Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The filing period for Belhaven’s 2021 municipal election began at noon Monday. The filing period will end at noon on Friday, Aug. 13. The mayor’s seat is up for election, as well as two Board of Aldermen seats — one representing the town’s East End, and the other representing the West End.

Belhaven Mayor Ricky Credle and Alderman East Ricky Radcliffe filed for re-election Monday.

The filing period for all other Beaufort County municipalities has already passed. According to state law, “In the year following a federal decennial census, candidates seeking municipal office in any city which elects members of its governing board on a district basis, or requires that candidates reside in a district in order to run, shall file their notices of candidacy with the board of elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the fourth Monday in July and no later than 12:00 noon on the second Friday in August preceding the election.”

All filing fees are $10 and can be paid with cash or personal check. General information about filing as a candidate can be found here. Candidates can bring completed forms to the Board of Elections office, or they can pick up and fill out those forms at the office. Notaries are available at the Board of Elections office. Forms can be completed, notarized and mailed to the Board of Elections office, but they must be received by noon on Aug. 13. The address is 1308 Highland Drive, Suite 104, Washington, N.C.  27889.

AURORA UPDATE

Two seats on the Town of Aurora Board of Commissioners are up for election this year. During the initial filing period, which ended July 16, one person (incumbent Jeff Peed) filed as a candidate for that election. Because not enough candidates had entered the race, the Beaufort County Board of Elections extended Aurora’s filing deadline through last Friday. That extension didn’t yield any more candidates, so a write-in candidate will secure the open Board of Commissioners seat this November.