9 Republicans Compete for 3 County Board Seats
Nine Republicans and one Democrat are competing in a closely-watched race for three seats on the Union Board of County Commissioners. In the Sept. 10 primary, the Republican candidates will vie for three spaces on the November ballot. Two candidates are incumbents. John Feezor, a Republican and the board chairman, chose not to run for re-election.
*
REPUBLICANS
*
Phil (Philip R.) Gilboy, 48
Gilboy, of Waxhaw, said his professional experience and civic involvement would make him a good commissioner.
“Union County is a wonderful place to live,” he said. “I want to see the county continue to prosper and become an even better place. I really like the values people hold in this area. They are very family oriented.”
Gilboy, a self-employed municipal bond trader and underwriter, has never held political office.
He said he has worked with the Local Government Commission, a branch of the state treasurer’s office that monitors county governments’ finances statewide.
“I’ve watched counties have their bond ratings raised and lowered, and that is knowledge and experience that I can apply as a county commissioner,” he said. “Through that knowledge of financial management, I have a good idea of how successful communities operate.”
Gilboy said he is concerned about the demands of growth.
“The county needs to do a better job of matching infrastructure needs to meet residential growth,” he said.
His goals include increasing sales tax revenue by promoting the historic downtown areas of Marshville, Monroe and Waxhaw. He also wants to strengthen the county’s tax base by encouraging companies to relocate here.
Gilboy is a member of the Union County Economic Development Commission and president of the Union County Soccer Association.
*
Larry Helms, 57
Helms, of Indian Trail, is running for a second term on the board. He previously was mayor of Indian Trail and a council member there.
Helms is a member of the N.C. Board of Transportation and owns Larry S. Helms and Associates Insurance.
“My main priorities are balanced growth, better roads, better schools and better jobs,” Helms said. He said addressing those issues would improve the quality of life, help attract more corporate relocation and stimulate the job market.
“My leadership on the (transportation) board will help me,” he said. “We have 90-plus miles of roads paved or committed. We are almost certain that we have $33 million for U.S. 601 South earmarked, and we’re going to bid the eastern part of (U.S.) 74 at the end of this year.”
Helms said he wants to encourage retail development to promote local shopping, but he wants commercial growth “harmonious with the surrounding area.” And he wants to provide money for new schools.
“I believe Union County has tremendous potential,” he said. “Our county is one that, with encouragement, will be one that people truly want to live in if they live in North Carolina.”
*
Constance J. Kelly, 46
Kelly, of Weddington, said she is a good candidate because she has an educational background and understands the needs of residents.
“Never having held political office before, I’m not tied to this group, or that area,” she said. “I don’t have previous alliances. I’m unencumbered.”
Kelly is an education specialist for Union County Public Schools.
“Union County is very diverse and I think that our board needs to reflect that,” she said. “It’s been close to 10 years since we’ve had a woman on the board. I believe very strongly in Union County. We have a lot to offer because we are so diverse and we can build on that.”
Kelly wants the board to be “proactive rather than reactive.”
“One of my priorities is communication enhancement with the municipalities,” she said. “In talking with some mayors and residents, I heard that people hold that to be of great importance. It’s something we need to continually address.”
Kelly said the board should work more aggressively to improve the county’s infrastructure.
“The problem of water, outside of the drought, is critical,” she said.
Kelly said the board also must work to develop Union County’s economic potential: “I want to support quality economic development for commercial, retail and industrial growth to bring in businesses, but also to support and promote the businesses that have been here for a long time.”
*
Roger Lane, 66
Lane, of Monroe, says his varied life experiences make him a strong candidate.
“I was raised on a farm, I have military experience and I was a teacher for almost 30 years,” he said.
After retiring from the Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, Lane taught history at Monroe High School. He retired in 1998.
Lane has run for commissioner unsuccessfully four times before, most recently in 2000. He has never held political office, but he said he was a member of groups that lobbied legislators to widen U.S. 601 and keep radioactive waste out of Union County.
“I have not wavered from my path of trying to get things accomplished,” he said. “I’m kind of like a junkyard dog on someone’s leg – I’m not going to give up on getting the right things done.”
Lane said he is most concerned about growth, schools, roads and “poor communication between commissioners and municipalities.”
Lane said growth is “ruining our roads system and putting us way behind on our schools. We cannot continue to bring in 1,100 students a year and only build one school. We must slow down growth until we can get our infrastructure in order.”
He also said he would like to bring in high tech industries and wants to work for a better relationship between county and municipal governments.
“We have to look at problems as something that affects everyone in a county, not just people on one end,” he said.
Lane is president of Crimestoppers of Union County. He is a member of the Union County Vietnam Veterans Association and a member of the ARC of Union County’s board of directors.
*
Jack Lawton, 40
This is Lawton’s first run for political office. He lives in Marvin and is a computer consultant for Computer Science Corp.
“The major goal I have is to change the makeup of the board to make a positive change for Union County,” Lawton said. “I want to turn the clock back on some of the aggressive growth policies that have been put in place… I don’t have conflicts of interest that current commissioners and some candidates have.”
Lawton worked with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for eight years as a computer consultant. That experience taught him how successful boards work, he said.
