Municipal Election Filing Underway in Rutherford County; Early Candidate Field Takes Shape

Filing remains open through July 17 at noon.

Four days into Rutherford County's municipal candidate filing period, no candidates have filed to challenge any incumbent mayor, and no one has entered the race for the two Town Council seats in Chimney Rock Village.

Candidate filing for municipal offices opened on July 6 and continues through noon on Friday, July 17, ahead of the Nov. 3 General Election.

As of July 9, every mayor who has filed is an incumbent seeking another term.

In Rutherfordton, Mayor Jimmy Dancy has filed for re-election with no challenger. In Forest City, Mayor Steve Holland has filed to seek another four-year term and remains unopposed. In Lake Lure, Mayor Carol Pritchett has filed for re-election with no opposition. In Bostic, Mayor Mitch Harrill has also filed to seek another term without a challenger. No candidates had filed for the mayor's race in Spindale as of July 9.

The most notable absence on the ballot so far is in Chimney Rock Village, where no candidates have filed for either of the two council seats, currently held by Bruce Godzik and April Schick. The village is continuing its long-term recovery from Hurricane Helene as filing continues.

Town Commissioner and Council Races Begin to Fill

The most competitive race so far is in Forest City, where four candidates have filed for two commissioner seats:

John Mark Bennett (incumbent), Marc Duncan, Anastasia Haulk, and Carl Ramsey Jr. 

Incumbent Commissioner Shawn Moore had not filed as of Thursday.

In Lake Lure, three candidates have filed for two commissioner seats: Jim Proctor (incumbent), Friedrich Jaeger-Faber, and Richard Sayles. Incumbent Commissioner Scott Doster has not yet filed.

In Rutherfordton, incumbent Doris Crute and Bobby Ray Miller Jr. have filed for the town's two council seats. Incumbent Stanley Clements had not yet filed.

In Bostic, incumbent commissioners Mike Hollifield and Billy Lattimore have both filed for re-election.

The race for three alderman seats in Ellenboro has drawn Warren Smith and Perry Whisnant. Incumbents Lee Allen, Allen "Bunt" Black, and Pamela Padgett had not yet filed.

In Spindale, only incumbent Commissioner Rosaleen Francis had filed for one of the two four-year commissioner seats. No candidates had filed for the second commissioner seat or the unexpired two-year commissioner seat currently held by Jonathan Bland.

No candidates had filed for the Cliffside Sanitary District board seats.

Six Candidates Filed for Soil and Water Conservation District

Candidate filing has already closed for the Rutherford Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, and voters will choose two supervisors in November from a field of six candidates.

The candidates are:

• Shannon Buckley (incumbent)

• Clint Green (incumbent)

• Mortellus Amorello

• Cathy Darnell

• Reggie Hines

• Rich "Red" Palmer

The six-candidate field includes the district's two incumbents and four challengers, making it one of the most contested local races on the November ballot.

Candidate filing for municipal offices remains open until noon on July 17, meaning additional candidates still have time to enter races across Rutherford County before the filing period closes. The final list of candidates will be certified by the Rutherford County Board of Elections following the filing deadline.