to end on Friday, the Richmond County Board of Elections office only saw two candidates walk through the door.
Both candidates, Wiley Mabe and David McGuire, filed to run for the Richmond County Board of Education, according to Elections Director Connie Kelly.
Both filed on Tuesday.
Mabe is currently the chairman of the School Board, but McGuire is a newcomer, Kelly said.
There are three seats up for grabs in the forthcoming election, those held by Mabe, Jerry Ethridge and Ronald Tilman. Ethridge and Tilman both filed the first week.
Also during the first week, four candidates filed or begun paperwork for the three seats up for re-election on the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
Jeff Smart and Lee Berry, former mayors of Hamlet and Ellerbe, respectively, have thrown their proverbial hats in the ring, along with Commissioner Jimmy Capps and T.J. Davenport.
Since Davenport is not affiliated with a political party, will have to collect 4% of the total number of registered voters on Jan. 1, Kelly said. Based on current numbers, he will need at least 1,116 signatures by noon on March 3.
The seat held by Capps is up for re-election as are those held by Chairman Kenneth Robinette and Vice Chairman John Garner.
Robinette is also unaffiliated, and will have to go through the petition process again, should he decide to run again.
The filing period ends at noon Dec. 20
