Snow Hill commissioners only contested race in Greene County

SNOW HILL — Five candidates are vying for three commissioner seats in Snow Hill, including the three incumbents.

Along with incumbent commissioners Rebecca “Becki” Scarborough, Robert L. “Bobby” Taylor Jr. and Geraldine “Pat” Shackleford, newcomers Roger Whitson and Rosa S. Wilkes are looking to fill the seats.

Appointed by Mayor Dennis Liles, Whitson served the second two years of the past 4-year term to fill in for Liles when he was named mayor.

When Whitson took the seat, the town had been faced with bad audits, a water system that couldn’t pay for itself and a state takeover. In the last two years of the term, the town pulled out of financial crisis.

During that time, the town reinstated a police force, raised water rates to cover the costs and provide a cushion for repairs and restored the finances without raising taxes, Whitson said.

But he believes there is more to be done, and he’s looking at surrounding towns as to what can be done to promote historic and cultural events and venues, as well as eco-tourism.

“They’re using cultural awareness in ways that Snow Hill is not,” he said. “… Hookerton and Grifton have both leveraged their locations. We’re not, in any manner at all.”

Whitson said he wants to “establish real public and private partnerships like Kinston has done.”

He used the example of the 300th anniversary of the Battle at Fort Nooherooka, held in the spring.

“That should have been a major event for this town,” Whitson said. “There was not a single banner downtown.”

The pow-wow held in Greenville could have been held in Snow Hill, he said.

Whitson mentioned historical preservation, a walking trail and Contentnea Creek as some of the town’s assets.

“We’re not marketing that in an effective manner, in my opinion,” he said about the assets.

Wilkes is new to the political scene. A Pitt County native, she’s lived in Snow Hill more than 20 years and in Greene County nearly all her life. She envisions the community working together.

“I want to see the town grow more in a positive way,” Wilkes said, “and to see our children have something in place to keep them positive and encouraged to grow.”

Wilkes has been married to Earnest Wilkes 47 years and they have two daughters, a God-daughter and a number of grandchildren.

Scarborough is finishing her first term. One of her goals is for the town to work with the county to take over and refurbish the old Snow Hill High School gym, currently owned by the county. A joint meeting is planned for Sept. 9 to discuss that possibility.

“I think the main reason I filed,” she said, “is because we have restored fiscal responsibility to the town board and I would like to see that continue.”

Taylor is also finishing up his first term. He said the financial stability of the town may allow for a property tax decrease — a goal he made public before taking office. He also looks to increase economic development.

“I thought we accomplished a lot over the last four years,” he said.

Liles, who is running for mayor unopposed, is finishing up his first four-year term as mayor and hopes to continue the positive trend.

“We gained a lot of ground,” he said. “A lot of good things happened. We just got everything going in the right direction.”

The town has seen some business growth and expansion, including new restaurants.

Liles said beautification and safety has been his focus and he has “tried to be fair.”

There are no contested races in Hookerton or Walstonburg and all the candidates are incumbents.

Hookerton Mayor Bobby Taylor will have served two terms at the end of the year.

“I’ve still got some things I’m working on I want to see completed,” he said.

He said some of those projects include a grocery store, sidewalks and affordable housing.

Doris Jones will have served as commissioner about two and a half four-year terms, as she stepped onto the board in the middle of a term.

“This last term,” she said, “we’ve been talking about extra things on the table, and I would like to see some of them come forth.”

The town is in the process of working on lights for one of the bridges, building a fishing pier and providing a first-time homeowners’ program.

Catherine B. Carraway is also running to keep her seat. She has been completing former commissioner Kelly Lasky’s term since July 2012.

Susan Casper has served as Walstonburg’s mayor for 20 years, or 10 terms. She said she would like to see the town grow.

“I enjoy the work,” she said. “I enjoy the town. I love my town. The town is important to me.”

Mary R. Hardison, Brenda Moore Haymond, Robert “Bobby” Hicks, Fitzhugh “Fitz” McKeel Jr. and Ronald “Ron” Turner are running for their five seats.

Incumbents Julian Jones Jr., Triva Sheppard Mason and Henry Pasour are seeking their three seats for the Maury Sanitation Land District.

Margaret Fisher can be reached at 252-559-1082 or Margaret.Fisher@Kinston.com. Follow her on Twitter @MargaretFishr.

Breakout box:

Here are the candidates for elected offices in Greene County:

Hookerton

Mayor — Bobby Taylor (incumbent)

Town commissioners (two seats) — Catherine B. Carraway (incumbent), Doris Jones  incumbent)

Snow Hill

Mayor — Dennis Liles (incumbent)

Town commissioners (three seats) — Rebecca “Becky” Scarborough (incumbent), Geraldine “Pat” Shackleford (incumbent), Robert “Bobby” Taylor Jr. (incumbent), Roger Whitson, Rosa S. Wilkes

Walstonburg

Mayor — Susan McKeel Casper (incumbent)

Town commissioners (five seats) — Mary R. Hardison (incumbent), Brenda Moore Haymond (incumbent ) , Robert B. “Bobby” Hicks (incumbent) Fitzhugh McKeel Jr. (incumbent), Ronald Turner (incumbent)

Maury Sanitation Land District

Board member (three seats) — Julian Jones Jr. (incumbent), Triva Sheppard Mason (incumbent), Henry Pasour (incumbent)

Source: Greene County Elections Director Jane Monroe