Local attorney David Fillippeli represented Mike Horne in the petition hearing at the Lenoir County Board of Elections.

The Lenoir County Board of Elections held an official hearing at a meeting on Thursday to address Mayor Yvonne Deatherage’s petition against mayoral candidate Mike Horne who is her opponent in the upcoming 2023 municipal election.

As the burden of proof was on Deatherage, she spoke first at the hearing and laid out why she believes Horne resides in another county. Local attorney David Fillippeli represented Horne. Fillippeli submitted a wide variety of documents to establish residency for Horne in Pink Hill. Horne also had witnesses speak on his behalf.

After closing arguements, and final comments from Deatherage, a motion was made to dismiss the petition because the petitioner (Deatherage) did not prove that Horne lived in another county. A unanimous vote agreed with the motion which will allow Horne to run for Mayor of Pink Hill in the upcoming election.