LUMBERTON — Eight people filed Monday as candidates for elected offices that affect Robeson County on the first day of the filing period.
Two incumbents filed for re-election to their seats in the state General Assembly, three for judgeships and three for the county Board of Education.
Candidates have until noon Dec. 20 to file. The 2020 primary election is March 3. The general election is Nov. 3.
Leading the charge Monday were Sen. Danny Britt Jr. and Rep. Brenden Jones.
Britt, a Republican and Lumberton attorney, is seeking his third two-year term in the District 13 seat that covers Robeson and Columbus counties. Jones, a Republican, is seeking his third two-year term in District 46, which also covers Robeson and Columbus counties.
“I greatly appreciate the honor of serving the citizens of Robeson and Columbus County and hope to continue earning their support,” Britt said. “In Raleigh we work on major policy initiatives that impact areas like education, health care, taxes, public safety and transportation.”
The other Robeson County-related General Assembly seat that will be on the ballot in November’s general election is House District 47. That seat currently is occupied by Rep. Charles Graham, a Democrat from Lumberton. If Graham files for re-election, he would be seeking his sixth term.
One incumbent and one challenger filed Monday for the two bench spots in N.C. Superior Court District 16B that are up for election.
The incumbent was Judge James Gregory “Greg” Bell, who occupies Seat 2. Bell was appointed to the court by former Gov. Mike Easley on Jan. 9, 2009, to replace former Judge Gary L. Locklear. In 2012, he was elected to a full term, which expires in 2020.
Carlton Mansfield, an attorney in Pembroke, filed for District 16B Seat 1, which is held by Judge Robert Frank Floyd, who is retiring after holding the seat since 1997.
Mansfield is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Law School and has practiced law in North Carolina since 1994. In June 2017, he was appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper to serve as a member-at-large to the General Statutes Commission.
Judge Judith Milsap Daniels filed Monday for re-election to N.C. District Court District 16B Seat 4. Daniels was elected to the court in November 2008 and re-elected in 2012 and 2016.
“I graduated from Wake Forest University and UNC-Chapel Hill Law School,” Daniels said in a statement. “I have practiced more than 30 years and currently as chief District Court judge. I am a certified juvenile court judge. I am married with one child and two grandchildren.”
District Court seats 5 and 6 also are up for election in November.
In the race for Robeson County Board of Education seats up for election, Jacqueline Carthen and former District 1 board representative Loistine DeFreece filed as at-large seat candidates. The incumbent at-large board members are Chairman John Campbell, Randy Lawson and Brian Freeman.
DeFreece resigned her Board of Education seat in October after her residency status was questioned.
Terry Locklear filed for the District 4 seat, which is now held by Charles Bullard.
In her statement, Carthen said she is a wife of a teacher and a parent of three children who attend the Public Schools of Robeson County, of which she is a graduate. She has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke, a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a graduate certificate in Sociology from Appalachian State University. Carthen is enrolled in N.C. A&T State University’s Rehabilitation Counseling and Rehabilitation Counseling doctoral program and is working on her dissertation related to trauma-informed classrooms in post-secondary education.
“Education is a powerful tool that should not be taken for granted,” Carthen said. “Our schools are fundamental to our communities and our children’s futures. It is vital that school board members are willing to listen to the community, including teachers and support staff, and be willing to act. However, those actions should always be transparent so that leaders can be held accountable.”
The board seats for districts 1, 5 and 7 also will be on the ballot in March. The District 5 incumbent is Craig Lowry, and Steve Martin occupies the District 7 seat.
Board of Education members are elected during the primaries because the seats are nonpartisan.
Daniels, Britt and Carthen were the only candidates who filed Monday who gave a statement to The Robesonian.
When county voters go to the polls in November they also will be voting to fill the Robeson County Board of Commissioners seats for districts, 1, 3, 5 and 7, and for the Register of Deeds. The Board of Commissioners District 1 incumbent is Jerry Stephens; District 3 is Roger Oxendine; District 5, Raymond Cummings; and District 7, Tom Taylor. The current county Register of Deeds is Vicki L. Locklear.
In November 2020, county residents will for the third time in two years be casting ballots to determine who will occupy the District 9 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republican Mark Harris beat Democrat Dan McCready in the 2018 race for the seat. The State Board of Elections ordered a do-over election because of fears that irregularities in the handling of absentee ballots in Bladen County may have tainted the 2018 election results. Harris elected not to run in the September special election. Republican Dan Bishop beat McCready in a do-over political contest.
It wasn’t until Monday that it became clear that candidates could file for the congressional seat. The State Board had announced that candidate filing for the office would be delayed because of ongoing litigation over the drawing of North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts.
The three-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court approved the new districts map on Monday, the State Board announced.
