Richard Ray Sayre II, Indian Trail Town Council candidate, answers our questions
To help inform voters in the Nov. 4, 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: : Richard Ray Sayre II
Email: richard.sayre.it@gmail.com
Political party: Nonpartisan
Age: 61
Campaign website or social media page: facebook.com/richard.sayre.it
Occupation: IT Manager
Education: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology
Have you run for and/or held elected office before? (Please list previous offices sought and/or held): No
What are your top priorities to manage the rapid growth Indian Trail is experiencing?:
Limit the residential projects and increase/promote commercial development. Current residential projects under construction were approved several years ago. There is plenty of housing in place or will be by the time the projects are finished. Commercial growth (and their jobs!) are what Indian Trail needs.
Secondly, continuing the expansion and development of the streets and roads, working with the state to move up the construction projects on the board to a higher priority.
Earlier this year, social media controversies – specifically linked to the Indian Trail Weasel Report Facebook page – contributed to a divide amongst town council members. How do you plan to work collaboratively with other council members and ensure a transparent government process for residents?:
Personal grievances have no place in public politics. I will not publicly address personal attacks and will ensure the town posts via social media, email and mailings, the functions, policies and events of the town. I will also re-post, promote and verbally reiterate the plans, purposes and positions of the town, as allowed, on my own social media accounts. The council should work as a team, not as individual entities with their own agenda, and should promote Indian Trail, not themselves.
Traffic congestion – especially along US-74 – has become a growing problem. How do you plan to address this?:
Working with the state (NCDMV) and regional (CRTPO) offices to increase the priority of road projects so they are completed sooner and also plan for alternate paths to funnel at least some of the traffic away from the busiest roads.
What do you believe in the most pressing issue facing Indian Trail in the next 5 years?:
Getting more sewer capacity to allow for more commercial development. The county lags far behind on the expansion of water treatment and needs to step up. Indian Trail is constrained on building hotels and other commercial property because of sewer capacity. More housing isn't needed - more commercial development is what Indian Trail needs.
What sets you apart from other candidates?
I have been a resident of Indian Trail since 2014 and have been attending nearly all city council meetings for over a year. I am familiar with the current council members and mayor, as well as a good portion of the staff of Indian Trail, including the town manager. They all know me on a first name basis and know that I am focused on supporting the town staff and working to keep Indian Trail a great place to live, work and play. I want to serve IT with the other council members, not against.
This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 4:40 PM.