Sixteen persons filed as candidates for various offices during the first five days of a three-week filing period in Mingo County in connection with the May 11 Primary election.

Bridgett Puckett, chief field deputy in the County Clerk’s office, said the filing period opened Jan. l1 and will continue through Saturday, Jan. 30. The candidacies were filed from Monday to Friday of this week.

Offices for which candidates will file include the Mingo County Board of Education (three seats); County Court Clerk; Circuit Court Clerk; one seat on the Mingo County Commission; State Senate (6th Senatorial District), an office held by H. Truman Chafin, (D), of Williamson; and two Mingo County seats in the House of Delegates in the 20th and 21st districts (currently held by Steven Kominar of Kermit and Harry Keith White of Gilbert.)

Filing for nomination and reelection to the offices they now hold were County Court Clerk Jimmy A. “Big Jim” Hatfield of Gilbert, and Circuit Court Clerk Orland Grant Preece (30th Judicial Circuit), of 40 Parkway Drive, Williamson.

Lonnie Hannah of Route 3, Delbarton, present sheriff of Mingo County, filed as a Democratic candidate for a seat on the Mingo County Commission. The term of one member of that commission, President John Mark Hubbard, expires at the end of this year.

With regard to the Mingo County Board of Education, the terms of three present members expire June 30 of this year. Present holders of those three seats are Williamson Attorney Charles W. (Butch) West, now serving as president of the board; Dr. J.W. Endicott, M.D. of Kermit, and Michael Carter of Route 2, Delbarton.

(Note: Members are “elected” to the board of education in the primary election and take office July 1, 2010. Members of the executive committee also are elected in the primary, but all other candidates are nominated by their respective parties in May and seek election in the November general election.)

Puckett reported only one person had filed this week for a seat on the non-partisan school board. He is Leslie Dale Hobbs of Delbarton.

Six incumbents and six new candidates filed for election to the county Democratic Executive Committee. Candidacies were filed for membership in six districts but no one had filed for committee in Stafford District.

Committee filings were as follows with present holders of the positions (incumbents) duly noted:

Lee District:

John Henry Maynard of Duncan Fork Road, Route 1, Delbarton, a new filer, and John Paul Vance of Route 1, Delbarton (Myrtle), a new filer.

Kermit-Harvey District:

Anna Mae Sartin-Wellman, incumbent, of 126 Main St., Kermit; Phillip “Bob” Wellman, incumbent, of general delivery, Dingess, and Ernest “Big Ern” Williams of Route 1, Kermit, a new candidate.

Beech-Ben-Mate District:

Dan Kinder, incumbent, of North Matewan; Irene Toler, incumbent, of HC 71, Wharncliffe, and Benjamin Parker Cisco of HC 81, Matewan, a new candidate.

Williamson District:

Frances L. Crawford, incumbent, of 603 Wilson St., Williamson.

Tug-Hardee District:

Brenda Evans, a new candidate, of HC 70, Lenore; and Dewey Chafin, a new candidate, of Lenore.

Magnolia District:

Robert Smith, incumbent, of North Matewan.

Filing of candidacies is held in an office of the County Court Clerk on the first floor of the courthouse.