Election day underway in Lenoir County

A Lenoir County Board of Elections official said Tuesday morning that voter turnout in the election has been lower than in 2007.

Voters headed to the polls this morning in Kinston, La Grange, and Pink Hill to elect candidates for mayoral and town commissioner seats.

Barbara Hammonds of the elections office said just over 500 people had voted in the early morning hours countywide.

Incumbent Pink Hill town commissioner Mike Hill said he was busy the last few weeks mailing letters to registered voters in Pink Hill before today's election.

Hill said he will just have to "wait and see" if he wins his bid for re-election. Polls close countywide at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The mayor's race in Kinston has three candidates - Democrat Jimmy Cousins, Republican B.J. Murphy and unaffiliated Earl Harper - who are each looking to fill the seat of current mayor, O.A. "Buddy" Ritch who is retiring.

The low voter turnout Tuesday morning follows a low primary election voter turnout in September when just 11 percent of registered voters in Kinston cast their ballots.

Early voting ended Saturday with 1,069 voters casting ballots, according to the elections board.

Bobby Wooten is the only incumbent seeking re-election in La Grange for town commissioner. Challengers in La Grange include Albert Gray, David Holmes, Glenn Houston and Veronica Lee.

In Pink Hill, incumbent mayor Treva Brigman is facing challenger Royce Swinson.

Incumbent town commissioners Hill, Donald King and Carol Sykes are vying for three commissioner seats. Debra Grady is challenging the incumbents for a town commissioner seat.

Grady said she didn't think the town commissioners should have approved extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). ETJ was approved for town planning purposes.

"I want Pink Hill to be the best it can be," Grady said. "I want us to maintain the quality of life we have."

Chris Lavender can be reached at 252 - 559 - 1078 or clavender@freedomenc.com.