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Lincolnton's first-term mayor and two veteran City Council members, all Democrats, face opposition in the Nov. 3 election from three political newcomers running on the same platform.
David Black, elected mayor in 2007, is being challenged by Republican John Gilleland Jr.
In Ward 1, three-term council member Fred Houser is facing Republican Tim Shain.
Former mayor Carroll Heavner, who was elected to the Ward 3 City Council seat in 1993, is being challenged by Jay Thomas, who is unaffiliated.
Mayoral race
Black, 52, former city attorney for Lincolnton, has been the attorney for the Lincoln County school board since 2001.
If elected, Black said, he would like to continue talking with the county about consolidating services to save money. Combining water and sewer services could be studied, he said.
The county's water/sewer treatment plant at Lake Norman is operating at maximum capacity, Black said, while Lincolnton's plant - expanded to handle 9 million gallons a day - is only using 3 million per day.
"There's a lot of people we could serve," he said.
In other areas, Black wants the city to continue looking for outside candidates when hiring qualified employees. Two recent examples, he said, were the new fire chief, Mike Lee, who came from Greensboro, and police Chief Rodney Jordan, formerly with the Lenoir Police Department.
"I think we should look beyond the borders of Lincolnton....for the best person," Black said.
Gilleland, 49, said he's running for mayor because his hometown "is a great place, but it's a little too expensive to live in."
The president of Gilleland & Associates, a real estate and investment and property management company, he has more than 21 years of experience with UPS. Gilleland said he would bring ideas to city government that "would help run the city more efficiently."
He's also concerned about a major hike in water and sewer rates, which are making a "substantial impact" on monthly bills.
In the spring, water/sewer rates went up 24.5 percent for all customers except industrial users. Current residential rates are $11.74 for the first 2,000 gallons and over 2,000 gallons at $3.16 per 1,000 gallons. Commercial/industrial rates are $11.74 for the first 2,000 gallons and $3.50 per 1,000 gallons for the next 98,000 gallons. There is a $1.98 charge per 1,000 gallons for all users over 9 million gallons.
Gilleland's goal, he said, would be finding ways to maintain rates or cut them, if possible.
Ward 1
Houser, 81, said his main concern if elected to a fourth term would be holding the line on spending during a bad economy.
A retired Lincoln County manager, he worked more than 30 years for the county. Houser said the city is in "well enough" financial shape but hopes "the revenue side will pick up."
Shain, 43, is director of global field engineering with the Andrew Division of CommScope.
"Lincolnton has never had a Republican on the City Council," he said. "I believe in the two-party system. And I believe it's important to have open and honest debate on issues."
One issue he's interested in is Lincolnton's tax rate of 56cents per $100 valuation, which he described as one of the highest among like-size cities in the region. For example, Davidson's rate is 36.5 percent, Belmont's is 41.5 cents, and Conover's is 40 cents.
"We don't have too many employees," Shain said. "We need to take a very close look at how our money is spent. We need to be good stewards of tax dollars."
Shain said he, Gilleland and Thomas didn't know each other before they filed but have been meeting weekly to discuss issues.
Their platform focuses on what they see as high property taxes and utility rates, and on bringing a fresh vision to city government.
"I know the three of us can have a good, positive effect on the city of Lincolnton and the people," he said.
Ward 3
Heavner, 79, is seeking his eighth term. Before being elected to the City Council in 1993, he had served as a councilman from 1971 to 1982, when he was appointed mayor.
Heavner was then elected mayor in 1983, serving until 1987, when he didn't seek re-election. In 2001, he retired from First Charter Bank.
If re-elected to the council, Heavner said, he'll work to keep taxes low, even though "it's easy to say that but hard to do. If you cut taxes, you have to cut services or add fees."
Also, Heavner said, the city should continue working with the county Economic Development Association to bring in new industry.
Thomas, 47, is technical customer service engineer with Bowe Bell & Howell, a manufacturer of mailing equipment. The key issue in the election, he said, "is the high property tax rate - 56 cents per $100 valuation."
"It's one of the highest for a city this size in the state of North Carolina," Thomas said. Also, the city's water and sewer rates have increased 25 percent "and are likely to go up again soon," he said.
The rate increases are being driven by bond obligations after an expansion of the city's water and sewer treatment plant, Thomas said.
Meanwhile, as water usage is declining because of industry loss, "taxpayers are making up the difference." Thomas wants to explore forming a water/sewer authority with the county to alleviate the city's bond issues.
If he, Shain and Gilleland are elected, Thomas said, "we can start a new direction for the city."
