LAURINBURG — A handful of candidates for state Senate, school board and county commissioners all filed on Monday — the final day to do so —for the March 2016 primary.
Dannie Montgomery, a veteran Anson County schoolteacher and Democratic Party leader is challenging Republican state Sen. Tom McInnis for his General Assembly seat.
Montgomery, who lives in Lilesville, filed to run for the N.C. Senate District 25 post in next year’s general election.
A computer application skills teacher at Anson Middle School north of Wadesboro, Montgomery said state school funding, health care and economic development rank among her chief concerns.
“I have 220 students and I teach every day,” Montgomery said. “I teach my heart out and I love my students. I love the fact that I can impact their lives, but I understand I cannot give them all they need because there are so many of them.”
McInnis, an auctioneer and auction company executive from Ellerbe, served on the Richmond County Board of Education before winning the Senate seat in 2014. He trimmed school construction costs by requiring more bids for capital projects while on the school board and said his work in Raleigh has helped begin the process of education reform statewide.
District 25 encompasses all of Richmond, Scotland, Anson and Stanly counties as well as a southeastern swath of Rowan County.
Candidate filing for state and local offices ended at noon Monday. Neither McInnis nor Montgomery will face a primary challenge in 2016.
School board
Rick Singletary, Dorothy Moore and Gregory D. Taylor also filed Monday to seek one of the three open Stewartsville seats. A total of nine people have filed to represent Stewartsville.
Singletary is a native of Hoke County and a graduate of Hoke County High School in 1977. He also a graduate of North Carolina A&T with a degree in industrial arts, a masters in technology education and a masters in administration.
“I just retired from the Scotland County Schools after 34 years of service and one of the reasons I’m running is I have a vested interest in Scotland County in general and education specifically. I just want to be a voice for all people.”
Moore is a native of Scotland Country. She graduated from Fayetteville State University with a degree in Business Administration. She is currently the hospitality manager at Golden Corral.
She served as a tutor for Chavis Heights students grades K-8, while living in Raleigh and has continued to tutor students in her free time.
“I have always had a passion for working with kids and their welfare and well-being,” she said.
Taylor could not be reached for comment.
County board
Also filing on Monday was William J. Parker, Jr., a candidate for Scotland County Commissioner in the Williamson township.
A native of Scotland County, Parker graduated from Scotland High School and Wake Forest with a degree in History. He was in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). He commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps. While on active duty he served 13 of his 26 years in overseas assignments.
Parker returned to Scotland County to begin a second career in public education. He held various positions beginning as a teacher and ultimately retiring as an administrator in both Scotland and Marlboro County school systems. He received a second Masters in School Administration from Winthrop University while in education.
In both his careers, Parker said he had significant experience in operational planning, budgeting and personnel administration.
“Scotland County provided me with the tools to be successful in his life, and therefore I have has decided to run for county commissioner in an effort to repay the county that provided me so much,” he said. “My unique background and skill sets acquired during a lifetime of service in both the military and educational system provide me the experience necessary for success.”
