Josh Ballard clinched the sole seat up for election this year on the Cumberland County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors, defeating incumbent Lena Lloyd Simmons and fellow challenger Kristal Watts.
The five-person Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors oversees programs to help landowners prevent soil erosion, protect water resources and other related natural resources from abuse and deterioration, the board’s website says.
The unofficial results released early Wednesday by the Board of Elections showed:
- 42,009 votes for Ballard, or 37.34%
- 36,072 for incumbent Supervisor Simmons, 32.07%
- 33,414 for Watts, 29.70%
There also were 999 write-in votes.
Three of the five members on the Board of Supervisors are elected, and two are appointed.
Ballard lives in northern Cumberland County and operates his family’s fishing lure business, Deep Creek Lures.
He has said he hopes to expand the Soil and Water programs and bring them to more people, and make people more aware of the resources the office offers to the public.
Simmons was first elected in 2020. She is the chair of the Cumberland board as well as the chair of a nine-county region of Soil and Water Conservation districts.
Watts said earlier this year she had never voted before when she filed to run for the Soil and Water office. She said she decided to seek the seat while she was registering to vote. Records show she cast her first ballot on Oct. 24 during early voting.
Senior reporter Paul Woolverton can be reached at 910-261-4710 and pwoolverton@cityviewnc.com.
Did you find this story useful or interesting? It was made possible by donations from readers like you to the CityView News Fund, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to an informed democracy in Fayetteville and Cumberland County.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation so CityView can bring you more news and information like this.
