While many municipal positions are up for election this fall, no one seems interested.

With a week left to file, only six hopefuls, four of them incumbents, have filed for election.

Countywide, 26 positions are open.

The deadline is to file for office is Aug. 1 at noon.

Bladen County Board of Elections director Larry Hammond said he is puzzled by the lack of filings.

"Interest in filing for municipal seats is waning," he said. "We don't know why."

In Elizabethtown, the mayor and three commissioners seats are up.

Incumbent Mayor Kenneth Kornegay has filed there, as have incumbent commissioners Dicky Glenn and Russell Priest.

In Clarkton, the mayor and one town commissioner are on the ballot.

In Bladenboro, Raven Felts has filed to run for the commissioner's seat in Ward 2, while Bud Freeman has filed to run for the seat in Ward One.

In Dublin, the mayor and two commissioner's chairs are open.

In East Arcadia, three commission chairs and the mayor's seat are open. Commissioner Mary Dixon Andrews is seeking reelection in East Arcadia.

Tar Heel will also elect three commissioners and a mayor. White Lake will also elect the same number of posts.

If no one files for the open seats before noon of next Friday (Aug. 1), the election board must meet to decide whether to extend the filing deadline.

If still no one applies, then the write-in candidates on the ballots are declared winners.

Hammond also said the deadline can only be extended by a vote of the elections board, and then under special circumstances.

"We've had people miss the filing deadline," he said, "and I had to turn them away. The law is the law."

"If you don't make it in here by the deadline next Friday," Hammond said, "there is nothing I can do for you. Filing closes at noon, period."

Candidates for town offices must file at the county board of Elections office, located at 301 Cypress Street in Elizabethtown. Hours are 8:30 a.m. 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Filing fees for all municipal offices is $5.

To file for elected office, all a person has to do is be a registered voter in the town where they wish to run, Hammond said.

"If you can vote, you can file," he said.

Hammond said potential candidates are welcome to call the elections office with any questions about the filing process. The number is (910) 862-6951.

"We're happy to help any voters or candidates in any way we can," he said.

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