Wrightsville Beach Mayor Bill Blair was among a group of early birds who filed to run for local municipal office this year. Elections will be held Nov. 3 in Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Kure Beach.
Incumbent Wrightsville Beach Alderwoman Elizabeth Brown King also filed for re-election. Mayor Pro Tem Darryl Mills is also up for re-election this year. He had not filed as of Wednesday, nor had anyone else from the town. There are two open board seats, and that of the mayor.
Blair, a longtime member of the Board of Alderman and also the planning board who was elected mayor in 2013, said his goal was to pay attention to the unglamorous jobs that needed attention, such as initiating a water study and planning for future beach renourishment needs at a time when the federal and state governments are making noise about withdrawing funding.
He said some of those goals are still works in progress, and he hopes to address those and other issues important to the town’s financial stability and future if he is re-elected.
In Wilmington, Mayor Bill Saffo, who said earlier this year he wasn’t sure he’d run again, filed at 8 a.m. Monday, just as the filing period opened. He was elected to the city council in 2003. After Spence Broadhurst resigned in 2006 and moved out of town, the council appointed Saffo mayor. He was first elected to the job in 2007.
Three city council seats are open, and the November election will bring at least one new member. Longtime Councilwoman Laura Padgett announced she will not run again. She has served on the council since 1993.
The other two open seats are held by Councilwoman Margaret Haynes, the mayor pro tem, and Councilman Neil Anderson. Both were elected in 2011 and are serving their first term. Haynes filed for office Monday, as did political newcomer Paul Lawler.
Lawler, former president of the Residents of Old Wilmington, has been vocal about a proposed redevelopment plan for the aging Water Street parking deck. In particular, he has expressed doubts about the part of the proposal project calling for the city to build a new parking deck but lease or sell 225 spaces to the owners of the complex.
Municipal elections in New Hanover County are nonpartisan, although it is not uncommon for political parties to make known their slate of candidates. Saffo and Haynes are Democrats; Anderson is a registered Republican.
In Carolina Beach, Mayor Dan Wilcox is seeking re-election, as is Councilman Steve Shuttleworth. Tom Bridges, a retired Mecklenburg County school principal, served briefly in 2013 after being appointed to fill a vacancy on the town council. He was defeated in the general election.
In Kure Beach, Councilwoman Emilie Swearingen is challenging incumbent Mayor Dean Lambeth. Lambeth made waves in late 2013 and early last year when he signed a letter as mayor supporting seismic testing offshore. The letter was written by the American Petroleum Institute, which represents fossil fuel interests.
Public reaction was swift and loud. Residents and conservationists packed town meetings to express their anger.
Swearingen opposes seismic testing and offshore drilling as harmful to the environment. Wrightsville and Carolina beaches have passed resolutions opposing seismic testing, but a majority of the Kure Beach council has not taken a formal stand, characterizing it as a federal issue.
The candidate filing period runs through noon July 17 at the New Hanover County Board of Elections, 230 Government Center Drive, Suite 38, Wilmington. Mailed-in applications must be received before then or they will not be considered.
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