Fuquay-Varina Mayor John Byrne and Town Commissioners Cindy Sheldon and Bill Harris, all seeking reelection this fall, have competition in their bids to hold onto their seats.

So does Horace Tart, who is running for reelection to the Wake County Board of Education from District 2.

Robin (Rob) Jackson Gray, of 1609 Stroll Circle, has filed for the mayor’s post.

James H. (Jim) Abernethy of 629 Aiken Parkway, and Christopher (Chris) Wrenn of 130 N. Ennis St., have filed for seats on the town board.

Gray, 32, a native of Tennessee, has lived in Fuquay-Varina since 2006. His wife’s work toward a degree in pharmacy at Campbell University led the couple to this area. She is in her final year, Gray said.

He said he was a regional manager and director of recruiting for a wholesale insurance company in Raleigh until the economic downturn led the company to downsize. He is currently unemployed.

Gray said he has a bachelor’s degree in business administration with emphasis in marketing and management and a master’s in public administration with an economics concentration. He said he is hoping to start a consulting business.

Gray said he is running for mayor because he thinks government can be run more efficiently and be more effective in its budgeting process. He wants to see less wasteful spending, he said.

Abernethy, 46, made a strong showing in a bid for a town board seat two years ago when he ran as a write-in candidate. He is currently serving on the town’s planning board. Abernethy is self-employed . He collects and deals in knives, a business he got into some years ago with his father.

Wrenn, 39, a Fuquay-Varina native, is self-employed as a consultant. He said this week that, with all the growth the town is experiencing, he wants to serve on the town board to help make sure the growth is handled properly. “Everyone knows I’m a Christian and that family values are high on my list of priorities,” Wrenn said.

Tart, a Fuquay-Varina developer and builder, announced several weeks ago that he would seek reelection to the Education Board. Since then, four other candidates from different parts of the district have entered the race.

Challengers include Chris Augustine, 8429 Piney Branch Rd., Apex; Carlene Ann Lucas 10225 Sauls Rd., Raleigh; John Thomas Tedesco, 104 Rockfish Lane, Garner; and Cathy Evans Truitt, 422 Rand Rd., Raleigh.

The filing period closed last week.

A run-off for the District 2 seat on the Board of Education will be held Oct. 6. The general election is Nov.3.