LUMBERTON — The 2010 primary season got off to a quick start Monday, with 13 candidates filing for county and state offices. All but three filed at Robeson County Board of Elections.

Eleven of the 13 were incumbents, and included Sheriff Kenneth Sealey, who will be seeking his second term. He will oppose a former county commissioner, Lennis Watts, who also filed Monday. Both have been campaigning for the office for several months.

Sealey, 60, of Lumberton, has served as sheriff since being appointed in January 2005 to replace Sheriff Glen Maynor.

A law enforcement officer for 37 years, Sealey is a graduate of Robeson Community College’s Basic Law Enforcement Program and has advanced law enforcement training in all areas of law enforcement. He is also a member of a number of law enforcement organizations.

“I’d like to thank everyone for the support they have given me the last 37 years and ask for their continued support,” Sealey said. “My main goal is to protect all of the citizens of Robeson County. I’d like to continue bringing education to employees of the Sheriff’s Office and the Robeson County Detention Center ... I want to continue to work to implement training and education, and to work to obtain grants and funding for new programs.”

He said he is in the process of establishing a drug task force made up of local, state and federal officers. He also hopes to start a violent crimes task force to deal with major crimes.

Sealey is a member of Ten Mile Baptist Church in Lumberton, where he serves as a deacon, assistant church treasurer and chief usher. He and his wife Deborah have two children, Timothy and Whitney.

Watts, 60, is a retired state Highway Patrol trooper, former Robeson County commissioner, and owner of L&L Farms in Parkton. He attended Fayetteville State University and Robeson Community College, has an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice, and served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

“Robeson County should not have the distinction of being the leading county in violent crime in the entire state of North Carolina,” Watts said. “By implementing effective policies, programs, goals, training and 21st century crime-fighting strategies, the Sheriff’s Department can effectively combat property crime, violent crime and illegal drug activity. Likewise, the public’s trust and confidence of the department, as well as cooperative efforts in working with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, is paramount ... .”

County commissioners

On the first day of filing, incumbents filed for the four seats up for grabs this year on the county Board of Commissioners.

Hubert Sealey, District 2, of Fairmont, is seeking his third four-year term on the board.

“I want to continue to serve the county of Robeson and its citizens in a fair and equitable manner, and to provide fair treatment to all of its citizens,” Sealey said. “I also want to work hard for economic development.”

Sealey, 44, is a state Highway Patrol trooper and former state Department of Motor Vehicles enforcement officer. He is chairman of the Justice and Public Safety Board of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners, and was recently appointed by Gov. Beverly Purdue to serve on the state Sheriffs Training Standards and Education Committee.

Sealey is a member of Millbranch Baptist Church, in Fairmont, where he serves as a trustee. He also is a member of the Southeastern Economic Development Board.

Sealey and his wife, Linda, have four daughters: Kristen, 16; Ashley, 15; Selena, 10; and Tasha, 5.

Noah Woods, District 4, is the current chairman of the Board of Commissioners. He is seeking his sixth term.

Woods believes that increased emphasis on human resources has been beneficial not only to county employees but to those in Robeson County who have been helped by improved programs, services and projects.

“The economy has a great impact on the county’s ability to move forward, but the leadership and commitment of the county commissioners have been determined to persevere and to keep at the forefront the needs of the citizens,” he said. “Economic development has not moved as rapid as we had hoped, but we value our business and our corporations and are committed to expansion and seeking new opportunities on a continual basis.”

Woods, of Pembroke, is a retired school administrator. He previously served as president of the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners and now serves as a member of the Health Committee of the National Association of County Commissioners.

Woods, a former member of the county’s Board of Health, currently serves on the Health Department’s advisory board to the Nurse Family Partnership Program. He also is a member of the state’s Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force and the North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation Board.

He was the chairman of the Robeson County Cancer Society in 2009, and regularly volunteers in county elementary and high schools.

Tommy Wellington is running for his second full four-year term as the District 6 representative. He has was appointed in 2005 to fill the unexpired term of Gary Powers, who died while in office.

He grew up in the Saddletree community, attended Wingate University when it was a junior college ad then transferred to Wake Forest University.

Over the years, Wellington, a longtime Lumberton resident, has worked in sales, agri-business, and as a florist.

“I’m very interested in helping others,” he said. “I’m very service oriented ... . I’ve been extremely active as a commissioner and wish to continue in that position to continue to improve the life for the citizens of Robeson County.”

A member of First Baptist Church in Lumberton, he has served as a deacon, choir director, and now sings in the choir.

Currently he serves on the Robeson Community College board of trustees and is a member of the RCC Foundation Board. He is the recipient of a community service award from former Gov. James B. Hunt for his service to the college.

