Assault charge, tax liens among records for candidates in Concord mayor’s race
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Three Concord mayoral candidates show past civil, criminal and tax filings.
- Lori Clay faced IRS liens over unpaid taxes totaling about $60,000, later cleared.
- Steve Morris named in 2024 federal suit over public‑comment policy; case settled.
Concord’s mayoral race features three candidates, and public records show two have faced federal tax liens, traffic violations, foreclosure and an assault charge.
The race includes Lori Clay, Alyce Williams and Stephen Morris after current Mayor Bill Dutch, in office since 2017, announced he will not seek reelection. An anonymous Substack page called “Transparency Cabarrus” first made a blog post earlier this month listing court records for each candidate for Concord mayor. A review by The Charlotte Observer of civil and criminal filings found varying histories among the candidates running in the city’s Nov. 4 municipal election. Here’s what we found.
Lori Clay
Public records show that Clay has been involved in a series of misdemeanor, civil and traffic cases over the past two decades — all of which were eventually resolved.
The most substantial filings came from the Internal Revenue Service, which placed three federal tax liens against her between 2015 and 2019, totaling more than $60,000 in unpaid income taxes for tax years 2007 through 2016. All three liens were later released after the debts were paid, with the most recent cleared in 2022.
“Many Americans find it hard to keep up with the high taxes imposed on us by an overreaching government,” Clay said in a statement to the Observer. “I paid every penny of my taxes including all interest and penalties, but as a single mother it just took me longer than some.”
In 2006, she was charged with misdemeanor assault and battery in Cabarrus County. The case was mediated and later dismissed.
Earlier, Clay pleaded guilty to two worthless-check charges, one in 2002 involving a Concord Walmart and another in 2004 at a local nail salon. Court records show she paid restitution in both cases, totaling about $445.
Clay also appeared in two small-claims cases tied to unpaid bills, one from a utility company in 2005 that was voluntarily dismissed, and another from 2010 that was denied by a magistrate, according to Cabarrus County court records.
Clay also has a record of minor traffic violations, including expired registration citations, driving without a license and a few speeding tickets.
Alyce Williams
Public records show Williams has had a series of civil and traffic filings over the past two decades, most of which were dismissed or resolved.
Williams was twice named in 2008 homeowners association liens filed by the Highland Creek Community Association over unpaid assessments totaling less than $1,000. Both judgments were canceled later that year after payment, according to Cabarrus County court records.
The same association initiated three foreclosure proceedings on the property between 2008 and 2012. Each case was voluntarily dismissed or closed without sale, including one in 2012 that was later dismissed for failure to prosecute.
Williams told the Observer her late ex-husband managed their finances in 2008.
“Like many Americans, I faced financial challenges during the nationwide recession and pendency of my divorce,” she said. “I raised my (three) children as a single mother in Concord, which provided a beautiful, safe community with excellent public schools.”
Williams also received several minor traffic citations between 2009 and 2016, including expired registration and insurance violations. She also had a citation for driving without a license, though all dismissed after compliance or settled through standard court procedures.
Stephen “Steve” Morris
Morris was previously named as a defendant in a federal lawsuit filed in November against the Cabarrus County Board of Commissioners, which he chaired for more than a decade.
The complaint, filed by resident James Campbell, alleged the board violated the First Amendment when Morris ordered Campbell removed from a meeting and barred him from attending future meetings for 90 days after he named county officials during public comment.
The lawsuit challenged the board’s policy that bars residents from naming or personally criticizing individual board members or county employees during public comment, arguing that it restricted free speech. Morris was named in the suit in his official capacity as board chairman, not personally.
The case was dismissed with prejudice last week after a settlement was reached, according to court records.
“This settlement closes a long chapter for everyone involved... I understand this process hasn’t been easy for anyone, and I respect Mr. Campbell’s conviction in standing up for what he believed in,” Morris said in a statement to the Observer. “That’s what our systems are built for: to ask hard questions, seek clarity, and help us move forward better than before.”
His only local court citation, for an expired registration tag, was dismissed in 1998.
