Morganton attorney Rooks to run for Superior Court Judge

Morganton attorney Timothy J. Rooks plans to run for Superior Court Judge in the 36th judicial district (Burke-Caldwell), although the primary won’t take place until March 2026.

Rooks announced his intentions to run via a Facebook page entitled “Timothy J. Rooks for Superior Court Judge.” The first post on the page is dated May 23 at 2:15 p.m.

Morganton native Judge Robert C. Ervin held the Superior Court Judgeship for District 25A beginning in 2002. He still presides over Superior Court in other jurisdictions. Ervin has said he will not seek re-election.

The other resident court judge for Burke County is Daniel A. Kuehnert.

It will be more than half a year before Rooks can file. Filing opens Dec. 1 and runs through Dec. 19 for the general election, which is set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.

Rooks, whose office is at 305 E. Union St. in Morganton, has been a trial attorney for more than 32 years. Rooks is a 1993 graduate of Wake Forest Law School. He moved to Morganton with his family in 2000.

North Carolina’s judicial districts were realigned with the passage of House Bill 259 last December. District 25A, which formerly encompassed Burke and Caldwell counties, was dissolved.

While the seat Rooks will vie for is not on the ballot this fall, several nonpartisan, odd-year elections for Burke County will be.

There will be several municipal seats on the ballots for the Tuesday, Nov. 4, election in Burke County. The filing period for this fall’s elections runs from 8 a.m. Monday, July 7, to noon on Friday, July 18. Early voting will be open from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1.

The seats of incumbent mayors in Valdese (Charlie Watts), Connelly Springs (Carroll Turner), Glen Alpine (Michelle Lewis), Long View (Marla Thompson), and Rhodhiss (Allen Spencer) will be up for grabs this year, although Watts has announced his retirement and will not run.

In Morganton, terms will end for city council members Chris Hawkins (District 3) and Wendy Cato (District 4).

Three Valdese Town Council seats will be on the ballot. The terms of Rexanna Lowman (Ward 3) and Glenn Harvey (Ward 1) will end in 2025. The Ward 2 seat, formerly held by Paul Mears, who resigned, will also be open. Melinda Zimmerman sits in that seat after being appointed in January.

In Connelly Springs, three alderman seats will be up for election, those occupied by incumbents Steven Diehm, Bobby Tomlinson, and Adam Greene.

In addition to the Glen Alpine mayoral election, candidates will vie for the three alderman seats currently held by Jim Frady, Sheila Perkins, and Jason Miller.

Two alderman seats will be up for grabs in Drexel as terms end for Scott Coe and Tim Franklin.

Rhodhiss will have two town council seats on the ballot. Mike Phillips and Joyce Karn currently hold those spots.

The Long View Town Council’s Ward 5 seat, occupied by Phyllis Pennington, will also be on the ballot, as will the Ward 5 seat (Burke County) on the Hickory City Council, currently held by David Zagaroli.