Lance Herndon was elected in 2008 to fill the unexpired term of his late grandfather, Bill Herndon. He is seeking his first full-term representing District 8.

Herndon, 35, a self-employed farmer from Parkton, is a graduate of St. Pauls High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a degree in geography.

“Our county and its residents continue to have great needs,’’ he said. “I have worked hard to forge a good working relationship with the other seven commissioners that would allow me to bring the needs of District 8 and greater Robeson County to the forefront. My goals for this term are to keep our taxes as low as possible, pay down county debt, and to help recruit viable industry and jobs to the county.”

Herndon is currently serving on the following subcommittees of the county Board of Commissioners: Finance; Housing Authority; and Public Works, Solid Waste and Water Fund. He was Robeson County’s Young Farmer of the Year in 2004, and is a three-year member of the Robeson County Extension Service Advisory Council.

School board

Two candidates filed Monday for four available seats on the Robeson County Board of Education.

Incumbent Tony Jenkins, 46, of Lumberton, is seeking his second four-year term representing District 8. Jenkins is the program director for Southeastern Wound Healing Center.

“During my first term, I believe that our Board of Education has strengthened the relationships between each other and with the superintendent,’’ Jenkins said. “Through these strong relationships we have seen graduation rates increase; we have implemented programs such as the Learning Acceleration Program that provided graduation opportunities to students that would not have graduated otherwise. We have continued to support the Early College High School, providing an opportunity for a college education to students that may not have otherwise been able to attend college.”

Jenkins holds bachelor’s degrees in Industrial Engineering & Textile Services from N.C. State University, and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. He is a member of the Kiwanis of Robeson-Lumberton, and the Lumberton Area Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the board of directors of Communities in Schools, and is a member of First Baptist Church, Lumberton, where he serves as a Royal Ambassadors leader.

Jenkins and his wife, Tina, have a 9-year-old son, Larson.

Incumbent Mike Smith, who represents District 6, did not provide any biographical information to The Robesonian.

Clerk of Superior Court

Clerk of Superior Court Renae O. Hunt has filed to retain the office she has held since 2003. Hunt, of Rowland, has 32 years of experience working in the office of the Clerk of Superior Court.

A graduate of Fairgrove High School and Kings Business College, Hunt has continued her education through conferences and classes at the N.C. Administrative Office of the Courts, and the University of North Carolina School of Government.

“With 32 years of service in the Clerk of Superior Court’s Office, I have the experience and knowledge to continue to have one of the best clerks offices in the state,” she said. “I would like to thank you for your continued prayers and support as I serve the citizens of Robeson County as your Clerk of Superior Court.”

Hunt served seven years in the U.S. Army Reserves and is currently a member of the Communities in Schools Board and the Pembroke Business and Professional Women’s organization. She attends Piney Grove Church in Fairmont.

Hunt is the daughter of Zeb and Margie Oxendine, and the wife of David Hunt. She has two children, Tracie and Corey Hunt; two grandchildren, Triston and Chandler Hunt; and a son-in-law, Kevin Hunt.

Judges

In the non-partisan race for Superior Court Judge in Judicial District 16B, Judge James Gregory Bell filed Monday in Raleigh for re-election.

Bell was appointed to the bench in January 2009. He replaced retiring Superior Court Judge Gary Locklear.

General Assembly

For state House of Representatives, both Democrats, Garland E. Pierce, District 48, and Douglas Y. Yongue, District 46, filed for re-election in Scotland County.

Charles Graham, a Lumberton resident, entered the Democratic primary as a candidate for House District 47. The seat is now held by Rep. Ronnie Sutton.

This is Graham’s second run for the House. Sutton defeated the retired educator and businessman in 2008.

Graham, 58, owns and operates Companion Home Care and Unimed in Lumberton. He holds an Education Specialist degree from Lehigh University.

Among the associations he is involved with are Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders; National Association of Mental Illness; National Association of Children and Homeless Youth; and North Carolina Association of Educators.

“My campaign is about giving the voters of Robeson County someone who will listen to their concerns and who will be available within their communities. I’m offering the voters someone who has experience as a business owner and 30 years experience as an educator,” he said. “I’m also an advocate for the needs of our children and teachers. I advocate for the needs of our disabled children and adults ....”

Graham and his wife Norma have four children: Bryan Graham, Madison Graham, Kelly Wilkins, and Charles Graham Jr. They also have a stepson, Paulo Martinez.

U.S. Senate

Also on Monday, according to the N.C. Board of Elections Web site, Lumberton resident Marcus Williams filed for U.S. Senate. A Libertarian, Michael Beitler, of Oak Ridge, also filed to run for the seat now held by Sen Richard Burr, a Republican.