Race cards filling up

With less than a day left to file for election, candidates are slowly making their way to the Board of Elections office to put their names in the hat for town races in Wendell, Knightdale and Zebulon.

As of yesterday at 5 p.m. only one incumbent has filed in Wendell. Ronald Thompson, who reportedly underwent surgery earlier in the week, has tossed his hat into the ring for one of three seats on the Wendell Board of Commissioners.

He'll be joined on the ballot by a couple challengers. James Parham, who ran unsuccessfully in 2007 was the first candidate to sign up for the race. Parham is a retired professor who grew up in the area, but spent much of his professional career in the Washington D.C. area before returning to accept a faculty position at St. Augustine's College.

The other challenger is Glenn Harris, who filed on Tuesday. Harris is also a retiree. He has been an active member of the Wendell Community Coalition and he is a regular spectator at town board meetings. Harris also serves on the town's Board of Adjustment.

Incumbents Buddy Scarboro and Bill Connolley have yet to file.

In Zebulon, all three sitting officials have already expressed interest in returning to their seats. Mayor Bob Matheny has filed along with Commissioners Beverly Clark and Roy Collins.

Collins and Clark will face a challenge from Annie Moore, a former member of the planning board and one of the organizers of the town's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.

Knightdale is the only town with no new faces dotting the campaign landscape. All three incumbents — Mike Chalk, Jeff Eddins and Terry Gleason — have filed for re-election. So far they have no challengers.

Filing closes Friday at noon. Check back with the Eastern Wake Buzz to see what the final list looks like.