LUMBERTON — Eighteen people have filed for municipal office in Robeson County as the filing period began Monday, including two former councilmen hoping to be elected mayor.

Hopefuls entered races for council seats in Lumberton, Pembroke, Fairmont, Maxton, McDonald, Parkton, Proctorville, Red Springs and St. Pauls, as well as for mayor of Pembroke, Lumberton, Maxton, Marietta and McDonald.

Ten people brought information to The Robesonian after filing.

Greg Cummings, economic development director for Robeson County, will run for mayor of Pembroke, a seat made vacant with the death of Milton Hunt.

Cummings served on the Pembroke Town Council from 1991 to 2011. He currently serves on The University of North Carolina at Pembroke’s Thomas Center Board and the Town and Gown Committee.

“I want the citizens to know that I am here to listen. I believe town officials are elected to serve the people. We are not elected just to have a title. The town is a business, the citizens our customers and we must serve them with a smile, with respect and integrity,” Cummings said in a statement.

Former Lumberton Councilman Bruce Davis is the first candidate to enter the race for Lumberton mayor; longtime Mayor Raymond Pennington has decided not to seek another term. Davis served 24 years on the council, representing Precinct 8 from 1977 to 1981 and representing Precinct 1 from 1987 to 2007.

As chairman of the Community Economic Development Committee, Davis helped draft a density ordinance to regulate multi-family density in the city and an ordinance to increase lot size and reduce the number of homes in mobile home parks.

Davis received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2008.

“As a lifelong resident I consider it an honor and privilege to serve Lumberton,” Davis said. “I support public safety, orderly growth, parks and recreation, downtown development, and a balanced budget.”

Former Fairmont Mayor Charles Kemp filed for an at-large seat on the town’s Board of Commissioners.

Kemp served on the town board from 1997 to 2005. He was elected mayor in 2005 and served in that position until 2013.

He is a former educator and currently serves as co-curator of the Border Belt Museum. Kemp was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2014.

“I am not a ‘sideline’ person content to stand by while work is needed … I have devoted the past 45 years of my life here in our town to improving both it and serving her citizens. I can’t wait to serve the citizens again and do my part to keep Fairmont moving onward and upward,” Kemp said in a statement.

Larry McNeill filed for re-election to the Pembroke council. McNeill previously served on the town council for 20 years and was elected to take over an unexpired term in 2013.

McNeill worked with UNCP for 35 years, including time heading up the campus Police Department. He has served on the Robeson County Executive Law Enforcement Association, and on former U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre’s law enforcement advisory committee. He represents Pembroke on the Lumber River Council of Governments.

“I think everybody who holds public office should serve with good character and be honest and truthful … . Being a senior on a fixed income, I understand the importance of keeping taxes and user fees down. If possible, I will never support raising those items,” McNeill said.

Duron Burney will seek re-election to his seat on the Red Springs Board of Commissioners. Burney has worked with the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office for 16 years and holds the rank of detective sergeant. He is the coordinator of the Red Springs Community Watch, president of the Unified Robeson County Branch of the NAACP and is serving his second year on the North Carolina League of Municipalities’ General Government Legislative Action Committee.

“If re-elected, I will continue to work with the citizens of Red Springs to ensure that the challenges you and your family face on a daily basis will be addressed. By working together we can make Red Springs a better place to work, live and raise a family,”Burney said in a statement.

Karen Altman Higley will seek a seat representing Lumberton’s Precinct 4 on the City Council. That seat is currently held by Harry Ivey.

Higley, who is originally from Lake City, South Carolina, has lived in Lumberton for more than 30 years. She works for BB&T and has been involved with Community Watch in East Lumberton for 15 years.

“My dream is to give hope to our community and with your help and vote we can make a difference. This cannot and will not happen overnight; however, we need to start somewhere and start now. I will not make promises I cannot keep, however, I promise to serve you to the best of my ability,” Higley said in a statement.

Leroy Rising, a real estate broker, is one of two candidates to file for the Precinct 1 council seat, which is currently held by Don Metzger. Metzger has said publicly that he will seek the mayor’s seat.

Rising previously worked with the Department of Transportation as the assistant district engineer for Robeson County. He serves on the Lumberton Steering Committee for Land Use.

“I feel my engineering experience has given me a great foundational knowledge I can use in dealing with the infrastructure of the city, and my contract administration with multi-million dollar projects will aid in the financial area of budgeting and finances for the city, along with my education in business administration in management,” Rising said in a statement.

Rick Gregory also filed to represent Lumberton’s Precinct 1.

Gregory previously worked with the Department of Agriculture for 41 years. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Masonic Lodge, the Shriners, the Robeson Road Runners and the Mayor’s Committee for the Challenged.

“I want to continue to market Lumberton … as a half-way point from New York to Miami. I would like to see Lumberton become a destination point and support the retirement community,” Gregory said.

Brice Altman filed for an at-large seat on the St. Pauls Board of Commissioners.

Altman is a member of St. Pauls EMS, St. Pauls Fire Department and Robeson County Search and Rescue and has worked in emergency response for 26 years.

He says one of his priorities will be improving emergency services in the town.

“We need better equipment,” Altman said. “Besides that I think my next biggest goal would be something for the kids to do. There’s nothing for the kids in town.”

Geraldine McLaurin will run for mayor of Maxton, where she served a town commissioner for 16 years.

Now the pastor of Holy Ground Inc., McLaurin is a member of the Lumber River Council of Government’s Senior Advisory Board and the Maxton Ministerial Association. She previously served on boards for the Robeson County Church and Community Center and the Maxton Recreation Department.

“I ask the citizens of Maxton to give me the opportunity to serve them as their next mayor, and I will serve them to the best of my ability,” McLaurin said in a statement.

Justin Oliver filed to seek re-election as mayor of Marietta. James McDougald and Jean Teeters filed to run for seats on the Maxton Board of Commissioners. James Ryan Taylor will run for re-election as mayor of McDonald and incumbents Alan Britt and Dannie Bacot will seek seats on McDonald council. Annette McKelvie McColl will run for a seat on Parkton council; and incumbent Virginia Ivey will seek re-election to Proctorville council. None of them provided information to The Robesonian.

The filing period for the Nov. 3 General Election continues weekdays from 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. through noon on July 17. Council members will be elected in all of the county’s 15 municipalities and mayors will be on the ballot in 13 of them.