Six town board candidates so far

By publication time Tuesday, July 16, the Wake Forest Gazette knows of six candidates for the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners though not all have filed yet. It is very possible someone else who has not announced will file before noon on Friday. If so, it will be next week’s news.

The candidates thus far are Greg Bartholomew (filed), Jim Dyer (filed), Heather Holding (filed), Chad Sary (filed), Anne Reeve (not yet filed), and Adam Wright (filed). The Gazette has already published short biographies for Dyer, Holding and Sary. The biographies for the other two filers are below, and the biographies for the remaining candidate(s) will be published next week.

There are three seats on the town board that will be open in November. Reeve is seeking a fourth term, and Commissioners Greg Harrington and Brian Pate said they will not run again.

Greg Bartholomew wrote, “I was born, raised and educated in Wake Forest the oldest of five kids.  My parents, James and Lib Bartholomew, were very civic minded always had their kids involved in volunteering our time. After several years at NC State it was four years in the U.S. Air Force as a procurement specialist.

“Returning to North Carolina, I was employed in electronic distribution and sales for 18 years. At the age of 62 I retired from the U.S. Postal Service with 20 years federal service.

“Diana, my wife of 42 years, is a retired Wake County educator. We have two successful boys and two grandchildren. We enjoy living in Wake Forest and retirement, going to the coast and especially spoiling the grandkids!”

Adam B. Wright wrote, “Wright is an accounts receivable specialist at 1-800-PACK-RAT, but he’s better known as the founder of The Wright Sauce BBQ sauce company and reality TV show veteran. In 2012, He competed on Lifetime TV’s “Supermarket Superstar.”

He’s been active in North Carolina’s TV and film scene with appearances in “Dawson’s Creek,” “One Tree Hill” and “Black Knight.”

“Wake Forest is such a welcoming town. I was able to build my sauce company here. Every weekend I’d be out at a local supermarket or farmer’s market sampling sauce and getting to know the community. I knew I wanted to do more to contribute to Wake Forest’s future.

“I majored in political science, so running for office seemed like a natural. I guess I’m a come to Jesus Democrat. I grew up really conservative and now, more and more, that left/right divide seems to make it impossible for us to accomplish anything.  I think there are things we can work on if we can just talk to each other. I’d like to create an environment where small businesses like mine can thrive so we can grow our commercial tax base, diversify our economy, and invest in a sustainable local future.
“Wright is a North Carolina native, who moved to Wake Forest with his wife, Kara, and their two dogs, a shi-poo named Madison, and a whacky 1-year-old golden doodle, Luke.”

The filing period runs until noon on Friday, July 19, and the filing fee is $15. Candidates must be town residents, 21 or older and qualified votes. The election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The three candidates with the most votes will win. Commissioners have a yearly salary of $8,000.

If you do go to file, remember the elections board has moved from its longtime office on Salisbury Street in Raleigh where there was limited parking to a new building at 1200 North New Hope Road where there is a large parking lot.

Wake Forest elections are nonpartisan and the terms of board members are staggered.

The commissioners have a number of duties, mostly meetings. They have a work session on the first Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m., attend the public hearings during the planning board meeting that same night at 7:30, and hold a regular voting session on the third Tuesday at 7 p.m. They also hold a planning retreat early each year. Each commissioner is assigned to one or more of the advisory boards as an ex officio member to serve as a liaison to the town board. Each commissioner receives information about each agenda item from town staff. In addition, they are expected to attend town events throughout the year and to respond to town residents who call, email or visit them about town problems or issues.