Bladen commissioner: Price’s first political run spurred by love for the county

Ricky Price is one of two candidates for a District 1 seat on the Bladen County Board of Commissioners.

The term is for four years. Price is a Republican.

Price, 49, is owner of two companies, one a government contracting company with more than 100 employees, and the other White Sand Realty.

Price has never served in an elected public office.

“I just love Bladen County,” Price said of his appeal to voters. “I’ve been living here about 35 years. I love the people. One of my biggest things that made me want to run is the Kelly dike. I want to help them get that dike. They don’t even know who their commissioner is. They feel like they’ve been left out. They got flooded out bad.

“I’m a former law enforcement officer, so I’m very concerned. That’s the biggest reasons.”

Among the issues he’s campaigning on, Price says, “One of the big ones is the dike. Over in East Arcadia, they need better internet. The people, everybody I talked to, they don’t have good enough internet to do their schooling. The whole county doesn’t, but mainly toward East Arcadia.”

He also wants to help get the Elwell Ferry back up and running. He said he’s visited Kelly, East Arcadia and Clarkton daily.

“The folks I’m talking to are ready for change,” he said. “They were upset she voted against the Second Amendment sanctuary.”