Hanks: Candidates needed in Lenoir, Greene and Jones

And … they’re off.

Filing for elections in Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties began Friday with not a single surprise in Kinston, Snow Hill or Trenton.

As he had previously announced, former Kinston City Manager Ralph Clark was at the Lenoir County Board of Elections at noon on Friday. He paid his $10 filing fee and became the first candidate for mayor in Kinston.

The question is this, though: Is he going to be the only candidate? It’s entirely possible — there has been absolutely no chatter out there of who will challenge Clark for the position following announcements from current mayor B.J. Murphy and potential candidates Danny Rice and Joe Tyson that they have no interest in running. Even Lenoir County Elections Director Dana King admitted she hasn’t heard of any potential mayoral candidates outside of Clark.

It’s literally the same way for the Kinston City Council; incumbent Bobby Merritt has announced he won’t run for reelection while another potential candidate, John Nix, said he won’t run, either. The other incumbent, Robbie Swinson, has indicated in the past he will run for reelection, but he’s made no other formal statement — and he didn’t file on Friday, either.

I fully understand why it’s tough to be a mayor, city councilman or county commissioner: in our busy lives, it’s hard to carve out enough time to do the job the right way. Nix said that was primarily the reason for his deciding not to run this year — his surveying business is keeping him hopping and he knew he couldn’t be the city councilman Kinston deserves at this point in his life.

Murphy decided not to run for reelection for the same reason; additionally, he has two young daughters that he’s missing while he’s at city council meetings and budget meetings.

The elected positions are also underappreciated, for the most part. Even if you truly listen to your constituents and do what you think is right, there are ALWAYS going to be detractors from the other side of the political spectrum trying to tear you down.

Like our coaches at area high schools and middle schools, elected officials in Lenoir, Greene and Jones counties are basically serving for love of the game or love of their communities, because they’re getting paid literally a dollar or two an hour for the time invested.

Filing continues until noon on Friday, July 19.

As we have done the past few elections, The Free Press will be your one-stop spot for Election 2013. Leading up to the general election, we will be helping conduct at least one and perhaps two or three candidate forums for contested races in Lenoir County.

In my other role as the editor of The Jones Post, we’re planning to have similar forums for the contested races in Trenton, Maysville and Pollocksville. I’d like to do the same in Greene County, which hasn’t had a real contested race in what feels like eons.

Additionally, we’re bringing back the election podcasts, where candidates will — in their own voices and words — tell you exactly what they stand for and what they’re all about. All the candidates are asked the same questions and given the same time limits to answer the questions.

You’ll be able to access the podcasts 24 hours a day at Kinston.com in the month or so leading up to the election on Nov. 5, so you will be able to make an informed decision before you enter the voting booth.

Bryan C. Hanks is the editor of The Free Press; his column appears in this space every Sunday. You can reach him at 252-559-1074 and at Bryan.Hanks@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCHanks.