Heather Loftin Holding said last week she will be a candidate for the Wake Forest Town Board, the first announced candidate for the three open seats on the town board. First-term Commissioner Brian Pate said in February he will not run again, and Commissioners Greg Harrington and Anne Reeve have not made any decision. Harrington has served two terms, Reeve three.
During her announcement in a Facebook Live video from the Wake Forest Historical Museum on April 4, Holding said she will launch a listening tour to see what matters most to town resident. “My first action as a candidate for Wake Forest Town Commissioner is to seek input by listening to those who live and work here.”
Holding moved to Wake Forest with her family in 1986 and graduated from Wake Forest-Rolesville High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in business from Wake Forest University.
She is a licensed real estate broker with eXp Realty and has a substantial resume as a volunteer. She has served on the Wake Forest College Birthplace (now Museum) board of directors and treasurer; the Koinonia Foundation board of directors; chair and founding member of the Wake Forest Chamber Youth Leadership Program; chair of the Anthony J. Trentini Memorial Scholarship Foundation board of directors; chair of the Kerr YMCA Advisory Board and Annual Campaign; and treasurer of Wakefield-Wake Forest Rotary Club.
In 2012, Holding was recognized as Citizen of the Year by the Wake Forest Community Council. She has two young daughters.
Her campaign is #Heather4WakeForest. Anyone who wants to participate in her listening tour is asked to contact her at heather4wakeforest@gmail.com, by phone 919-815-5927, through her campaign Facebook page www.facebook.com/heather4wakeforest or Messenger m.me/Heather4WakeForest.
The filing period begins at noon on Friday, July 5, and ends at noon two weeks later on Friday, July 19. Candidates for the town board must be town residents, 21 years of age and qualified voters. The candidates with the largest number of votes are elected.
Wake Forest holds nonpartisan staggered elections for its mayor and commissioners. Mayor Vivian Jones was elected to a fifth term in 2017 and Commissioners Liz Simpers and Bridget Wall-Lennon were elected to their first terms.
The mayor’s salary is $10,000 and commissioners are paid $8,000.
