Mitchell Mullen, Mecklenburg Soil and Water Conservation candidate, answers our questions

To help inform voters in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, this candidate questionnaire is available to be republished by local publications in North Carolina without any cost. Please consider subscribing to The Charlotte Observer to help make this coverage possible.

Name: Mitchell Mullen

Birth date (month, day and year): 07/15/1969

Campaign website or social media page: N/A

Occupation: Civil Engineering Technician

Education: B.S. Applied Science and Technology

Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held)

No

Please list your highlights of civic involvement:

Catawba River Keepers, Boy Scout Committee Member, and Habitat for Humanity

This is an office a lot of people scratch their heads over when they get to it on the ballot. In your own words, what do the Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisors do?

A soil and water conservationist’s job is to help preserve and sustainably manage soil and water resources. They work with a variety of people and organizations to develop and implement strategies that protect water quality, prevent soil erosion, and promote land health. In the job, it is important to maintain and assist farmers and land owners in the sustainability of agricultural practices, preserving natural ecosystems, and safeguarding water resources.

What in your prior work history and expertise prepares you for this role?

I work in the construction industry as a site inspector and expert in soil and water resources and the management practices to safe guard our environment.

What are the most significant threats, in your view, facing our soil and water resources in Mecklenburg County?

The decreasing of our impervious surfaces. Development brings roads, parking lots, and rooftops. The use of ingenuity and technology can change the look of our community developments. The incorporation of pervious sidewalks, private roadways and parking lots.

How will you work to tackle development-related issues such as sedimentation in our waterways?

I would start with to Incentivize decreasing impervious surfaces. Next, I would incorporate turbidity curtains to help maintain water quality.

What will your focus be, should you win this race?

There are a variety of programs that would be my priority. The agriculture cost share program, the agriculture water resources assistance program, the community conservation assistance program and the conservation reserve enhancement program. All these programs are great but, my focus will be the wildlife habitat enhancement projects. This project is complex in that with the savings of our wildlife, we are enhancing our communities.

This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 12:14 PM.

Josh Bergeron

The Charlotte Observer

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Josh Bergeron is the government editor at The Charlotte Observer. Previously, he was the editor of the Salisbury Post in Salisbury, N.C. and worked as an editor and reporter at newspapers in North Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi. He’s a proud LSU alumnus — Geaux Tigers.