Activist wants Raleigh council candidate's name off ballot

Lent C. Carr II, 37, was sentenced last week to seven months in federal prison for violating his parole on a 2000 fraud conviction.

Carr is running for the District C seat on Raleigh City Council, but community activist Bruce Lightner on Monday filed a challenge to his candidacy in an effort to keep Carr's name off the ballot.

Lightner claims that Carr's status as a felon serving time in federal prison should preclude people from voting for him.

Carr was convicted of bank and mail fraud related to insurance payments following a fire at his church that authorities determined had been set.

A federal judge found that he violated his parole by pleading guilty in February to assaulting his stepson and by failing to meet with his parole officer or with a mental health counselor.

Prosecutors also expressed concerns that Carr has been soliciting donations to his campaign by misrepresenting himself to the public.

A WRAL News investigation found that Carr overstated his background, listing degrees on his campaign website and other sites that he didn't earn and touting experience as a law clerk without noting that he was a prison inmate at the time.

In addition to his federal convictions, Carr has state convictions for obtaining property by false pretenses and passing worthless checks.

Other candidates for the District C seat in the Oct. 11 election include Corey Branch, Shelia Jones, Paul F. Terrell III, Eugene Weeks and Racquel Williams.