Pikeville candidates News Leader, Fremont, NC

Though Pikeville’s candidates vary in levels of experience, all of the candidates seem to have an honest love for the town, and want to see the board operate in its best interest.
Love of the town is what motivated Talmage “Thigie” Thigpen to run for a seat on the board. Mr. Thigpen is 41 years old, and has lived in the town his entire life. He is a graduate of Charles B. Aycock High School, and he and his wife Cindy have one daughter.
Mr. Thigpen sells medical equipment full-time. He attends United in Christ Church. He also serves on the Wayne County Board of Health, and is a member of Harmony Masonic Lodge and the Patetown Fire Department.
He said that his motivation to run for office was out of a sincere interest in the town. The Wednesday before the filing closed, he said he heard that only one person had registered to run for office, and that some of the current members were not running for re-election.
“I didn’t know the person who was running,” he said. “My whole family has always been a part of this town, and I thought that I should run.
“It was definitely not because I thought that anyone wasn’t doing a good job,” he added. “That definitely was not why I ran. I just wanted to carry on the tradition of those that have led this town before me.”
He said he has always had a desire to serve the town, and that now his daughter is graduating from school, he will have more time to devote to the town.
Al Greene is running for his third term as a commissioner on the Pikeville Town Board. The 70-year-old Massachusetts native has lived in Pikeville for almost 20 years. He is retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, and formerly served as the police chief in Pikeville. Mr. Greene now works part-time for the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department. He and his wife Kristy had four children and five grandchildren.
Todd Anderson is a newcomer to the political scene in Pikeville. Mr. Anderson is actually a relative newcomer to Pikeville. The 51-year-old moved to the area a little over two years ago from Ashville, NC. He is the headmaster at Wayne Country Day School in Goldsboro. Mr. Anderson received his bachelor’s of art from Williams College, and his masters degree from Harvard. He is also finishing his dissertation to earn a doctorate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He has one son, and has been divorced for many years. He attends St. Joseph United Methodist, and is not currently a member of any civic organizations. Though he is new to the area, he said that he decided to run for local office out of interest in the little town he now calls home.
“I really enjoy Pikeville, but it seems to me like so many of these little towns are disappearing,” he said. “I wanted to get involved to see if there was anything I could do to help the town flourish. I’d really like to see more business here. It’d be neat if Pikeville could become one of those towns that people stop in when they’re traveling on 117 because it’s such a quaint little town.”
Candidates from last week’s profiles are pictured below: