Competition heated for regional races around Charlotte. Many incumbents survived

A highly competitive battle for school board seats in one of the Charlotte area’s fastest-growing suburban counties was among dozens of races that attracted regional voters Tuesday.

A dozen candidates, including three incumbents, were in the field for four seats on the Cabarrus County Board of Education. Growth, an issue common to the area, loomed large in Cabarrus County, where the population grew by more than 18% between 2010 and 2018, the Census Bureau estimated.

The county has doubled its number of public high schools in the past decade, opening four schools during that time.

Across the counties surrounding Charlotte, voters selected county commissioners, school board members and a handful of municipal officials. Here are highlights:

Cabarrus County

Board of Education: Candidates for the four at-large seats were Denise Adcock, Catherine Bonds-Moore, Thomas Clark, NaQueela Deas-Blanton, incumbent chair Cynthia Fertenbaugh, Tim Furr, David Harrison, Sean Irwin, Nora May, Fred Merry, Keshia Sandidge and incumbent vice chair Rob Walter.

In unofficial returns from all 39 precincts, Furr was leading with 14.2% of the vote. Sandidge was second, with 11%. Adcock, with 10.85%, was third. Walter had a slight edge, 10.6 to 10.5 percent, over Bonds-Moore for the fourth seat.

Fertenbaugh, a longtime board member, appeared to have lost her seat, as she was sixth with 9.5%. Following were Deas-Blanton, 7.9%; Harrison, 6.3%; Merry, 6.2%; May, 4.7%; Moore, 4.4%; and Irwin, 3.2%.

Fertenbaugh has been on the board for 17 years and chaired a committee that oversaw a redistricting plan last year. Walter was seeking his third term on the board, as was Harrison. Adcock, a small business owner, cited her background in management and team-building for a role on the board.

Bonds-Moore, a retired counselor with 35 years’ experience as an educator, said she wants to work closer with county commissioners on planning for growth. Clark, an engineer and ex-high school music teacher, cited a need for more creative thinking in dealing with growth.

Deas-Blanton, a mental health counselor, said she would push for more equality and diversity in leadership positions. Furr, a small business owner, served two terms on the school board in the past. Irwin said he wanted stronger support of teachers and was opposed to the Common Core curriculum.

May pushed for stronger support of pre-K programs and teachers in general. Merry, a retiree who works as a substitute teacher, said he wanted increased teacher pay and more vocational education. Sandidge, a social worker, said he wanted more transparency by the school board in its operations.

Board of Commissioners: Republicans Steve Morris and Barbara Strang, Democrats Sabrina Berry and Kevin Vinson, and Libertarian Thomas Hill were candidates for two seats on the five-member board. Morris, the incumbent board chair, was seeking his third term. Incumbent Liz Poole, a Republican, was not running for re-election.

The two Republicans were leading, with unofficial returns from all 39 precincts. Strang had 28.5% of the vote, and Morris had 28.1%. Trailing were Berry, 20.1%; Vinson, 19.8%; and Hill, 3.5%.

Register of Deeds: Incumbent Wayne Nixon, a Republican was unopposed.

Gaston County

Board of Commissioners: Four of the board’s seven seats were being decided, although only one of the races was contested. Democrat Robin Fletcher opposed Republican Kim Reel Johnson for the Gastonia Township seat. The winner will replace vice chair Jack Brown, who was not running again.

With unofficial returns from all 46 precincts, Johnson had a big lead, with 64.8% of the vote, to Fletcher’s 35.2%.

Running unopposed were incumbent Republicans Allen Fraley (Cherryville Township) and Bob Hovis (Crowders Mountain Township) and newcomer Ronnie Worley (South Point Township). Worley is in his second term as mayor of Cramerton.

Board of Education: Voters were selecting four members of the nine-person Gaston County school board. Each race was contested. The at-large race drew a field of five, including incumbent Jeff Ramsey. The others were Chez Adams, Teresa MacFarlane, Alecia Roberts and Alan Routhier.

Ramsey appeared to have won re-election, with 43.5% of the vote in unofficial returns from all 46 precincts. Trailing were MacFarlane, 17.7%; Adams, 16.6%; Roberts, 14.2%; and Routhier, 7.4%.

A field of four vied for the Gastonia Township seat. Incumbent Dot Guthrie, the choice of the N.C. Association of Educators, faced challengers James Chandler, Jim England and Charles Talbert. Incumbent Terry Usery faced Beverly “Robbie” Lovelace and Daniel Ware for the Cherryville Township seat.

