ELIZABETHTOWN — In little more than the first hour Friday, seven candidates in Bladen County municipal elections were signed up and ready to represent their communities.
By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, the list included one of the region’s most prominent businessmen. Dean Hilton, of Hilton Realty and HD3 Farms of the Carolinas, filed to seek a spot on the White Lake Board of Commissioners.
The group included six incumbents and one other challenger for the Nov. 5 general election. There is no primary, and these races do not have any attachment to the Sept. 10 special election in Bladen County for North Carolina’s District 9 representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Arthur Whedbee, mayor of Clarkton, was first on the list and followed by Gene Norton, a Bladenboro commissioner.
Coming in just before 1 p.m. were Sylvia Campbell, Howell Clark and Jay Young. Campbell is mayor of Elizabethtown, Clark is a councilman in Elizabethtown, and Young is bidding to unseat one of three incumbent commissioners in White Lake.
Councilmen Ricky Leinwand and Dicky Glenn of Elizabethtown were in shortly after 1 p.m., meaning all incumbents in the county seat have filed.
Filing resumes Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the Board of Elections office, 301 S. Cypress St. in Elizabethtown. Filing is available Monday through Friday of next week, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The following week, filing is available the same hours Monday through Thursday, and then is 8:30 a.m. to noon on July 19.
The filing fee is $5.
Jay Young signs in Friday to run for a commissioner seat in White Lake. He filed about the same time as Howell Clark (rear) and Sylvia Campbell, who are incumbents in Elizabethtown. Campbell is the mayor and Clark is a councilman.
Dicky Glenn signs in Friday with intentions to retain his seat on the Elizabethtown Town Council. Alongside and also filing were Ricky Leinwand (middle) and Sylvia Campbell. Campbell is mayor of Elizabethtown and Leinwand is a councilman. Assisting them are Gina Ward (second from right) and Chris Williams of the election board staff.