In Selma, Councilwoman Cheryl Oliver and newcomer John Webster are challenging longtime Mayor Charles Hester for his post. On the council, "communication is weak at the moment, and I'd like to see that aspect of it strengthened," Oliver said. "My running is not as much anti-Hester as it is what I can bring to the table. I have the skills to do it, and I want to pull Selma together."

Oliver, a former educator and businesswoman, is wrapping up her first four-year term on the council this year.

Webster is a Selma native who owns Webster LP Gas. "All I want is for Selma to be a hometown again," he said.

Oliver's decision to run for mayor will leave open her council seat, and several newcomers are seeking a spot. Incumbent Councilman Eric Sellers has filed for re-election to his seat. He'll face Dennis Davis, Tommy Holmes, Dornal "Boone" King, Lillie "Shorty" Langston and Timmy Strickland for the two available seats.

Davis is a retired newspaperman who served several terms on Town Council in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s. "I'm just a little concerned with the way things are going," he said, noting that he thought the recent expansion of Selma's library was unnecessary. "I'm concerned nobody's looking at the future of Selma."

Davis serves on Selma's uptown revitalization fund board and its marketing committee. He is chairman of the Selma Development Partnership.

Holmes, King and Strickland all ran unsuccessfully for Town Council in 2009. Holmes is a retired business owner who has served on Selma's planning board. Strickland owns a lawn-care service. And King is a retired school bus driver.

Langston is a newcomer to Selma politics. She is marketing director for P&D Sales in Clayton.

Princeton

Doug White, a Princeton Planning Board member since 2008, has filed to run for mayor against incumbent Don Rains. He is assistant Johnston County ranger with the N.C. Forest Service.

"When elected, I plan to revitalize the downtown area and create a family-friendly business environment," White said in a news release. "Likewise, I plan to seek out and recruit the best businesses for Princeton - much like a coach seeks and recruits the best talent for his team."

Incumbents Walter Martin and Brandon Holland are running unopposed to keep their seats on the board of commissioners.

Pine Level

All of Pine Level's current Board of Commissioners filed for re-election. Mayor Jeff Holt is running unopposed for his fourth term leading the town. He is owner and vice president of Airflow Products Co. in Selma.

Incumbent Commissioners Jimmy Garner, Anthony Gudac, Karen Anderson and Phil Pittman will all seek another term. They're being challenged by Sal Navarro, a retired machinery technician who's lived in Pine Level since 2006.

"The council is not listening to what the people are saying," Navarro said. "I want to listen to the people and see if we can get something done."

Kenly

Incumbent David Grady is running unopposed for his second term as mayor here. He owns The Insurance Shoppe in Smithfield.

On the Town Council, incumbents Charlie Gilantzis - the manager of Nik's Pizza - and real-estate agent Beverly Knight are seeking re-election. They'll be challenged by newcomers Sherwood "Slick" Mitchell, Larry Smith and Moses Robinson.

Mitchell is a longtime Kenly resident who once worked in the town's water department. He's retired now and delivers drugs for two pharmacies as a volunteer.

"I just thought it was time to have some new faces up," Mitchell said. "I just think I could help. I'd love to see some changes made toward the elderly."

Robinson is a compliance manager with Parker Investment in Fayetteville. Smith is a retired Methodist minister.

Wilson's Mills

Only two council seats are up for grabs here this year, but there's plenty of interest in joining the town's leadership.

Newcomers Johnny Eason, Joan Harris and Maxine Murdoch are all seeking a seat on the council. Incumbent Billie Foster Wiley, a school cafeteria and restaurant manager, is seeking a second term; Randy Jernigan did not file for re-election.

Harris is retired from Bayer Pharmaceuticals in Clayton. "I'd like to see improvement," she said, adding that Wilson's Mills needs a grocery store and shopping center. "We really would like to see more growth in buildings."

Eason is the retired owner of a scrap-metal recycling company in Dunn. He said he'd like to see commuter rail and development come to Wilson's Mills, and he's critical of the Town Council's decision to build a community center. "They're wanting to build a community center that's in the wrong place and too large for what we are," Eason said, adding that he'd rather see a park with ballfields and a small senior center.

Micro

Mayor Gene Hinton is running unopposed for another term leading Johnston's smallest town.

Incumbent Commissioners Laura Grady and Johnny Dixon will face a challenger in Jim Wiesner, a newcomer to Micro politics who works for Dawkins Properties in Raleigh.

Four Oaks

The town will have no contested races this year.

Incumbents Sandy Lee, Vic Medlin and Patti Bridgers - who was appointed to replace Stacy Lee in 2009 - are running unopposed. Mayor Linwood Parker and two other commissioners won't face re-election again until 2013.