ROCKINGHAM — Of the five local candidates who went to the Richmond County Board of Elections office Thursday as filing resumed after a two-month hiatus, one is no stranger to elected office.
Hamlet Councilwoman Abbie Covington is one of two candidates who filed to run for the Richmond County Board of Commissioners.
Covington was first elected to the City Council in the early 1970s and served as mayor for a decade during the late ‘80s and ‘90s. Following her tenure as mayor, she returned to the council until 2013.
She was appointed to her current seat in 2020 to fill the vacancy left by the resignation of Terry Moore.
Dr. Rick Watkins, who currently sits on the board, also filed. Watkins, who was a Democrat, switched his party affiliation to Republican prior to filing opening in December.
The board also has four seats up for grabs, currently held by Watkins, Tavares Bostic, Justin Dawkins and Don Bryant.
Dawkins and Bryant both filed when the period first opened Dec. 6.
Michael Legrand and Linda S. Ross have also filed to run.
At present, there are four Democrats and two Republicans in the race. If one more Democrat files, there will be a primary for that party in May — and that could well happen.
Elections Director Connie Kelly said that bail bondsman Tyrannia Ellerbe has filed an organizational report.
There are also three unaffiliated candidates hoping to be on the ballot in November.
Kelly said Thursday that Bryan Stanback is petitioning for signatures. Joe Ward and former Hamlet Councilman Johnathan Buie are also collecting signatures, though Kelly said none have been turned in.
However, Ashley Brower, who is challenging Vickie Daniel for the Clerk of Superior Court office, has turned in around 800 signatures, according to Kelly.
Brower started the process unaffiliated but has since switched to the Republican Party.
Petitioners will have to solicit 1,094 valid signatures from Richmond County voters by May 17 to be on the ballot, Kelly said. If they succeed, they will then have to pay the filing fee.
Two more candidates, Eddie Rainwater and Bess Shuler, filed for the Richmond County Board of Education.
The four seats up for reelection on that board are currently held by Bobbie Sue Ormsby, Pat Campbell, Daryl Mason and Joe Richardson.
Ormsby is the only incumbent to have filed thus far. She filed the first day, as did challenger Scotty Baldwin. Ellerbe Councilman Jeremy McKenzie filed for the school board the second day and longtime educator Cory Satterfield filed before the period was paused by the N.C. Supreme Court.
There will be a primary for the sheriff’s race.
Former NYPD officer Nigel Bristow filed to run against fellow Democrat Sheriff Mark Gulledge.
Bristow had intended to file, like Gulledge, on opening day but was lacking certain paperwork.
Gulledge was appointed sheriff last August following the unexpected death of Sheriff James E. Clemmons Jr.
Records with the N.C. State Board of Elections show no one has yet filed to challenge District Attorney Reece Saunders or District Court Judge Chevonne Wallace.
The recently approved N.C. House Map still double-bunks Rep. Ben Moss, R-Richmond, with Rep. Jamie Boles, R-Moore, for District 55. Moss filed in December on Boles filed on Thursday, records show.
The approved state Senate map, which was opposed by Democrats, was redrawn to include the southern half and western side of Randolph County, instead of two-thirds with the dividing line running north and south, for District 29. In addition to Richmond and half of Randolph, the district also includes Montgomery and Anson counties along with the eastern diagonal half of Union County.
Sen. Dave Craven, R-Randolph, is the only candidate to file for that district.
Richmond County native Sen. Tom McInnis switched his residency last year to run for District 21, which comprises Moore and part of Cumberland.
