That?s Kinston, according to today?s bastardized English. The seat of Lenoir County in Eastern NC, Kinston is one of the few remaining municipalities that have partisan elections. So far, the filings in the 2005 city elections interest me greatly.
First, there?s the incumbent mayor, Johnnie Mosley. A Democrat, he will face opposition in the primary from a former mayor, Buddy Ritch (insert pah-dum-pum here). Some expect a racially tinged contest between Mosley, who is black, and Ritch, who is white. The winner may face a young Republican candidate, B.J. Murphy. The 24-year-old is the former executive director of Pride of Kinston, an economic-development organization. He offers some attractive sentiments:
?In the last two decades the citizens of Kinston have been victims of an increase in electric bills, property taxes, low-income housing and a decrease in population? [he said.] Murphy said he will be a leader who is pro-business and anti-annexation.
Meanwhile, in the city council race a Democratic incumbent, Jimmy Cousins, is also sounding fiscally responsible:
Cousins describes himself as a “conservative,” He said he believes in less government, prudent spending of taxpayer money, and in a city government that represents the interests of all residents.
He had been planning to challenge Mayor Mosley until Buddy Ritch announced his comeback bid. The Kinston Free Press, for one, seems a bit dismayed that the mayoral race features two old-timers:
What does it say about Kinston’s future that the keenest contest for mayor in recent memory involves two senior citizens who have collectively dominated City Hall for the past 20 years? What happens to Kinston when one of these guys gets tired?
