The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners is the governing body of Mecklenburg County. The Board consists of nine commissioners - six representing districts and three elected at-large - that are elected in November of even-numbered years. A Commissioner At-Large is a designation for Mecklenburg County commissioners who are elected or appointed to represent the whole membership of the County. The Board's major responsibilities include adopting the annual County budget, setting the County property tax rate, and assessing and establishing priorities on the many community needs, especially those related to health, education, welfare, mental health and the environment. The Board also makes appointments to citizen advisory committees.
Position/philosophy statement
NC
Current Occupation
Elected Official
Age (optional)
69
Campaign Phone
704-942-6831
I have served 18 years as Commissioner, 13 years as a member of the CMS Board of Education. My BOCC colleagues elected me to chair the Board 6 of those 18 years. In addition, I have received the support of county commissioners across the United States to serve as President-Elect of the National Association of County Officials (NACo). From these experiences, I understand how government works, how to set the agenda, and how to engage fellow board members, staff and other relevant stakeholders to move it forward. In addition, my experiences as a US Marine and CMPD police officer as well as my educational experiences e.g., a Masters Degree from UNC-Charlotte in Public Administration, a BS degree in Criminal Justice prepared me for this work.
It is difficult to say what the most important issue is because nine people, collectively, make that decision. If it were my decision alone, I would say that affordable housing is the most important issue. Mecklenburg County is an attractive place to live, work and recreate, and people are moving to our region from all over the country at a rate of more than 150 people per day. Currently, our community has a deficit of more than 40,000 affordable housing units and the situation will potentially get worse. If we are to accommodate the growth that our community is experiencing, our community must have housing that accommodates people with varied levels of income.
Funding! For the last three years, the county has fully funded CMS's budget request and this year's student performance results demonstrated just how important funding is to the success of our students. The relationship between the BOCC and CMS Board is critical to improving our schools. Under our current process, both boards meet prior to budget discussions and the superintendent and county manager also meet multiple times prior to budgets being presented so that they each know what to expect regarding the budget. This process has taken the tension out of budget discussions and has lead to more positive board interactions and has proven to be an effective way of improving our local schools.
As for the local economy, our community was put on a great trajectory after we came out of the COVID pandemic. The BOCC used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funds to develop a plan to keep our economy going. Now, our economy is seeing some of our best and challenging times. More and more small businesses are being created; many large corporations are choosing Charlotte as the site for their headquarters or to establish a physical presence; and still other corporations are being recruited to our community to grow a diverse workplace environment. With this comes jobs and in many cases, high paying jobs. These economic development opportunities further broaden our capacity to grow.
With the new federal administration, policy changes have created stresses on our social services system. Health care cuts have made it difficult for many in our community to take care of their health care needs. Additionally, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts have put a strain on county resources. This causes a snowball effect, in that the case load for staff increases and the staffing model can no longer accommodate the needs and the added case loads. As a consequence, the quality of service suffers. Fortunately for Mecklenburg County, we are beginning our budget process, which allows time to evaluate the current needs and gaps in services. One thing that I would do to improve quality is lower client case loads.
The limited space provided did not allow me to fully expound on some of the responses provided in this guide, however, I hope that you will find my responses to be helpful in deciding who will represent you on the Board of County Commissioners. It has been an honor and privilege to serve the residents of Mecklenburg County. Without reservation, I enthusiastically offer my proven leadership, knowledge, skills, and experiences to continue representing the residents of District #3, and serving all the residents of Mecklenburg County. Hence, I humbly ask for your vote.
