Longtime Lake Norman developer enters GOP primary for Iredell County commissioner
Longtime Lake Norman developer and business leader Brad Howard has entered the March 5 Republican primary for Iredell County commissioner.
Born and raised in Iredell, Howard pledged in a campaign announcement Thursday to put his business skills to growing the economy to benefit “all sectors of the community.”
“I will put my business-minded experience to work in order to protect taxpayers, improve how our local government works for all residents, and help attract new businesses and jobs to our county, ” he said in a statement.
Howard and his father, Rick Howard, developed the Langtree at the Lake mixed-use community at Interstate 77 exit 31 in south Iredell.
Also running in the primary are Melissa Neader, who chairs the Board of Commissioners; her fellow incumbents Gene Houpe and Scottie Brown; and challengers Angela Wokatsch Matthews, Richard Coleman and H. William Compton Jr., according to the Iredell County Board of Elections.
No one is running on the Democratic side.
Howard is president/principal of Mooresville-based broker/developer The Langtree Group and was named 2011 Business Person of the Year by the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce
He helped created the Mooresville-South Iredell Developer Council, the Lake Norman Managed Growth Alliance, and served on the board of the Mooresville-South Iredell Chamber of Commerce.
Howard also was president of the Lake Norman Home Builders Association and served on the Iredell County Tax Board, other oversight boards and on the executive board of the Iredell County Republican Party.
State Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, has endorsed Howard, citing his business acumen, leadership skills and love for his county.
Early voting for the primary begins on Feb. 15.