news-record.com

HIGH POINT - This year's City Council election will see more candidates than the last - but most of the incumbents will run unopposed as newcomers scramble for vacant seats and at-large positions.

When filing ended Friday, 17 candidates had thrown their hats into the ring. That's one more than the last election, in 2005.

Six of those 17 will be will be competing for the same seat. Julius Clark, Tony Davis, Foster Douglas, Jerry Mingo, Fitzgerald Waller and Pride D. Grimm Jr. will all be vying for the Ward 2 spot being vacated by four-term Councilman Ron Wilkins. Wilkins declined to run again this year, citing heart problems.

Jim Corey and current at-large Councilman John Faircloth will be competing for the Ward 6 seat being vacated by Lisa Stahlmann.

There are four candidates vying for two at-large council seats, including incumbent Latimer Alexander. The others are Mary Lou Andrews Blakeney, Michael Cox and John Wesley Sneed II.

In the last election, the two at-large seats were the only ones uncontested.

Mayor Becky Smothers and council members Bernita Sims in Ward 1, Mike Pugh in Ward 3, Bill Bencini in Ward 4 and Chris Whitley in Ward 5 will all be running unopposed.

In 2006 High Point and Archdale became the only municipalities in the state to change their elections from odd- to even-numbered years.

City officials said the move would help drive up voter turnout, especially during presidential election years.

Contact Joe Killian at 883-4422, Ext. 228, or joe.killian@news-record.com