Incumbents return to office in one form or another
Benita England
By Becky Long
Publisher
In Tuesday’s municipal election voters in the Hayesville city limits chose current town council member Benita England as their next mayor.
England captured 71 percent of the votes over competitor Michael Castellano in a race that ended 66 to 26 for a 40-vote margin of victory.
Unopposed incumbent board members were Lauren Tiger and Harry Baughn along with current mayor Joe Slaton who chose to run for a seat on the town council. Tiger, Baughn and Slaton received 74, 69 and 61 votes, respectively.
The board will be made up of two former mayors with Slaton and Baughn, who served two terms in that office.
The three council members and new mayor will be sworn into office Nov. 14 when results become official.
Voting in Hayesville’s municipal election wasn’t what one would consider high, but compared to the last one four years ago, voter numbers grew from 24 to 92 which is an improvement with 33 percent of the registered voters participating this year.
With the municipal elections in the books, voters may now turn their attention to the 2026 mid-terms in which the filing period begins in less than a month.
Statewide candidate filing for the 2026 primary election begins at noon on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, and ends at noon on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, according to the N.C. Board of Elections.
The candidate withdrawal deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.
The 2026 election will cover most all local offices including three county commission seats, sheriff, school board seats and clerk of court. No official word yet as to which of them will seek re-election.
That election will include U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives on the ticket.
The 2026 primary election is Tuesday, March 3, 2026 and the general election is is Tuesday, Nov. 3.