By Catharin Shepard •
Staff Writer •
Local financial advisor John Wright was the first person to file the paperwork announcing his intent to run for a seat on the Hoke County Board of Education, according to the Board of Elections office.
Wright, a Raeford native, filed last week. So far he is the only person to file to run for one of two seats on the board that are up for election this year, Hoke Elections Director Towanna Jackson said Tuesday.
Wright is the son of Hoke County Commissioner and former school board member Bobby Wright. After a number of years working for Delta Apparel and Deloitte and Touche LLP, Wright returned to Raeford in 2018 and opened his Edward Jones financial advising office on Dickson Street. He and his wife Melissa Wright have three school-aged children, according to an online biography.
The two school board seats currently held by incumbents Hank Richards and Rosa McAllister-McRae are up for election this year.
In the race for county Soil and Water Conservation Board, only one person filed to seek the one available office. Incumbent Gary Hendrix filed to seek election to another term.
Filing to run for the Hoke County Board of Education opened July 6 and remains open until August 3.
The filing period for the two boards is held in summer as both are nonpartisan, and do not hold partisan primary elections in the spring. The races will both be on the ballot in the General Election this November.
Candidates are able to go into the Board of Elections office to file their paperwork. However, they aren’t allowed to bring a large group of people with them due to COVID-19 restrictions, elections officials said. One extra person and the candidate are allowed to be in the office during the actual paperwork filing.
People who wish to take extra precautions while filing to seek office can call ahead and schedule an appointment to take care of their filing with as little contact as possible.
Many local and state races will be contested in the General Election this November, including State Senate District 21 and State House of Representatives District 48. The two winners of the Democratic primary election for Hoke County Commissioner, incumbent James Leach and candidate Lonnie Baldwin, will go on to face Republican candidates David Frump and Christopher Holland in the November election.
For more information on local and state elections and information on registering to vote, visit https://www.hokecounty.net/235/Elections or https://www.ncsbe.gov. Call the Hoke County Board of Elections with questions on registering to vote or other election-related matters at (910) 875-9062.
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