No one on ballot for mayor, council in NC town

[October 26, 2009]  SPENCER MOUNTAIN, N.C. (AP) -- Who's on the ballot in a tiny North Carolina mill village? This year, no one.

The Charlotte Observer reports that no one has filed to run for mayor or any of the three town council seats in Spencer Mountain in Gaston County.

The incumbents say the filing deadline just sneaked up on them, but they have a solution: They'll just show up at the polls and write in each other's names.

Gaston County Elections Director Frances Pinion says it's not unusual for no candidates to file in small communities like this one.

Write-ins usually solve the problem, but Pinion says Spencer Mountain's charter keeps incumbents in office until new officials are elected, so the seats won't be empty.

There are 29 registered voters in Spencer Mountain.

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Information from: The Charlotte Observer, http://www.charlotte.com/

[Associated Press]

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