Lawton wants to create a comprehensive plan to examine the county’s infrastructure, including water and sewer service, and health and safety issues. Other priorities include working with the school board to improve education, setting affordable taxes and “working for greater citizen control, which means bringing government back to the people.”
Lawton said other experiences, including Navy service and volunteer work, also have made him a good leader.
*
Stony Rushing, 30
Rushing of Wingate, a contract farm manager, has been active in the Republican Party but has never run for office. He was president of the Union County Republican Men’s Club until he filed to run for commissioner.
“My goals are to unite our county by working to solve the problems associated with growth and to be a trustworthy and respectful leader,” Rushing said.
Rushing said his priorities include better management of growth, school improvements and more support for public safety organizations.
“I’m not against growth,” he said. “I’m for managed growth. We need to manage our growth to benefit the whole county. We need to avoid extreme pressure being placed on one part of the county to provide services… Longtime residents are being asked to pay for new residents, and we need a plan that is fair to everyone.”
Rushing said he would work with the school board to balance funding for new schools in western Union County and school facility improvements on the eastern side. He also wants to work on a plan to provide water to all areas of the county.
Finally, he wants to work with the new sheriff and rescue personnel to “make sure they have the proper equipment and personnel.”
Rushing is a member of the Friends of the NRA in Union County and the N.C. chapter of Citizens for a Sound Economy. He also is a former Republican precinct chairman.
*
Hughie Sexton, 54
Sexton, in his second term on the Weddington Town Council, said his political experience makes him a good candidate.
This his second run for county commissioner after an unsuccessful bid in 2000.
Sexton works in The Observer’s advertising department and owns Sexton Photography.
He is a member of the Mecklenburg-Union Metro Planning Organization and the Business Community for Regional Transportation Solutions. He also is a past president of the Republican Men’s Club, and a past district vice chairman of the N.C. Federation of Republican Men.
Sexton said he believes sitting commissioners have a “pro-growth approach” that has hurt the county’s resources.
“Managing growth is our number one challenge,” he said. “Chronic water issues are pervasive around Union County. County commissioners have expanded residential areas of Union County with their inability to abide by zoning and land use plans… There is an increasing litany of challenges for the county because of their inability to manage the county’s growth and follow their own policies and procedures.”
Sexton said he wants to restore “open, fair and responsive government.” He said, “Every citizen and taxpayer should be part of the decision-making process.”
Sexton said commissioners must find money to help the school board fight overcrowding.
*
Kevin Stewart, 41
Stewart, of Wingate, said he has leadership experience and understands residents’ current and future needs.
Stewart has worked for Austin Grading and Farm Service for two years. He previously worked in various emergency management positions and is a past president of the Union County Fire Rescue Association and past member of the Wingate Volunteer Fire Department.
Stewart ran unsuccessfully for the Wingate Town Board in 2001.
He said he wants to work for tax relief, school improvements and infrastructure upgrades.
“I would like to see better tax diversification and tax relief with a balanced mix of industrial, commercial and residential growth that would lead to relief for existing home and business owners,” he said.
Stewart also wants to eliminate mobile classrooms and work on infrastructure, including the extension of water service. “The land is our greatest legacy because it’s what we leave our children.”
He said commissioners need to improve their communication with municipal governments and commit to long-range planning.
“Union County needs to get ahead of the curve and be more proactive,” he said. “We are reactive when problems occur, but we don’t do enough to be more active.”
*
Richard Stone, 62
Stone, of New Salem, is serving his second consecutive term as a commissioner, his only political office.
Stone owns Signs and Stained Glass Limited in Marshville.
“My goal is to organize the county commission so that there is … truth in government,” he said. “There needs to be open communication lines from citizens to commissioners.”
He wants to include public comments in the main sessions of meetings and make “our boards and commissions that respond to our county commission open and more accessible.”
“I believe that listening is our most powerful tool,” he said. “I believe we should take those items and concern ourselves with how people would react to having something in their neighborhood that they don’t want, for example.”
Stone wants to provide money for school improvements and work as a liaison between residents and public safety officials.
“I am very serious about getting children into quality classrooms and returning our teaching assistants to classrooms,” he said. “In removing those assistants, we’ve effectively doubled the load on our teachers.”
*
DEMOCRAT
*
John Parks Tarlton, 63
Tarlton, of Monroe, is the one Democrat running for a seat. He has never run for political office.
“A lot of lot of people feel like a Democrat will win in Union County, and I want to be that person,” he said. “The Democratic Party is not dead here.”
Tarlton retired in 1997 after working for Union County for 27 years. He was the county’s facilities director from 1987 to 1997, and previously was general service director and emergency management coordinator.
Tarlton said his priorities include restructuring water and sewer services, school improvement and better communication between the commissioners and municipalities.
“We need the county to listen to the zoning and planning boards better,” he said. “There has to be better work with economical boards. We don’t have enough incentives to draw industry here. We need some high-tech jobs and a better industrial base.”
Tarlton said he also would work to improve communication between commissioners and school board members.
“We need to have less mobile classrooms, better pay incentives to recruit and keep teachers,” he said.
He is a member of Mason Lodge 244 and a volunteer for youth baseball and softball leagues.
