News

While some races are competitive, many candidates drew no opponent

By Bill Moss, Published: December 17, 2023

Carey O'Cain appears headed for a fourth term as Laurel Park's mayor while Anne Coletta looks to have landed the job leading the Village of Flat Rock as neither drew an opponent when filing for the 2024 elections closed Friday.

Meanwhile, the end of qualifying saw the Henderson County Democratic Party put up challengers for all three of the county's legislative seats and one Board of Commissioners seat. Incumbent commissioners David Hill and Daniel Andreotta each drew an opponent in the March 5 Republican primary. The Republican nominee for the District 2 seat faces Democrat Erik Weber of Fletcher in the Nov. 5 general election.

Hendersonville voters will also decide two competitive races. DJ Harrington and incumbents Jennifer Hensley and Lyndsey Simpson are running for two council seats while three candidates — Lynne Elizabeth Williams, Colby Coren and Gina Baxter — are running to complete the unexpired term of Jerry Smith, who resigned in October. In Mills River, incumbent Jeff Young, former council member Brian Kimball, Jeff Moore, Tiffany Councill and Jim Foster will compete for two at-large seats on the town board. Mayor pro tem Randy Austin chose not to stand for re-election.

School Board seats turned out to be the most sought-after, as the signup period drew 10 candidates for four seats, including six Republicans who will battle it out in the March primary.

In the judicial seats, four Republicans qualified to run for District Court seats 1-4, including three incumbents. Hendersonville attorney Monica Gillette filed to run for the seat currently held by Lora T. Baker, who was appointed to the bench in November after Judge Emily Cowan resigned. Registered as unaffiliated, Baker in order to be on the November ballot would have to collect signatures of 2 percent of the total number of voters in Judicial District 29B (Polk, Transylvania and Henderson counties) and submit them to the state Board of Elections by noon on March 5.

Barring a highly unlikely write-in campaign to defeat them, candidates appearing to have won offices besides O'Cain and Coletta include George Banta and Travis Bonnema in Laurel Park, Keith Reid and James Player in Fletcher and Thomas F. Carpenter and Cheryl Stuller in Flat Rock. Stuller, who was appointed to the seat made vacant by the resignation of David Dethero, was sworn in to office on Thursday. No one filed for Coletta's seat, meaning the Village Council will need to appoint a District 2 council member when Coletta's term expires next December.

Early voting for the primary starts Feb. 15 and ends March 2 at the Board of Elections, 75 East Central St. The Board of Elections is the only early voting location for the primary election. Here are the candidates for municipal seats, Board of Commmissioners, N.C. General Assembly and District Court.

March 5 primary

• 11th Congressional District, Chuck Edwards, R
• 11th Congressional District, Christian Reagan, R

• County Commissioner District 2, Daniel Andreotta, R
• County Commissioner District 2, Sheila Franklin, R
• County Commissioner District 5, Jay Egolf, R
• County Commissioner District 5, David Harold Hill, R

• School Board, Amy Lynn Holt, R
• School Board, Robert Bridges, R
• School Board, Michael Absher, R

• School Board, Kathy G. Revis, R

• School Board, Tae Brown, R
• School Board, Beth Campbell, R

Nov. 5 general election

• Flat Rock Mayor, Anne Guerard Coletta
• Flat Rock District 1, Thomas F. Carpenter
• Flat Rock District 3, Cheryl Stuller

• Laurel Park Mayor, Carey O'Cain
• Laurel Park Town Council, George Banta
• Laurel Park Town Council, Travis Bonnema

• County Commissioner District 2, Erik Weber, D

• Hendersonville City Council, Jennifer Hensley
• Hendersonville City Council, Lyndsey N. Simpson
• Hendersonville City Council, DJ Harrington
• Hendersonville City Council (unexpired term), Lynne Elizabeth Williams
• Hendersonville City Council (unexpired term),Colby Coren
• Hendersonville City Council (unexpired term), Gina Baxter

• Fletcher Town Council District 2, Keith Reed
• Fletcher Town Council District 3, James Player

• Mills River Town Council at large, Jeff Moore
• Mills River Town Council at large, Tiffany Councill
• Mills River Town Council at large, Jeff Young
• Mills River Town Council at large, Jim Foster
• Mills River Town Council at large, Brian Kimball

• School Board, Mary Ellen Kustin, D

• School Board, Leslie Carey, D

• School Board, Crystal Cauley, D
• School Board, Rhonda Mountain D

• NC Senate District 48, Timothy Moffitt, R
• NC Senate District 48, Chris Walters, D

• NC House District 113, Jake Johnson, R
• NC House District 113, Michelle Antalec, D

• NC House District 117, Jennifer Capps Balkcom, R
• NC House District 117, Steve Martinez, D

• District Court Judge Seat 1, James Marshall, R
• District Court Judge Seat 2, Gene Johnson, R

• District Court Judge Seat 3, Monica Jean Gillett, R

• District Court Judge Seat 4, Kim Gasperson Justice, R