Incumbents file for re-election

Filing ends this Friday for the Sparta Town Council election and all three of the incumbents have filed to seek re-election this fall, according to Deputy Director Jenny Billings with the Alleghany County Board of Elections.

Billings said Sparta Mayor John Miller, Councilman Mike Parlier and Councilman John Brady all have filed for re-election. A municipal election will be held Nov. 3.

Brady filed on Tuesday, Parlier filed on July 7 and Miller filed on July 6.

Miller was sworn in as mayor on May 3, 1982 to complete the term of H. Eugene Gray, who resigned. He has since served six consecutive terms.

Parlier and Brady were each elected in 2001 and have served two consecutive terms on the Sparta Town Council.

Filing for the election began at noon July 6 and will conclude at noon this Friday, July 17. The municipal election filing period was shortened by two weeks by an act of the N.C. General Assembly in 2006.

Those interested in filing must live within the Sparta Town limits and must be registered to vote. Applicants would need to have campaign finance training, which would need to be completed within four months of filing for election.

Individuals on the town council are paid $125 monthly, regardless of the number of meetings attended. Absentee ballots will not be allowed in the election and only those registered and residing within town limits may vote in the November election.

The only polling place is the Sparta Town Hall. Voting machines typically are set up in the Council's meeting room, which is on the bottom floor of the building, which is located at 304 S. Main St. in Sparta. For more information on the election, call the board of elections at 372-4557.