Two file for Wake Forest Town Board

As of Tuesday, July 9, two candidates have filed with the Wake County Board of Elections to contend for the three seats that will be open in November on the Wake Forest Board of Commissioners. They are Jim Dyer and Heather Loftin Holding.

There are two other announced candidates, current Commissioner Anne Reeve, who is seeking a fourth term, and Chad Sary, a former town planner. Current commissioners Greg Harrington and Brian Pate have said they will not seek re-election.

There is still plenty of time for other possible candidates to take the plunge and file with the elections board. The filing period runs from noon on Friday, July 5, to 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.

Dyer is a North Carolina native, was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, retired from the U.S. Army as a lieutenant colonel, and has lived in Wake Forest for 30 years where for 20 years he was the Santa Claus in the town’s Christmas parade. Among his many civic activities, he has been a recipient of the Koinonia Community Service Award, served on the Wake Forest Fourth of July Committee and was master of ceremonies for the fireworks show for 20 years. He graduated from Leadership Wake Forest and taught leadership and management skills at Colorado State University for four years.

“I have no political agenda but desire to represent all the citizens of Wake Forest with integrity,” Dyer said. He filed the first day, July 5, and Holding filed on July 8. The Wake County Board of Elections updates the list of candidates in the November election about 5:15 p.m. each night during the filing period.

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.