DOBSON — Eager political candidates have wasted no time in officially throwing their hats into the ring for offices affected by the 2009 municipal elections in Surry County.

On the opening day of the candidates’ filing period Monday, six people formally declared their intentions for mayoral and commissioner seats in Mount Airy, Dobson and Pilot Mountain. That includes three incumbents, Commissioners Jon Cawley of Mount Airy and Carolyn Boyles and Andrew French of Pilot Mountain.

Also, incumbent Dobson Mayor Ricky Draughn filed for re-election, a position he is being challenged for by Kenneth Earnest, another candidate who filed Monday. Meanwhile, Draughn’s father, Kermit, filed in an effort to regain the commissioner position he lost in the 2007 town election.

Two commissioner seats are subject to this year’s election in Dobson, those now held by Clarence Collins and Wayne Atkins.

Mount Airy

Cawley was the only candidate from Mount Airy who ventured to the Board of Elections in Dobson Monday to pay his $10 filing fee in an effort to retain his North Ward seat on the city council.

Cawley, 47, of 508 Country Club Road, had announced last month that he would seek a full four-year term on the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, which he was appointed to on an interim basis last September.

The local minister and counselor said in June that he doesn’t believe the time he has been in office has been sufficient to effect change in areas such as reducing taxes and cutting municipal spending. Cawley also said he wants to continue helping citizens with issues they have related to city government.

In another city political development, Gene Clark issued a statement Saturday indicating that he plans to seek the post of mayor, which incumbent Jack Loftis — whose seat also is up for re-election this year — is vacating. Loftis announced Thursday that he had decided not to seek his third four-year term.

Clark, a longtime executive with Bassett Furniture Industries, said he will officially file for the office next week. In his statement, the mayoral hopeful said he believes “a change of direction” is needed in Mount Airy that would allow the mayor to be a stronger leader.

“I also feel we need to take a more businesslike approach to the management of our city,” added the statement from Clark. The prospective candidate said that among other goals, he would pursue opportunities for the business community which would create more jobs among existing employers.

In addition to the mayoral and North Ward commissioner seats, the South Ward post now held by David Beal is up for grabs this year. Beal said last week he will not seek another term.

Dobson Filings

Before he filed Monday for his third four-year term, Mayor Ricky Draughn, 54, said he wanted to see several items of unfinished business completed. This includes what he called a “mini-crisis” surrounding the town manager’s position.

Lynn Burcham was suspended from that job more than a month ago in connection with an alleged misappropriation of town funds. At present, no charges have been filed against Burcham, pending a review by the State Bureau of Investigation, but the administration of town government has been disrupted to a degree.

Draughn also wants to help water and downtown projects Dobson is now involved in reach fruition.

The other candidate who filed for Dobson mayor, Kenneth Earnest, is 54 and resides at 504 Pine St. Earnest could not be reached for comment Monday regarding his candidacy.

Kermit Draughn, 80, is vying for one of the two Dobson commissioner seats affected by the 2009 election. He was defeated for re-election in 2007 after serving for 20 years as a town councilman, and before that was on the Surry County Board of Commissioners for eight years.

Before filing Monday, Draughn said he believes he has done much for Dobson and he has even more to offer. A longtime local firefighter, Draughn said one of his concerns is the future of the town fire department in the face of declining numbers of volunteers, along with water projects affecting Dobson.

Both Draughns are associated with a longtime local business, Draughn’s Auto Parts.

Pilot Mountain

Monday’s candidate filings involving Pilot Mountain included both incumbents for the only offices affected there, Commissioners Andrew French and Carolyn Boyles.

French, 47, of 604 W. Main St., has been a town commissioner since being appointed to serve out the unexpired term of Earl Sheppard when Sheppard was elected mayor in 2007.

The candidate said Monday that he believes progress is being made in Pilot Mountain, possibly in part by the “remarkable success” the town has exhibited in acquiring grant funds such as an award from the Golden LEAF Foundation.

He said his goals, if elected, would be to help bring about a planned satellite campus of Surry Community College in Pilot Mountain, along with the opening of a center that would process agricultural byproducts. It would convert crops produced by local farmers into items such as salsa and jellies.

French, an actuary who does consulting work involving pension plans, also is interested in a project to connect all municipal water systems in Surry, a matter the incumbent said he has been directly involved in for several years.

“Things have gone pretty smoothly,” in Pilot Mountain town government, French continued. “And I think that’s attributable to the fact that our board members all work well together. There’s a quality of openness and cooperation amongst the board members and I think each of us brings different things to the table in terms of what our skill sets are.”

French said he personally tends to focus on numbers and “the financial side of things.”

Boyles, a teacher who has served as a Pilot Mountain commissioner for 18 years, could not be reached for comment Monday concerning her latest candidacy.

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.