Political races across Wayne County have begun to take shape as the deadline to file quickly approaches.

The election filing period began on July 7 and ends at noon on July 21.

Goldsboro’s mayoral race has seen Raymond Smith Jr., and Charles Gaylor IV, both declare their intentions to be Goldsboro’s next mayor. Smith is a former two-term legislator and former member of the Wayne County Board of Education.

Gaylor was appointed to Goldsboro City Council District 5 in November 2021, and he is currently the Senior Staff Attorney serving Community Care of North Carolina, Inc. Gaylor is also a former Associate Vice President and Small Business Center Director at Wayne Community College, and a former Associate Engineer at 3TEX, Inc.

Hiawatha Jones, who has served District 1 as a member of Goldsboro’s City Council since early 2021, has filed for reelection.

Chris Boyette, who has 20 years of experience serving the city as a member of the Goldsboro Planning Commission, has filed to run for the City Council District 2 seat. Councilman Bill Broadway has chosen not to pursue reelection following 12 years as a member of the council.

Jamie Taylor has filed to seek election of the Goldsboro City Council’s District 3 seat, and Sadie Baldwin Simmons has filed for election in District 4.

Phyllis Merritt James, Beverly Weeks and Chretien Dumond have each filed for election for Goldsboro City Council District 5. The seat will go to an Oct. 10 primary with the top two vote-getters advancing to the Nov. 7 primary.

Roderick White has filed for election for Goldsboro City Council District 6.

In Mount Olive, J. Jerome Newton and Stephen Wiggins have both filed to seek election as the town’s next mayor.

Former Mount Olive police chief Tommy Brown has filed for reelection to the District 4 seat on the Mount Olive town board. Barbara King filed for reelection to District 3 on the Mount Olive town board, and Robert King plans to pursue the at-large seat.

In Fremont, Eddie Yelverton and Beatrice Jones both plan to seek election as the town’s mayor. Oscar Morring has filed for the District 1 seat on Fremont’s Board of Alderman. Tim Howell plans to seek election for District 2 and Wayne Jackson filed for the District 3 seat. Leroy Ruffin has filed for the District 5 seat.

Phillip Moye, Danny Jackson and Cindy Dupuy have each filed for reelection to the Village of Walnut Creek town board.

Beverly Keen has filed for reelection to the Fork Township Sanitary District board.

Jeremy King has filed for election to the Southwestern Sanitary District Board.