Two more file for elections

T. J. ROYAL

July 14, 2009 10:52 am

— Only two men filed for elections Friday and Monday for their respective Edgecombe municipal boards, a challenger in Conetoe and an incumbent in Macclesfield.
Jesse Petteway, 63, filed Friday as a challenger for one of the at-large seats on the Conetoe Town Council.
Robert Bruce "R.B." Owens, 76, filed Monday to run for his fourth consecutive full-term as a Macclesfield commissioner.
Petteway of 108 Thigpen Road said Monday that he thinks he'll be a good commissioner in Conetoe partially because "if you live in Conetoe, I know ya."
He has lived in Conetoe all his life, and thinks it's a "good little town." Since it's his first time filing for its municipal board, Petteway feels that it just needs "some different thinking" at this point.
So far, he and incumbent Wilson Jones are the only two who have qualified for the town board. Conetoe Mayor Linda Ingram has not filed for re-election to her post yet.
But Petteway, who has worked for Barnhill Contracting Co. in Tarboro for 45 years, said he also feels that the town is "dying" because of lack of population growth.
Owens, of 304 E. Green St., admits that in recent years, the Macclesfield Board of Commissioners has "not done enough" to help promote itself and grow.
If re-elected, he said he would renew his focus to make Macclesfield a "bedroom community" where people come for peace and quiet. He noted that he would "probably need to pay more attention to rental property" as a town commissioner and ensure a standard of upkeep is maintained within Macclesfield.
Owens worked for 25 years as a rest home administrator for facilities in Macclesfield and Parkers Island, as well as for 25 years with the American Cancer Society and the Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.
Filing for the municipal elections ends at noon on Friday. Rocky Mount's municipal election is Oct. 6. All other Edgecombe municipalities' elections are on Nov. 3.