THE SHELBY INDEPENDENT

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent A sign outside the CC Board of Elections, pointing the way to the main entrance. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent As the Friday Dec. 19 deadline looms for candidates to file for the 2026 primaries, the Cleveland County Commissioner race is crowded with seven hopefuls running for two seats, and a board of education race that so far has five republicans one democrat, and an unaffiliated candidate all running for four chairs. On t

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Dr. Tim Sims, (center right) Senior Pastor of Bethel Baptist Church, Shelby, leads a group of Wayne King’s supporters in a moment of prayer. Chuck Thompson | Shelby Independent With candidate filing well underway, many Cleveland County residents, both current elected officials and new hopefuls have stepped forward to throw their hat into the ring for elected office. Wayne King, a Cleveland County native and lifelong Kings Mountai

By Chuck Thompson | The Shelby Independent Tuesday's elections across municipalities in Cleveland County brought about new changes, familiar faces retained their seats, and also some questions, such as who won the Lattimore mayoral race? The town of Lawndale held a mixed beverage election, which resulted in a tie, with exactly 31 votes for, and 31 votes against. But the startling, yet somewhat expected, story about Tuesday was the low turnout of for local elections. Only 7% o