Jamie Wideman, Huntersville commission candidate, answers our questions
To help inform voters in the Nov. 5, 2025 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: Jamie Wideman
Age: 44 Campaign website or social media page: www.electjamiewideman.com
Occupation: Accounting and Procurement Manager
Education: Some College
Have you run for elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought or held) Candidate for Huntersville Board of Commissioners in 2023
Please list your highlights of civic involvement President (FY ‘25), Vice President (FY ‘26) - Olde Huntersville Historic Society Volunteer - Carolina Waterfowl Rescue, Humane Society of Charlotte Group Moderator - Save Downtown Huntersville
What are the most important issues facing Huntersville today, and how would you address them? Growth & transparency. We need to lean into our ordinances & grant fewer modifications, while engaging citizens early & often. Projects that provides a balanced approach, both economic & quality-of-life improvements, without over-burdening infrastructure, are key. I would not participate in the current 3 on 3 meetings, I would push to keep consent agenda items limited (ex - approval of meeting minutes, not spending funds), & recommend that agendas are available to the public a week in advance.
How would you ensure Huntersville’s growth doesn’t outpace its infrastructure? Unfortunately, we’re past the point of growth outpacing infrastructure and we’ve moved on to mitigating the damage from past/current growth while controlling future growth as infrastructure catches up. I will more closely follow our existing zoning ordinances, only granting variances when the results are reasonable for everyone (including the neighboring properties), and where developers have engaged in good-faith negotiations.
How would you work to improve traffic and road congestion as Huntersville continues to grow? A large portion of our roads are under the control of NCDOT. This means we have limited options for tackling this problem. While I do not believe in using the Fund Balance to balance the budget, I do see the value in using some of those funds to move our projects ahead on the STIP list with NCDOT. This means Huntersville would contribute additional funds to the state towards a project, making it more attractive to the state to complete sooner rather than later.
Do you support implementing a local sales tax to fund transit improvements? Why or why not?
The highest combined sales tax rate in NC as of today is 7.5%. Our neighboring counties all have sales tax rates of 6.75 - 7%. A 1 cent increase in Mecklenburg County will set the new rate at 8.25%, making us 1.25-1.5 % higher than our neighbors & the highest in the state. The increased will hurt residents, and subsequently businesses, as residents look for relief by shopping for higher-priced purchases (furniture, appliances, bulk groceries, etc) in neighboring counties with lower tax rates.
Why should voters choose you over others who are in the race?
The voters of Huntersville should choose me to represent them because I can work with anyone who has common sense beliefs on spending and development to benefit the entire community. This year, I am the only Independent/Unaffiliated candidate in the race, and I look forward to working for what the citizens want without additional influence.
