Nick Mackey found a silver lining in the notoriety from his tumultuous bid to become Mecklenburg County sheriff.
"I may be the most recognizable figure in the county," he says. "People have said in the state."
The recognition helped Mackey unseat six-term incumbent Drew Saunders in Tuesday's Democratic primary in state House District 99 in northeast Mecklenburg. Now he faces Republican Dempsey Miller in the heavily Democratic district.
Mackey, a 41-year-old lawyer, says he doesn't look back on the controversy that brought him headlines last year. He won a party election to fill a sheriff's vacancy, only to have it thrown out when the state party found precincts improperly organized. He faced headlines about a 2005 bankruptcy, and a court fight over records related to his resignation from the Police Department in 2003.
"You cannot take defeat as the end of the world," he said this week over a cheesesteak sandwich.
Dressed in a dark suit and ball cap -- to prevent sunburn on his balding head -- he was grabbing a late lunch in a coffee shop near the courthouse. He greets the staff by name. He is personable and even talkative. That's in contrast to his public persona during the sheriff's muddle when his standard reply was, "No comment."
Mackey insists he has moved on and holds no hard feelings. But he still doesn't buy the Observer or watch WBTV, which he believes treated him unfairly.
And he has nothing, or almost nothing, to say to county commissioners Chairman Jennifer Roberts. A fellow Democrat, she supported and ultimately voted to appoint Mackey's rival as sheriff. On election night, both were watching returns at Grady Cole Center.
"I went up and said, `I'd like to congratulate you,' " Roberts recalls.
"He looked at me. I said, `You won't shake my hand?' He said, `No.' "
Mackey calls her disingenuous.
"When people don't respect me and have low opinions about my qualifications," he says, "(they're) not going to smile at my face and talk about me behind my back."
Lost some Obama voters
Presidential candidate Barack Obama took nearly 80 percent of the vote in District 99, where African Americans account for four of 10 registered voters -- and 66 percent of Democrats.Mackey won 53 percent of the vote, suggesting many black voters backed his white opponent.
"Apparently we just couldn't get enough of them," says Saunders. "We had plenty of money and we didn't hold back on it."
Saunders, who got most of his money from political action committees, figures he spent about $70,000. In mid-April, Mackey reported spending $400.
While Saunders blanketed the district with mail, Mackey says he went door-to-door and met voters anywhere he could, often eliciting a common response.
"You're the guy who ran for sheriff," he recalls hearing over and over. "You got screwed."
In Miller, Mackey faces an opponent who has lost two races in three years for the Huntersville town commission. Miller has told elections officials he plans to raise or spend no more than $3,000, but that could change.
"I'm getting a lot of calls of support now," he says.
Miller said he plans to campaign on his own merits. He hopes to get support not only from Republicans but also independents and disaffected Democrats.
Saunders, who has criticized Mackey's character, says he can't support the man who beat him.
Still controversial
Mackey can't shake controversy.
In March, his office landlord sued him for $56,000 in back rent. Mackey disputes the amount and has since moved to a new office.
"Voters know that any of the problems I've had over the years are just the average problems they have in their lives," he says. "People see through the propaganda the media puts out."
Mackey's opinion of the media is matched by a low regard for many politicians.
Asked what he learned from the sheriff saga, he says, "Politics is a dirty game ... and that people will do anything to stay in power."
Mackey says he wants to change that. He says he'll continue talking about issues, such as education and health care, important to his district. He's confident he can win over skeptics.
"I don't think I'll have a hard time convincing people I'm a fighter and not a quitter," he says.
Decision 2008
Nick Mackey
Age: 41.
Job: Lawyer.
Family: Wife, Tyral, and son, Harris.
Education: J.D., University of Akron, 2003; master's in criminal justice, Boston University; master's in public administration, University of Akron; master's in business administration, Pfeiffer University; Bachelor of Arts, Barber-Scotia College.
Political career: Ran unsuccessfully for district judge in 2005 and for sheriff in 2007.
What he would have done differently: "I don't think about the sheriff's race at all. That's behind me. So I don't sit around and say, `Man, what could I have done different?' "
