Filing for the Town of Franklin and Highlands elections opens Monday, July 7. Candidates will have until noon Friday, July 18 to file. The town elections are non-partisan.
The Town of Franklin will be getting a new mayor as Mayor Jack Horton announced at the June Town Council meeting that he would not run for a third term.
Vice Mayor Stacy Guffey has said he will run for mayor. Guffey is currently serving his first term on the council and said in February that he would run for re-election. However, following Horton’s announcement he decided to enter the mayor’s race, giving up his seat and vote on the council.
There will be at least two new faces on the council as Council member David Culpepper has decided not to run for a third term.
Council member Rita Salain was first elected to the Town Council in 2021 and as of press time Tuesday said she was still pondering a run for a second term.
The mayor serves a two-year term, and the filing fee is $72. The council members serve four years and have a $36 filing fee.
Highlands election
Highlands Mayor Patrick Taylor is up for election as are town commissioners Amy Patterson and Eric Pierson. All are elected to four-year terms. The filing fee for the mayor’s seat is $10 and the fee for the commissioners is $5.
Election calendar
Early voting will be held Oct. 16-Nov. 1 with Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Absentee by mail begins Oct. 3 and the last day to request absentee by mail is Oct. 21. Nov. 3 is the last day for uniformed and overseas citizens to request an absentee by mail ballot.
The municipal elections are open only to voters living within the town limits for 30 days or more. The last day to register to vote is Oct. 10.
For more information, contact the Macon County Board of Elections at 828-349-2034 or visit maconnc.org/board-of-elections. The office is located on the first floor of the Macon County Courthouse.