By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer •

Two Raeford City Council incumbents have filed to seek another term in office in the 2021 municipal elections.

If elected, Wayne Willis and Charles Allen will again serve four-year terms.

Allen is currently serving his second term in office since being elected in 2013. Willis is serving his third four-year term since being elected in 2009. Willis additionally served a partial term when he was first appointed to the board.

No candidates other than the two incumbents have so far filed to seek office to the council.

Besides the two Raeford City Council seats, office of City of Raeford Mayor is also up for election this year. Two people have filed to run for the office of City of Raeford Mayor since the filing period opened. Incumbent Raeford Mayor John K. McNeill, and candidate Chris Parker are both seeking election to the office, meaning the race for the seat is contested this year.

McNeill, the incumbent mayor, is currently serving his fourth consecutive term in office. The mayor serves a four-year term.

All of the city offices on the ballot are nonpartisan and so did not have partisan primary elections in the spring.

Filing is open for the 2021 municipal elections in Raeford and will close this Friday, July 16. One-stop early voting will open in October and the city Election Day will be Tuesday, November 2.

This year is a municipal election year, falling in-between a presidential election year and a midterm election year. There aren’t any countywide races on the ballot in the 2021 election, and only Raeford residents can vote in the city election.

About 30 municipalities in North Carolina, including Fayetteville and Lumberton, were told by the state to postpone their 2021 municipal elections until 2022 due to changes in population numbers in the 2020 U.S. Census possibly requiring districting boundary changes. Raeford was not affected by the state’s decision and can proceed with its 2021 municipal elections.

For more information on registering to vote or how to file to run for election, visit https://www.hokecounty.net/235/Elections.