Guthrie apparently won re-election, with 45.6% of the vote in returns from all 46 precincts. Chandler was second, with 33.1%. England, 11.8%, and Talbert, 8.9%, rounded out the field.

Usery appeared to have lost his seat, as Lovelace received 51.5% of the vote in unofficial returns from all 46 precincts. Usery got 31.4%. Ware, 16.5%, was third.

And school board chair Brent Moore faced a challenge from Luther Clark for the Crowders Mountain Township seat. In unofficial returns from all 46 precincts, Moore led Clark, 675.3% to 34.1%.

Union County

Board of Commissioners: Two seats on the five-member board were up for grabs.

The field included one incumbent, Republicans Richard Helms. The other incumbent, Frank Aikmus, lost to David Williams in a March primary. Opposition for Helms and Williams came from Democrats Scarlett Hollingsworth and Marty Moffatt.

With unofficial returns from 48 of 52 precincts, Williams led with 33.2%, Helms, with 32%, was second. The two Democrats, Hollingsworth, 19%, and Moffatt, 15.8%, trailed.

Board of Education: Five of the board’s nine seats were to be decided, but three races were uncontested. The exception was the contest for two at-large seats. Republicans Sarah May and incumbent Todd Price and Democrat Claudia Sandoval made up that field.

In unofficial returns from 48 of 52 precincts, May and Price were in front, each with 37.3% of the vote. Sandoval had 25.4%.

Price was appointed to the seat in 2019, replacing Dennis Rape. The other incumbent Christine Helms, did not seek re-election.

Register of Deeds: Republican Crystal Gilliard, who has held the seat since 2004, ran unopposed.

Lincoln County

Board of Commissioners: Three Republicans and a Democrat were in the field for three seats on the five-member board.

Board chair Carrol Mitchem and fellow incumbent Anita McCall, along with Cathy Davis, were the GOP candidates. Davis is chair of the Lincoln County School Board. The Democrat in the field was Autumn Watson.

In unofficial returns from all 23 precincts, the three Republicans were in front. Davis led the way with 30.6%, followed by McCall, 28.9%, and Mitchem, 25.9%. Watson received 14.6% of the vote.

Board of Education: Four of seven seats were up for grabs, and those races drew 12 candidates. Jon Propst, chair of the Lincoln County Republican Party, faced business owner Myra Heavner in District 1. That seat currently is held by Cathy Davis, who was running for county commissioner.

With unofficial returns from all 23 precincts, Heavner had 51.7%, to Propst’s 47.9%.

Incumbent Kirk Herbertson and challengers Christina Sutton and Jason Beckley were competing in District 3. Unofficial final returns showed Sutton comfortably ahead, with 68.5%. Beckley had 19.1%, and Herbertson, the incumbent, had 11.9%.

Another incumbent, Mark Mullen, faced Matthew Beam and Robin Bryant for the District 4 seat. Mullen appeared to win re-election, receiving 45.5% of the vote in unofficial returns from all 23 precincts. Beam had 35.9%, and Bryant got 18.3%.

The at-large race drew a field of four — incumbent Heather Rhyne, Ann Cesena, Stephanie Mullen and Debra Williams. Rhyne appeared to be the big winner in this race, with 50.5% of the vote in unofficial returns from all 23 precincts. Cesena, 23.7%, Williams, 15.4%, and Mullen, 10%, trailed.

Iredell County

Board of Commissioners: This was an uncontested race, with three Republicans unopposed for the seats up for re-election: incumbent Gene Houpe and newcomers Scottie Brown and Melissa Neader. Incumbents Tommy Bowles and Ken Robertson were not seeking re-election.

Board of Education: Three of the board’s seven seats were up for grabs, but only one race was contested. In District 4, incumbent vice chair Charles Gallyon II, a Democrat, faced Republican Doug Knight. Knight appeared to have beaten Gallyon in the rematch, receiving 55.3% of the vote in unofficial returns from all 29 precincts. Gallyon had 44.7%.

It was a rematch of their 2016 race, which Gallyon won by 78 votes out of more than 7,600 cast. Gallyon was seeking his third term. Running unopposed were Republican incumbents William Howell in District 2 and Charles Kelly in District 6.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle

This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 9:47 PM.