SPENCER — Six of eleven days to file for candidacy in municipal elections have passed, leaving Spencer’s race for all six seats on the Board of Aldermen — as well as its mayor’s race — far from crowded.

As of 5 p.m. Friday, only four had filed for aldermen and one for mayor. Howard Harding Doby Jr., a political newcomer, was the first to vie for mayor, and incumbent aldermen Rashid Hakim Muhammad and David Harold Smith were challenged by Samuel Nelson Morgan Jr. and David Lee Karczewski.

Doby, a retired resident of North Yadkin Avenue, said that his reason for running centered around Spencer’s current growth: he’d like to be a part of it, he said.

Doby also said he’d like to see business established in Park Plaza, Fourth Street fixed or repaired, and the town more precise in handling its business.

Muhammad was appointed to the board in June following the resignation of Alderman Howard White, and Smith will be campaigning for his seventh term on the board.

Smith has been appointed to the board three times and has been elected three times. Previously, he campaigned with a focus on marketing the town to businesses and companies in an effort to bring about job growth, resident retention and more.

Muhammad has campaigned for the board in 2013, 2015 and 2017, when he was edged out by White by 42 votes. His 2013 campaign goals were diversity, better communication between the town and citizens and offering more productive activities for youth in the community.

Morgan, who served on the Board of Aldermen from 2005-2007, said his reasons for running included a goal to bring more cohesiveness, enthusiasm, pride and camaraderie back to the Spencer community. Facets of this included the completion of the Fourth Street resurfacing project, the reduction of Section 8 and HUD houses in the area, and an effort to raise the salaries of Spencer’s police officers.

“We’re losing too many good people because of low pay,” he said.

Finally, Karczewski, a member of the town’s Historic Preservation Commission and Planning Board, said he is hoping to change things around for the better in the town.

“Things have been kind of stagnant lately,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of things not good, and I really hope that I can help turn that around. … I would really like to see Spencer succeed.”

Filing for municipal candidacies will continue until Friday, July 19, at noon. Besides Smith’s and Muhammad’s seats on the Board of Alderman, those occupied by Sharon Hovis, Sylvia Chillcott, Mike Boone and David Lamano are also up for election.

Current Mayor Jim Gobbel told the Salisbury Post in May that he had no intention to file for re-election.