Field growing, perhaps to eight, for Suffolk mayoral candidates

SUFFOLK

The crowd of challengers vying to be the first elected mayor continues to grow as the June 10 filing deadline nears.

Five people are certified as official candidates, a sixth is almost there, and two others said they plan to turn in signatures before the deadline.

The group will compete in November to be Suffolk’s first elected mayor. Until now, the City Council has appointed someone from its own ranks to hold the title. The change will add an eighth vote to the council.

Also shaping up are races for three council seats, two of which will feature challenges against incumbents.

In the Whaleyville Borough, Vice Mayor Curtis Milteer Sr., who was first elected in 1980, will seek his eighth four-year term against Jay Quigley.

Quigley, a former Suffolk police officer, unsuccessfully challenged Milteer in 2000.

“I want to see some accountability with our money,” Quigley said.

In the Nansemond Borough, Trisha M. James, an insurance agent, will try to unseat Councilman Leroy Bennett .

“I have a lot of energy,” said James . “Every once in a while, you need a fresh perspective on things.”

The third council seat up for election is in the fast-growing Sleepy Hole Borough in northern Suffolk. So far it has attracted only one candidate.

Robert Barclay IV, a lawyer, announced his candidacy Tuesday to a crowd of about 75 people . Mayor Linda Johnson opted to run for the new at-large mayor’s seat instead.

Dave Forster, (757) 222-5563, dave.forster@pilotonline.com