Arthur McCulloch, GOP Mecklenburg commission District 5 candidate, answers questions
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Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners
Voters in four of Mecklenburg County’s six commission districts will choose their representatives for the next two years on Nov. 5. There are not contested elections in districts 3 and 4. At-large candidates were decided in the 2024 primary earlier this year. Vilma Leake hasn’t responded to the Observer’s questionnaire.
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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: Arthur McCulloch
Birth date (month, day and year): Candidate did not provide answer
Campaign website or social media page: electmccullochforcommission.com
Occupation: Physician
Education: Ohio State University, UNC Chapel Hill
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held)
Candidate did not provide answer
Please list your highlights of civic involvement
Caring for patients without regard to their ability to pay for over 30 years in Charlotte
Working in free clinics
Room at the Inn through Holy Comforter Episcopal Church
Rotary Club
What made you want to run for Mecklenburg County Commissioner?
The absence of political diversity on the board leaves tens of thousands of citizens of Mecklenburg without a voice at the commission. All nine seats are currently held by members of the Democrat Party. Different opinions discussed at the table result in better decisions achieved to solve the problems in our community.
How will you make a difference with your platform?
I will bring a conservative voice towards taxation and spending with a focus on wasteful spending to conserve citizen’s tax dollars while maintaining compassionate and effective programs. I am not an expert on many things, but I do know how to find experts. For 30 years as a physician I learned how to refer to specialists. I’m an anesthesiologist. You don’t want me performing your brain surgery. When I graduated from medical school, I swore the Hippocratic Oath, which, in part says “First Do No Harm,” and that oath will guide me in public service.
Housing is an issue county-wide. What would you do to ensure county residents have access to affordable housing?
Effective and quality education is the key to a community’s success and well-being, which includes being able to afford housing. County government should identify problems and, having done that, should support non-profit organizations that have expertise in building and managing affordable housing projects. A good example is the St. Andrews Housing Group in Seattle, Washington (now called Imagine Housing). They have been extremely successful in developing housing through donations while charging residents according to their income.
What are the three top priorities in Mecklenburg County and how would you address them?
To help build a safer community through youth and adult education, including extensive vocational programs that focus on trades and emerging technology.
Health, both mental and physical, is a necessary aim for our people. I would bring expertise to the board as a physician. I have given lectures from Chapel Hill to UCLA on drug addiction and its treatment.
Fiscal responsibility needs to be added to the list of board priorities.
What separates you from your opponents and makes you the best choice for Mecklenburg County voters this election season?
I am a Marine Corps veteran, a physician, past-president of the North Carolina Medical Board and a fiscal conservative.
CMPD saw an 8% increase in violent crimes as of July 2024. How do you plan to address and curb rising rates of violence?
Of course, CMPD and Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office need our leaders full support for the hard work and professionalism they demonstrate every day. I strongly believe that police presence in necessary to help reduce crime. Once again, education is a vital key to the success of our community. It leads to better incomes as well as reduced homelessness, drug addiction and crime. These are the things we all want for ourselves and for our children.
Last year, youth crime incidents spiked to the highest levels in Charlotte in at least the last five years, according to CMPD. In 2024, there has been a 300% rise in youth homicide suspects, according to CMPD. How do you plan to address and lower the rates of growing youth crime plaguing our communities?
I believe that “catch and release” for repeat offenders, while appearing to be compassionate, can actually increase repetitive illegal activity. Illegal behavior needs to have consequences. Reopening the Juvenile Detention Center would not only enforce that concept, but would also provide a space where Social Services could interact with young people to help them see a better path to living productive lives.
More than 100 people move here a day. How can the county do better at preserving neighborhoods and balancing rapid growth in neighborhoods?
Convenient transportation provides access throughout our community and allows for expansion as well as easing pressure on existing neighborhoods. I would fully support the transportation master plan which includes rail, roadways and bus. People like Hugh McColl and Johnny Harris had a vision for our community 30 years ago, and we are benefiting from that vision today. We must now envision our community 30 years into the future.
This story was originally published October 16, 2024 at 9:28 AM.
