Insurance executive Jeff Wilbur has been sworn in to fill the unexpired term through year’s end of Holly Springs City Councilman Jeremy Smith – and, as the only candidate to qualify for the Nov. 3 election for the Ward 5 seat, will continue to serve the next four years.

Wilbur is a broker and risk analyst at Cherokee Insurance Center LLC and president of JDW Financial Services Inc., according to his LinkedIn profile. He also is a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce and a volunteer with CASA: Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children.

Smith served Holly Springs for 15 years and tendered his resignation effective Aug. 29. It took Holly Springs two tries to find a successor. The first qualifying period, Aug. 17-19, passed with no takers. A second qualifying period was held Aug. 24-25, and Wilbur put his name in. His first full term runs through Dec. 31, 2024.