LAURINBURG — On the last full day of filing, two people decided to throw their hats into the ring for the Laurinburg mayoral seat.
Paul A. Tate Sr. and J.D. Willis both filed for the mayoral seat on Thursday, joining Jim Willis in the race for the seat which has been held by Matthew Block for the past four-years. Block has decided not to run for mayor but instead run for the District 2 seat.
Current Wagram Mayor Milton Farmer also decided to run for re-election, filing on Wednesday, and Victor Womack filed the same day for Maxton mayor.
With only a half day left of filing, East Laurinburg still has no-one in the running for the three town commissioner seats. Those wishing to file have until Friday at noon to file with the Board of Elections Office on Cronly Street.
Absentee by mail requests will begin on Oct. 6 with election day on Nov. 5. A photo ID is not required for this election.
Laurinburg mayor
— Challenger Paul A. Tate Sr. Tate is a retired Army Colonel and on call consultant for the Department of Defense/State Department Consultant Contractor.
“As mayor my primary efforts will always be that of honoring our fair city through leadership,” Tate said. “I will dedicate my tenure as Mayor to be a representative to all addressing problems, seeking solutions and always presenting myself as the positive optimistic representative of our great city.”
Tate is a member of First United Methodist Church of Laurinburg, Laurinburg Rotary International, American Legion Post 50, Laurinburg Masonic Lodge and the Association of the United States Army.
— Challenger J.D. Willis. Willis is a retired manufacturing manager from Abbott Laboratories.
“I’m running for mayor because I believe the city has to address infrastructure needs,” Willis said. “Those include improving storm drainage, completing the electric-substation and building an additional one to reduce the power outage time, purchasing more land to build wells to continue to provide clean water and to further reduce water and light bills.”
Willis served two years in the United States Army as a Social Worker Psychology Specialist and is a member of St. Mary AME Zion Church where he serves as a trustee. He has served on the board of the Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce, Scotland County Literacy Council, Scots for Youth, the United Way, the North Carolina State Family Planning and North Carolina Southeastern Economic Development.
Willis is a member of the Scotland County Civic League and has volunteered as a football coach and basketball coach for Parks and Recreation.
Maxton mayor
—Challenger Victor Womack filed Wednesday. Womack has been on the Maxton Commissioner Board for nearly 10 years, having been elected twice and appointed once.
“Maxton is a nice little town — two hours from the beach and two hours from the mountains — but it’s poverty stricken,” Womack said. “I would like to see the town grow faster than the way it is. Maxton is slowly gaining progress but it needs to go a little more faster. If I’m fortunate enough to become mayor, I would like to have a team to hit the ground running and make some very positive changes.”
Womack is retired from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, serving in federal law enforcement for 26 years. He has a degree in Criminal Justice from Nassau Community College in New York and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Social Welfare from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. He is a Vietnam War veteran.
Womack is pastor steward at St. Matthews AME Zion Church.
Wagram mayor
— Incumbent Milton Farmer filed for Thursday. He did not send any information to the Exchange.
East Laurinburg town commissioners, three seats
— No one has filed for this position as of Tuesday.
Reach Katelin Gandee at 910-506-3171 or at [email protected]
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