PEMBROKE — Robie Joe Goins filed Thursday for the District 5 seat on the Lumbee Tribal Council, which represents the Oxendine and Prospect communities.
Incumbent Councilman Bobby Oxendine is not eligible for re-election because he is serving his second term.
Friday is the final day to file for the Nov. 13 election.
Goins, 41, is a longtime resident of Robeson County who was born at Southeastern Medical Center in Lumberton, according to biographical information given to The Robesonian. He is the son of Annie Vane Chavis-Goins and James Stanley Locklear, of Pembroke. He is married to Courtney Daniel Goins, and they have a son, Landyn Jonah Goins.
Goins graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte with a degree in civil engineering technology. He is employed by MKS Construction Group LLC in St. Pauls as a project and design manager.
“My community has a long history of indigenous people who have given back to help others on countless occasions,” Goins said in a statement. “I want to continue that custom. I want to work with my neighbors to improve not only this community but the overall well-being of the Lumbee people.”
Goins wrote that he is concerned about health issues and living conditions, and hopes to educate tribe members about these issues.
“I want to continue the tradition of learning from my elders and passing it down to younger generations,” he said.
Filing can be done from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Lumbee Tribe Elections Office, which is located at 707 Union Chapel Road. The cost to file for chairman is $500, and $250 for a Tribal Council seat.
For information, call the Elections Office at 910-374-6290.