Elkin mayor calling it quits

DOBSON — As the candidate field continues to grow for 2024 municipal elections across Surry County, one top official confirmed Thursday that he is stepping down.

“This is my last term,” Elkin Mayor Sam Bishop said.

“I’ve decided after eight years, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish,” added Bishop, whose present four-year term ends late this year.

Bishop said he is leaving after achievements including making Elkin a weekend destination for tourism and its downtown in particular a cultural arts center.

Age is also a factor in his decision to step down — “I’ll be 77 next month,” Bishop advised.

Such a disclosure had been signaled Monday when William M. Gwyn, a member of the Elkin Board of Commissioners, filed to run for mayor.

Gwyn’s present council term does not end until 2025, opening the door for him to seek the town’s top elected position.

This was after another mayoral candidate, Juan Alejandro Manigault, had tossed his hat into the ring shortly after the candidates’ filing period began on July 5 at the Surry County Board of Elections.

The latest person to file did so Wednesday, Whitney Laws, who is seeking a seat on the Elkin Board of Commissioners.

Two council seats are at stake there this year, those held by Robert Ball Jr. and Alvin Hayes, who both have filed for re-election.

Deadline looms

With a Friday filing deadline at noon, there was still a window for more candidates to enter the field in Elkin, Dobson and Pilot Mountain.

Last-minute filings often occur with local elected offices.

If the present list holds up, Elkin will be the only municipality in Surry where contested races are on tap.

So far only the incumbents have filed in Dobson and Pilot Mountain, including commissioners Todd Dockery, Robin T. Beeson and Amy Whitaker in the county seat, and Dwight Atkins and Rachel Collins of the Pilot Mountain Board of Commissioners.

The Surry County Board of Elections office is at 915 E. Atkins St. in Dobson.