Mecklenburg sheriff unsure whether he wants to run for reelection, he says
Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden still has not decided whether he will seek reelection, he told The Charlotte Observer.
Three other Democratic candidates have entered the race for sheriff so far: former Chief Deputy Rodney Collins, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Sgt. Ricky Robbins and former Detention Officer Antwain Nance.
If McFadden wants to join, he has until Dec. 19 to make a decision. That will be the last day he can file. The primary election will be on March 3. He said he expects to decide sometime this autumn, when he visits his childhood home in South Carolina, prays and reflects.
“Is it necessary for me to still do this work?” he mused during an interview on Monday.
He said he is weighing the parts of the job that he likes — namely, being in the community — against a steady stream of negative news coverage and ”politics.”
“I love what I do,” he said. “I don’t love being the sheriff, because you come with this crazy title.”
For almost a year now, former high-ranking employees have publicly quit, sued McFadden and complained about what they describe as a toxic workplace. The sheriff’s wife is not well and has spent time in the hospital recently, he said, and “negative” news coverage has been taxing on his family. He again called criticism from his former chief of detention “the ultimate betrayal.”
To join a race now and add to it all?
“Why don’t we just sit in our backyard, and cook?” he said of himself and his wife.
Ryan Oehrli covers criminal justice in the Charlotte region for The Charlotte Observer. His work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The Observer maintains full editorial control of its journalism.
This story was originally published October 22, 2025 at 5:00 AM.