The Friday deadline to file for Richmond County municipal office has come and passed. Now it is up to the voters of the five cities and townships to determine who will be elected November 3.

Hamlet City Councilman Jesse McQueen declared Friday he will challenge incumbent Mayor Jeff Smart for the city’s highest office.

He has served on Hamlet’s City Council since 2005, and said change will be at the forefront of his campaign.

“The major thing we need to focus on is running Hamlet in a cost-effective manner,” McQueen said. “We need to place priority on where and how our money is spent. In today’s economic conditions, we’re not sure if all of our funding will be coming in from the state and other sources, so we need to proactively seek ways to keep our budget down.”

He cited the city’s appropriation of $200,000 of the fund balance for operating costs in its current budget.

“I don’t think the city needs to be spending its savings on yearly operations,” he said.

McQueen and his wife Wanda are long-time residents of Hamlet, where they are raising their two sons.

He is a former Hamlet police officer, and currently has a lawsuit against the city for maltreatment while employed in that capacity. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in Public Administration, both from UNC-Pembroke.

McQueen will run against incumbent Jeff Smart who was elected in 2007.

The most hotly contested council race in the county will fittingly be held in the county seat of Rockingham, where two made their intentions to run for a seat on the council official Friday. This means six will run for the three open seats.

Perdue Farms Senior Human Resources Representative Travis Billingsley has never been elected to public office and has three areas he would like to focus on if elected.

Billingsley said the taxpayers, change and pro-small business policies would be the focus of his term if elected.

“It’s not that the people who are there have put us in a bad situation, but I feel these are areas we need to continually emphasize,” Billingsley said. “... I think the pro-business climate in Rockingham is something we need to focus on, with an emphasis on those areas that are producing. It’s not that we shouldn’t attract large industries, but small businesses are what are producing, and we should focus even more on them.”

Billingsley and his wife Brooke have one son, and attend First Baptist Church of Rockingham.

He is a Richmond County native, and serves on the United Way Board and the Career Technical Advisory Board.

Jerry Austin Jr. is the general manager of Riley Paving Company based in Carthage.

He is a long-time resident of Richmond County and the City of Rockingham with his wife Michelle and their three children. They attend First Presbyterian Church of Rockingham.

Austin graduated from Richmond Senior High in 1988 and the UNC-Chapel Hill in 1992, and hopes Rockingham will continue to be a child-friendly, family-friendly community.

“I just feel like we need some new ideas and a different direction on a few issues that I don’t feel the current council is on the right path on, the way I see things,” Austin said.

CSX Transportation Purchasing and Materials Clerk Jonathan Buie filed to run for Hamlet City Council Friday.

Buie and his wife Ashleigh have two daughters. He has never held public office.

“I am a hard-working citizen of Hamlet and Richmond County,” Buie said. “... I have lived in Richmond County my entire life and seen many changes. I look forward to the race for Hamlet City Council, and feel like I could bring new ideas to the city with the help of its great citizens.”

In addition to his work with the railroad, Buie is also a union representative for CSX clerical employees.

He will compete with former Richmond Community College President Dr. Diane Honeycutt and former Business Division Chair and incumbent Councilwoman Abbie Covington for two seats on the city council.

Perdue Human Resources Representative Travis Billingsley made it five candidates for three seats on the Rockingham City Council with his declaration to run Friday.

Incumbent Ellerbe Town Councilman Jerry Meacham said his main focus will be to see through the Ellerbe/Rockingham Wastewater and Sewer Project if re-elected. He is the town’s project officer in this matter.

“I would like to finish the current project to connect the town’s wastewater and sewer lines with Rockingham,” Meacham said. “This is a project that will benefit the entire community of Richmond County, not just Ellerbe, by opening up that area for development. There could be truck stops, hotels or even housing developments once there is sewer and wastewater service.”

He is retired from the U.S. Air Force, where he attained the highest enlisted rank of Chief Master Sergeant.

The Ellerbe native attends Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church, and he has two daughters.

Incumbent Ellerbe Town Coucilwoman Brenda Chambers said she will continue her current duties, and explore ways to add recreational opportunities for the youth of Ellerbe if re-elected.

She is the department head for parks and recreation, the cemetery and the Rankin Museum.

“I would like to see some playground equipment at Parsons Field for the children of our community,” she said.

Dobbins Heights native Romeo Jones will seek public office for the first time in the town council race.

“I believe that I have ideas that could benefit the town,” Jones said. “Basically, I would like to do whatever I can to help the community.”

He and his wife Luella have four children, and another who passed away. They attend New Bethel A.M.E. Zion Church.

Dobbins Heights resident James Whitt will also challenge for its town council.

His phone number is unlisted.

Hoffman incumbent town council candidates Kevin Jones and Terry Thomas could not be reached for comment.