Candidates begin filing for May ballot

There has already been some movement in the filings for the May elections.

The filing period for places on the May general elections is open from now through Friday, Feb. 19 for several cities and school districts, water districts and the port and navigation district.

City of Orange

The City of Orange will have three council seats open for election this year, and thus far two of the incumbents have filed for re-elections.

Mary McKenna and Bill Mello, District 4 and Place 5, respectively, have filed for re-election and remain unopposed at this time. Dr. Wayne Guidry, the incumbent in District 2, has not filed at this time, nor has any opposition.

People interested in filing may contact city secretary at 409-883-1042 for more information.

City of West Orange

The City of West Orange has three at-large city council positions open for filing, which includes seats held by Shirley Bonnin, Dale Dardeau and Mike Shugart Sr. As of Tuesday, all three incumbents have filed for re-election and are currently unopposed. Anyone interested in running for office may call the city secretary at 409-883-3468 for more information.

City of Pinehurst

The City of Pinehurst will have three seats open for filing this election a well. Seats available include the Mayor position, which is held by Pete Runnels, as well as at-large council seats held by John Zerko and Mike Anderson.

As of Tuesday, Runnels has filed for re-election as Mayor and is unopposed at this time. Anderson has filed for re-election to council and former city councilman Dan Barclay has filed for a place on the May ballot as well.

Call the city secretary at 409-886-3873 for more information.

City of Bridge City

The City of Bridge City will have four positions open for filing this year, and two are guaranteed to have new representatives.

Mayor Kirk Roccaforte and Place 2 councilman Mike Reed have reached their term limits and neither will be able to seek re-election for those respective position. Also open are seats in Place 4 and Place 6, which are held by Eric Andrus and Danny Cole, respectively.

Andrus has filed for re-election to Place 4 and is currently unopposed, while former councilmember Lucy Fields has filed for the seat in Place 6.

Current Place 1 councilman David Rutledge has filed for the position of Mayor, while current Mayor Kirk Roccaforte has filed for the open seat in Place 2. Neither is currently opposed.

Call the city secretary at 409-735-6801 for more information.

West Orange-Cove CISD

The West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District has three positions open on the Board of Trustees for filing this May, not two as originally indicated in the Jan. 20 article.

At-large positions held by Bryan Thomas Muhammad, Hardy O'Neal, and Linda Platt-Bryant are available for filing. As of Tuesday, no candidates have filed for the May ballot. Call the superintendent's secretary at 409-882-5500 for more information.

LC-M CISD

The Little Cypress-Mauriceville Consolidated Independent School District's Board of Trustees will have two positions up for election this May. Seats open for filing include Position 6, currently held by Rex Peveto, and Position 7, which is held by Ray Rogers. Updated information was not immediately available before deadline on Tuesday. Call 409-883-2232, Ext. 2320 for more information on this election.

Bridge City ISD

The Bridge City Independent School District has three seats on its Board of Trustees available for filing this election year. Seats currently held by Rebecca Rutledge, Place 3; Thad Hill, Place 4; and Jerry McInnis, Place 5, will be on the ballot.

As of Tuesday, Rutledge has filed for re-electon to Place 3 and she already has an opponent for May as she will be challenged by candidate Bryan Gremillion.

Interested candidates may call 409-735-1511 for more information.

Orange County Navigation and Port District

Two Commissioners seats are set to be on the ballot this May for the Orange County Navigation and Port District. Seats held by Barbara Winfree, Precinct 2, and Jimmy Smith, Precinct 3, are available for filing. Interested candidates may call 409-883-4363 for information.

Orange County Drainage District

Two seats for the Orange County Drainage District's Board of Directors have two positions open for filing this election period, which includes the seats occupied by J.B. Arrington, Precinct 2, and Jimmy Scales, Precinct 3. Both incumbents have filed for re-election and are currently unopposed. Call 409-745-3225 for more information on these positions.

OC WC&ID 2

Orange County Water Control and Improvement District No. 2 will have Board of Directors positions open for filing for the May election, which includes seats held by Jerry Foreman and Linda Premeaux. No candidates have filed for the ballot as of Tuesday. Interested parties may call 409-883-4003 for more information.

Mauriceville MUD

The Mauriceville Municipal Utility District could have an election this May as two positions on its Board of Directors are open for filing, as positions held by Dennis Rountree and Jay Scheiderer are set to be on the ballot. Roundtree was appointed to the Board in October 2014 and Scheiderer was appointed in September 2015. As of Tuesday, no filings have been made.Call 409-745-4882 for info.

Early voting for the general election is from Monday, April 25 through Tuesday, May, 3. Election day will be Saturday, May 7.