Quiet races and fierce battles shape municipal election season

Incumbents lead filings across Duplin County

KENANSVILLE — As Duplin County nears Friday’s candidate filing deadline for the Nov. 4 Municipal Election, a contrasting picture is emerging among the electorates — one marked by quiet incumbency and uncontested seats, and the other marked by competitive shakeups and a surge of new challengers.

In Beulaville, incumbents are holding their ground, with longtime Mayor Michael “Hutch” Jones and Commissioner Delmas Highsmith both facing no new challengers. The town’s trend of minimal electoral competition is likely to persist, as seen in previous elections.

Similar patterns can be observed in Greenevers, Kenansville, Magnolia and Teachey, where no opposition has yet emerged. Each of these towns has only one candidate so far, despite multiple seats open. In Greenevers, incumbents Gregory Carr and Timothy Murphy have filed for reelection. In Kenansville, Commissioner Linda Tyson is seeking to retain her position. Magnolia’s incumbent, Jeanine Cavenaugh, has filed for reelection. In Teachey, Commissioner Danny Sutton is looking to keep his seat as well. Historical trends in some of these towns have shown spikes in competition, particularly around contentious local issues such as infrastructure, suggesting that surprises may still occur before the Friday deadline.

Calypso also shows signs of continuity. Although Rodney Lambert Jr. has filed, key incumbents, including Mayor JoAnn Wilson, have not as of newspaper deadline. The current lack of filings so far hints at another uncontested cycle, unless last-minute candidates step in.

On the other hand, Faison appears to be set for a competitive election cycle with four candidates already in the race — including incumbent Sandy McCarty, Juan Carlos Quintanilla, Alane Brewer Floyd, and Joanie Babcock vying for three commissioner seats. As of the press deadline, Mayor Billy Ward, Commissioners Christy Allen and Sherry Franklin had not yet filed, but Faison’s past elections have often drawn a strong field and more challengers may still emerge. Rose Hill remains quiet for now, with no candidates in sight.

In Wallace, incumbents like Mayor Jason Wells, Councilwoman Tasha Herring-Redd, and Councilman Jason Davis have filed to retain their seats, but given the town’s developing infrastructure and ongoing projects, it is anticipated that more candidates will join the race.

In Warsaw, the field continues to grow. With six candidates now in the mix, Warsaw is on track for a potentially intense and possibly transformative election cycle. Incumbent A.J. Connors, seeking a third term, was among the first to file on July 7. The race took a significant turn on July 14 when Wesley Boykin officially filed to challenge Connors. Boykin’s entry indicates a competitive battle for the town’s top position, with both candidates likely to face scrutiny on issues such as water infrastructure and growth strategy. Newcomers Sheree Shepard and Kiara Smith have also declared their candidacies for commissioner, challenging incumbents Ebony Wills-Wells and Al Searles, who are seeking to retain their seats. As debates around infrastructure intensify in Warsaw, the stage is set for a dynamic and closely watched election season.

Meanwhile, Mount Olive, though not entirely within Duplin County, is witnessing strong electoral activity, with six candidates and multiple competitive races already underway. Harlie Junior Carmichael and Don Fairman are running for the Commissioner At-Large seat. District 1 Commissioner Vicky Darden is facing Robert King, while Incumbents J. Jerome Newton and District 2 Commissioner Delreese Simmons are also seeking reelection. Mount Olive stands out for its early political participation. Issues like leadership succession and equitable district representation seem to be mobilizing residents ahead of the November vote.

This election cycle also brings structural changes to Duplin County’s voting map: the number of precincts will be reduced from 19 to 17, with the closure of the Locklin and Rockfish precincts.
This decision, made by the Duplin County Board of Elections and approved by the State Board of Elections, was driven by financial considerations due to low turnout and proximity to the Wallace precinct.

Carrie Sullivan, Duplin County Board of Elections director, told Duplin Journal that there were a couple of factors that the Board took into account when making the decision to close them.
“Locklin is home to 373 voters, of which less than 90 voted on Election Day each time over the past two elections. The decision for Locklin came down to the amount of manpower and resources it was taking to service a low volume of Election Day voters,” said Sullivan.

“The Rockfish precinct was located roughly half a mile from the Wallace precinct. The location only allowed for parking on the street, which is not adequate for the 961 registered voters of that precinct. The Board felt that the availability of safe, ample parking and drive-up curbside voting service at the Wallace precinct would better serve the voters of Rockfish. Although there are a large number of voters registered at Rockfish, most of them traditionally vote during the Early Voting period and around 100 of them turn out on the actual day of election.”
Sullivan added that Locklin and Rockfish voters will now vote at the Wallace precinct located at the American Legion building.

“We will be sending some of the resources and staffing from the old precincts to handle any increase in voter traffic,” she explained.

Friday, July 18, is the last day of the candidate filing period for the Municipal Election.

July 17, 11 a.m. update

In Beulaville, Commissioner Gene Wickline filed for reelection on July 16.
In Calypso, incumbent Mayor JoAnne Bowden-Wilson filed to keep her seat on July 15, and newcomer Willie Wilcutt filed for a commissioner seat.
In Faison, Ken Avent Jr. filed for a commissioner seat on July 15.
In Greenevers, newcomer Roszena Devione-Bivens filed for a commissioner seat on July 16.
In Magnolia, Commissioner Perry J. Raines filed for reelection on July 15.
In Rose Hill, Mayor Davy Buckner filed to keep his seat on July 15, and newcomer Perry Tully filed for a commissioner seat on July 16.
In Teachey, incumbents Patrick Williams and Ethylen Carlton Powell filed to keep their seats on July 16.
In Warsaw, newcomer Cheryl Smith filed for a commissioner seat on July 16.
In Mount Olive, newcomer Gena Messer-Knode filed for the District 3 commissioner seat, and Camilla Loftin filed for the District 4 commissioner seat.